Pico-

Pico (symbol p) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of 1 trillionth (0.000000000001), or 10 to the power of -12 as an exponent, that is, 10-12.

This article is about the SI prefix. For other uses, see Pico (disambiguation).

Derived from the Spanish word pico, meaning peak, beak, bit, this was one of the original 12 prefixes defined in 1960 when the International System of Units was established.[1]

The radius of atoms range from 28 picometers (helium) to 260 picometers (caesium). One picolight-year is about nine kilometers (six miles).

SI prefixes
Prefix Base 10 Decimal English word Adoption[nb 1]
Name Symbol Short scale Long scale
yotta- Y-  1024 1000000000000000000000000  septillion  quadrillion 1991
zetta- Z-  1021 1000000000000000000000  sextillion  trilliard 1991
exa- E-  1018 1000000000000000000  quintillion  trillion 1975
peta- P-  1015 1000000000000000  quadrillion  billiard 1975
tera- T-  1012 1000000000000  trillion  billion 1960
giga- G-  109 1000000000  billion  milliard 1960
mega- M-  106 1000000  million 1873
kilo- k-  103 1000  thousand 1795
hecto- h-  102 100  hundred 1795
deca- da-  101 10  ten 1795
 100 1  one –
deci- d-  10−1 0.1  tenth 1795
centi- c-  10−2 0.01  hundredth 1795
milli- m-  10−3 0.001  thousandth 1795
micro- μ-  10−6 0.000001  millionth 1873
nano- n-  10−9 0.000000001  billionth  milliardth 1960
pico- p-  10−12 0.000000000001  trillionth  billionth 1960
femto- f-  10−15 0.000000000000001  quadrillionth  billiardth 1964
atto- a-  10−18 0.000000000000000001  quintillionth  trillionth 1964
zepto- z-  10−21 0.000000000000000000001  sextillionth  trilliardth 1991
yocto- y-  10−24  0.000000000000000000000001  septillionth  quadrillionth 1991
  1. Prefixes adopted before 1960 already existed before SI. The introduction of the CGS system was in 1873.

See also

References
  1. "Resolution 12 of the 11th CGPM". International Bureau of Weights and Measures. 1960. Retrieved 2020-05-14.
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