Gaining
a Grasp of the Scale of the Universe: Scientific Notation
Prefixes
| 10-9 |
nano |
10-9
meters is 1 nanometer |
| 10-6 |
micro |
10-6
meters is 1 micrometer (1 micron) |
| 10-3 |
milli |
10-3
meters is 1 millimeter |
| 10-2 |
centi |
10-2
meters is 1 centimeter |
| 103 |
kilo |
103
meters is 1 kilometer |
| 106 |
mega |
106
parsecs is 1 megaparsec |
| 109 |
giga |
109
parsecs is 1 gigaparsec |
Astronomy
deals with the largest and the smallest size, time and mass units! It is
essential that one becomes comfortable with scientific notation to deal with numbers used
to describe these scales.
Powers of Ten: Knowing your place in the Universe, by
understanding its scale, enriches your existence and gives you greater perspective when
dealing with numerous issues faced by society.
|
