100 nm is equal to how many micrometers (or microns)?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
100 nanometers (nm) is equal to 0.1 micrometers (μm).
Explanation:
The metric system is based on powers of ten, making conversions between units straightforward. To understand this specific conversion:
- Nanometer (nm): A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter, or ( 1 \, \text{nm} = 10^{-9} \, \text{m} ).
- Micrometer (μm): A micrometer (also called micron) is one-millionth of a meter, or ( 1 \, \text{μm} = 10^{-6} \, \text{m} ).
To convert from nanometers to micrometers, you need to understand the relationship between these two units:
[
1 \, \text{μm} = 1000 \, \text{nm}
]
This means that one micrometer contains 1000 nanometers. To convert nanometers to micrometers, you divide the number of nanometers by 1000.
[
100 \, \text{nm} \times \left( \frac{1 \, \text{μm}}{1000 \, \text{nm}} \right) = 0.1 \, \text{μm}
]
Thus, 100 nanometers equals 0.1 micrometers.
Practical Significance:
This conversion is important in various fields, especially in science and engineering. For instance, in microscopy or nanotechnology, it’s common to work with materials or biological samples that are measured in nanometers or micrometers. Understanding these scales helps professionals describe the size of objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye, such as cells, bacteria, viruses, and nanoscale devices. For example, a typical bacterium is about 1-10 micrometers in size, while viruses often range from 20-400 nanometers.