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Science & Lab
Essential for chemistry concentrations (molar to nanomolar), biological cell sizes (micrometers), and physics calculations.
- •Molar to Nanomolar conversions
- •Cell sizes in Micrometers
- •Atomic scale in Angstroms/Picometers
Use this metric prefixes table to compare SI prefix symbols, powers of 10, factors, and decimal values in one place. Quick examples: kilo (k) = 10³ = 1,000; milli (m) = 10⁻³ = 0.001; micro (µ) = 10⁻⁶ = 0.000001; mega (M) = 10⁶ = 1,000,000.Case matters in SI symbols: uppercase M means mega, lowercase m means milli, and lowercase k is the SI prefix symbol for kilo.
A metric prefix scales a base unit by a power of 10. Use the symbol column for units like km, mg, µm, MHz, and GPa; use the decimal column when converting units or checking scientific notation.
Micro is 1,000 times smaller than milli because 10⁻⁶ is one thousandth of 10⁻³.
lowercase k is the SI prefix symbol
uppercase M means mega
lowercase m means milli
Greek letter µ; plain text sometimes uses u
common for nanometers and nanoseconds
case changes the value by 10⁹
write kilometer as km, not Km
Standard Range • Yotta → Yocto
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Range: Yotta to Yocto • SI Units & Powers of 10
| Prefix | Symbol | Power of 10 | Decimal Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yotta | Y | 10²⁴ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| Zetta | Z | 10²¹ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| Exa | E | 10¹⁸ | 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 |
| Peta | P | 10¹⁵ | 1,000,000,000,000,000 |
| Tera | T | 10¹² | 1,000,000,000,000 |
| Giga | G | 10⁹ | 1,000,000,000 |
| Mega | M | 10⁶ | 1,000,000 |
| Kilo | k | 10³ | 1,000 |
| Hecto | h | 10² | 100 |
| Deca | da | 10¹ | 10 |
| (Base) | - | 10⁰ | 1 |
| Deci | d | 10⁻¹ | 0.1 |
| Centi | c | 10⁻² | 0.01 |
| Milli | m | 10⁻³ | 0.001 |
| Micro | µ | 10⁻⁶ | 0.000001 |
| Nano | n | 10⁻⁹ | 0.000000001 |
| Pico | p | 10⁻¹² | 0.000000000001 |
| Femto | f | 10⁻¹⁵ | 0.000000000000001 |
| Atto | a | 10⁻¹⁸ | 0.000000000000000001 |
| Zepto | z | 10⁻²¹ | 0.000000000000000000001 |
| Yocto | y | 10⁻²⁴ | 0.000000000000000000000001 |
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The most commonly checked metric prefixes are kilo, mega, milli, micro, and nano. Kilo, mega, and giga make a base unit larger; milli, micro, and nano make it smaller.
Case matters in SI symbols. Uppercase M means mega (10⁶), while lowercase m means milli (10⁻³). The micro symbol is µ, although plain text sometimes uses "u" when the Greek letter is not available.
milli = 10⁻³; micro = 10⁻⁶
micro is 1,000 times smaller than milli
M = mega; m = milli
case changes the meaning
k = kilo prefix; K = kelvin unit symbol
write kilometer as km, not Km
Master unit conversions in three simple steps using our comprehensive reference table.
Locate the prefix symbol (like 'k' or 'µ') attached to your unit (km, µg) in the chart.
Read across to see the multiplication factor. 'k' means 10³ or 1,000 times the base unit.
Use the power of 10 to shift your decimal point. Positive powers move it right; negative powers move it left.
From the laboratory to the server room, metric prefixes are universal.
Essential for chemistry concentrations (molar to nanomolar), biological cell sizes (micrometers), and physics calculations.
Understand data storage (Terabytes, Petabytes) and processor speeds (Gigahertz). Note: Binary prefixes (KiB, MiB) differ slightly.
Precise conversion for electronics (microfarads, megaohms) and structural loads (kilonewtons, gigapascals).
Why does my 1 TB drive only show 931 GB? Understanding the difference between decimal (SI) and binary (IEC) prefixes.
