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Below are shown the prefixes (factors) used with units in physics, chemistry and engineering. The symbol, the name, the corresponding factor as well as an example for each prefix are presented.
Learn the meaning and usage of the S.I. prefixes for units of measurement in physics. Find out how to sing the SI prefixes, try some questions and access other physics topics and resources.
SymbolNameMeaningMeaningYyottax 10 24multiplied by ...Zzetax 10 21multiplied by ...Eexax 10 18multiplied by 1,000,000,000,000,000,000Ppetax 10 15multiplied by 1,000,000,000,000,000Jan 13, 2010 · Learn about the 24 SI prefixes that modify unit magnitude in the International System of Units. See the history, spelling, capitalization, and examples of SI prefixes for multiples and submultiples.
Aug 11, 2014 · Learn how to use metric prefixes to write very large or very small numbers using powers of ten. See examples of prefixes for microwaves, Earth-Moon distance, and more.
PrefixSymbolX From 10xNumberyottaY241,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000zettaZ211,000,000,000,000,000,000,000exaE181,000,000,000,000,000,000petaP151,000,000,000,000,000- Prefixes
- Common Examples of Prefixes
- Standard Form & Order of Magnitude
- Worked Examples
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
Prefixes are useful for expressing units of physical quantitiesthat are either very big or very small. If you write out such big or small numbers, it will be time consuming and prone to errors. 1. In the English language, prefixes are letters which are placed in front of words to make new words. Some of the Greek prefixes and their symbols to indic...
1 cm = 0.01 metre1 kg = 1000 grams1 GB = 1 000 000 000 bytes0.000 0052 s = =is what is known as standard form. When numbers are too large or too small, it is convenient to express them in standard form in the following format: , where: is in the range of: denotes the order of magnitudeand is an integer. Order of magnitude are used to estimate numbers which are extremely large to the nearest power of ten. The table below sh...
Example 1
The length of the world’s smallest playable guitar is 13 micrometers (). Represent the guitar’s length in standard form.
Example 2
What level of precision is implied in an order-of-magnitude calculation?
Example 3: Understanding Prefixes
What prefix would you use to express the weight of a bacterium that typically weighs about 0.000 000 003 grams, and what would that weight be in the prefixed unit?
Learn how to use prefixes to express units of physical quantities that are either very big or very small. Find definitions, examples, standard form, order of magnitude and worked problems on prefixes.
A metric prefix is a unit prefix that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a multiple or submultiple of the unit. All metric prefixes used today are decadic. Each prefix has a unique symbol that is prepended to any unit symbol.
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