Physics Notes - Herong's Tutorial Notes - v3.24, by Herong Yang
Meter Prefixes and Other Units
This section introduces prefixes used on 'meter' to represent decadic multiples or fractions of a meter. It also covers other standard units to measure distances like foot, mile, nautical mile and lightyear.
For the convenience of measuring a very long or very short distance, some prefixes have been defined on "meter" to be decadic multiples or fractions of a meter. Here are some commonly used meter prefixes and their abbreviated symbols:
Prefix Name Symbol Definition peta petameter Pm 1 000 000 000 000 000 meters tera terameter Tm 1 000 000 000 000 meters giga gigameter Gm 1 000 000 000 meters mega megameter Mm 1 000 000 meters kilo kilometer km 1 000 meters meter m 1 meter deci decimeter dm 0.1 meter centi centimeter cm 0.01 meter milli millimeter mm 0.001 meter nano nanometer nm 0.000 000 001 meter pico picometer pm 0.000 000 000 001 meter femto femtometer fm 0.000 000 000 000 001 meter
Beside "meter", other standard units are also used to measure distances. For example:
Table of Contents
Meter Based on Earth's Meridian
Meter Based on Seconds Pendulum
►Meter Prefixes and Other Units
List of Various Distances and Lengths
Introduction of Frame of Reference
Introduction of Special Relativity
Time Dilation in Special Relativity
Length Contraction in Special Relativity
The Relativity of Simultaneity
Minkowski Spacetime and Diagrams
Introduction of Generalized Coordinates