1 TB = 1,000,000,000,000 bytes (10¹²)
Uses standard metric prefixes based on powers of 10.
1 TiB = 1,099,511,627,776 bytes (2⁴⁰)
Uses binary prefixes where 1 TiB = 1024 GiB.
Result: 1 Terabyte (SI) ≈ 0.909 Tebibytes (IEC)
This is why your 1 TB drive shows as ~931 GB in Windows - it's actually showing GiB (Gibibytes)!
Understanding the prefixes used in modern technology performance metrics.
Billions of cycles per second (CPUs, WiFi)
3.5 GHz CPU
Millions of cycles per second (RAM, old CPUs)
1600 MHz RAM
Billionths of a second (RAM latency)
15 ns latency
Thousandths of a second (Ping/Lag)
50 ms ping
From the vastness of galaxies to the smallest atoms - metric prefixes help us comprehend it all.
Stars in Andromeda Galaxy
Human population
City population
DNA helix width
Atom radius
Key concepts to help you understand and use the International System of Units (SI) effectively.
The base unit (meter, gram, second) has no prefix and a factor of 10⁰ (1). Prefixes modify this base to handle larger or smaller quantities.
A method to write very large or very small numbers. 1,000,000 becomes 1 × 10⁶. This simplifies calculations and improves readability.
Positive powers (k, M, G) represent multiples (large scale). Negative powers (m, µ, n) represent fractions (small scale).
Case matters! 'M' is Mega (10⁶), 'm' is Milli (10⁻³). 'P' is Peta, 'p' is pico. Always check the symbol case carefully.
Use these charts when SI prefixes connect to length units, decimal/fraction references, or area conversions.
| MM | Microns | Sci |
|---|---|---|
| 0.001 | 1 | 1e-3 |
| 0.005 | 5 | 5e-3 |
| 0.01 | 10 | 1e-2 |
| 0.025 | 25 | 2.5e-2 |
| 0.05 | 50 | 5e-2 |
| 0.1 | 100 | 1e-1 |
| 0.25 | 250 | 2.5e-1 |
| 0.5 | 500 | 5e-1 |
| 1 | 1000 | 1e0 |
| 10 | 10000 | 1e1 |
Small-scale length conversions for CNC, machining, and lab work.
View chart| Dec | Frac | MM |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0156 | 1/64" | 0.397 |
| 0.0313 | 1/32" | 0.794 |
| 0.0625 | 1/16" | 1.588 |
| 0.1250 | 1/8" | 3.175 |
| 0.1875 | 3/16" | 4.763 |
| 0.2500 | 1/4" | 6.350 |
| 0.3750 | 3/8" | 9.525 |
| 0.5000 | 1/2" | 12.70 |
| 0.7500 | 3/4" | 19.05 |
| 1.0000 | 1" | 25.40 |
Convert decimals into common fractions for measuring, drafting, and math.
View chart| Fraction | Decimal | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| 1/64 | 0.0156 | 1.56% |
| 1/32 | 0.0313 | 3.13% |
| 1/16 | 0.0625 | 6.25% |
| 1/8 | 0.1250 | 12.5% |
| 3/16 | 0.1875 | 18.8% |
| 1/4 | 0.2500 | 25% |
| 5/16 | 0.3125 | 31.3% |
| 3/8 | 0.3750 | 37.5% |
| 1/2 | 0.5000 | 50% |
| 3/4 | 0.7500 | 75% |
Fractions from 1/64 to whole numbers for math education and precision cutting.
View chart| Sq Ft | Sq Meters |
|---|---|
| 100 | 9.29 |
| 500 | 46.45 |
| 1,000 | 92.90 |
| 1,500 | 139.35 |
| 2,000 | 185.81 |
| 2,500 | 232.26 |
| 3,000 | 278.71 |
| 4,000 | 371.61 |
| 5,000 | 464.51 |
| 10,000 | 929.03 |
Square inches, feet, yards, meters, and acres for planning and surveying.
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Straight answers for common questions about metric prefixes.