| Unit name | Symbol | Length in seconds | Power of ten | Typical context | Relatable example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second | s | 1 | 10⁰ | Base SI unit; human-scale timing | One heartbeat or a spoken word |
| Millisecond | ms | 0.001 | 10⁻³ | UI response time, network latency | A screen refresh or mouse click registering |
| Microsecond | µs | 0.000001 | 10⁻⁶ | Context switches, device interrupts | Time for light to travel ~300 meters |
| Nanosecond | ns | 0.000000001 | 10⁻⁹ | CPU cycles, memory access latency | Time for light to travel ~30 cm (about a ruler) |
| Picosecond | ps | 10⁻¹² | 10⁻¹² | Signal propagation in circuits | Electrical signal crossing a few millimeters of silicon |
| Femtosecond | fs | 10⁻¹⁵ | 10⁻¹⁵ | Laser pulses, molecular dynamics | Vibration of atoms in a molecule |
| Attosecond | as | 10⁻¹⁸ | 10⁻¹⁸ | Electron motion within atoms | An electron shifting position around a nucleus |
| Zeptosecond | zs | 10⁻²¹ | 10⁻²¹ | Nuclear reactions (experimental) | Time scale of subatomic particle interactions |
| Yoctosecond | ys | 10⁻²⁴ | 10⁻²⁴ | Theoretical lower-bound measurements | Time for light to cross a proton (theoretical scale) |
IB DP Computer Science
DP
This article is not assessed by the IB but may be helpful to
deepen your understanding. Plus, I think it's cool.