Nanosecond: meaning, definitions and examples
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nanosecond
[ ˈnænəˌsɛkənd ]
time measurement
A nanosecond is a unit of time equal to one billionth of a second. This incredibly short duration is often used in physics and telecommunications to measure the speed of light or the time taken for a signal to travel. Due to its minuscule length, nanoseconds are significant in high-speed computing and electronics, where operations and processes occur within such brief intervals. The term 'nanosecond' derives from the prefix 'nano-', which indicates a factor of 10^-9.
Synonyms
10^-9 second, billionth of a second
Examples of usage
- The data transfer took only a few nanoseconds.
- The processor speeds are measured in gigahertz, translating to nanoseconds of processing time.
- Light travels approximately 30 centimeters in one nanosecond.
- The experiment measured the time difference in nanoseconds.
Translations
Translations of the word "nanosecond" in other languages:
🇵🇹 nanosegundo
🇮🇳 नैनोसेकंड
🇩🇪 Nanosekunde
🇮🇩 nanodetik
🇺🇦 наносекунда
🇵🇱 nanosekunda
🇯🇵 ナノ秒
🇫🇷 nanoseconde
🇪🇸 nanosegundo
🇹🇷 nanosecond
🇰🇷 나노초
🇸🇦 نانوثانية
🇨🇿 nanosekunda
🇸🇰 nanosekunda
🇨🇳 纳秒
🇸🇮 nanosekunda
🇮🇸 nanósekúnda
🇰🇿 наносекунд
🇬🇪 ნანოსეკუნდა
🇦🇿 nanosecond
🇲🇽 nanosegundo
Word origin
The term 'nanosecond' was coined in the early 20th century as science began to delve into the realm of atomic and subatomic structures. The prefix 'nano-' comes from the Greek word 'nanos', meaning 'dwarf', indicating a factor of one billionth. This prefix was first used in the early 1900s for various scientific terms. As technologies advanced, especially in computing and communications, the necessity to measure extremely short time intervals became apparent, and thus the nanosecond became a standard unit. It played a pivotal role in the development of modern technology, especially as electronic components began to operate at such high speeds that measuring time in microseconds was no longer sufficient. Today, the concept of nanoseconds is prevalent in many fields, including high-frequency trading, telecommunications, and quantum physics.