Microsecond
Appearance
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2009) |
A microsecond is an SI unit of time equal to one millionth (10−6 or 1/1,000,000) of a second. Its symbol is µs. One microsecond is to one second as one second is to 11.54 days.
A microsecond is equal to 1000 nanoseconds or 1/1,000 millisecond. Because the next SI unit is 1000 times larger, measurements of 10−5 and 10−4 seconds are typically expressed as tens or hundreds of microseconds.
Examples
- 1 microsecond (1 μs) – cycle time for frequency 1 x 106 hertz (1 MHz), the inverse unit. This corresponds to radio wavelength 300 m (AM mediumwave band), as can be calculated by multiplying 1 µs by the speed of light (approximately 3×108 m/s) to determine the distance travelled.
- 1 microsecond – the length of time of a high-speed, commercial strobe light flash (see air-gap flash).
- 1.8 microseconds - the amount of time subtracted from the Earth's day as a result of the 2011 Japanese earthquake.
- 2 microseconds – the lifetime of a muonium particle
- 2.68 microseconds – the amount of time subtracted from the Earth's day as a result of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[1]
- 3.33564095 microseconds – the time taken by light to travel one kilometer in a vacuum
- 4.63 microseconds – a fifth (a 60th of a 60th of a 60th of a second)
- 5.4 microseconds – the time taken by light to travel one mile in a vacuum
- 10 microseconds (μs) – cycle time for frequency 100 kHz, radio wavelength 3 km
- 17 microseconds: net amount per year that the length of the day lengthens, largely due to tidal acceleration.[citation needed]
- 20.8 microseconds – sampling interval for digital audio with 48000 samples/s
- 22.7 microseconds – sampling interval for CD audio (44100 samples/s)
- 38 microseconds – discrepancy in GPS satellite time per day (compensated by clock speed) due to relativity[2]
- 50 microseconds – cycle time for highest human-audible tone (20 kHz)
- 100 microseconds (0.1 ms) – cycle time for frequency 10 kHz
- 125 microseconds – sampling interval for telephone audio (8000 samples/s)
- 240 microseconds – half-life of copernicium-277
- 250 microseconds – cycle time for highest tone in telephone audio (4 kHz)[citation needed]
- 277.8 microseconds - a fourth (a 60th of a 60th of a second), used in astronomical calculations by al-Biruni and Roger Bacon in 1000 and 1267 AD, respectively.[3][4]
For reference
- The average human eye blink takes 350 000 microseconds.
- A camera flash illuminates for 1000 microseconds.
- Standard camera shutter speed opens the shutter for 4000 microseconds or 4 milliseconds.
See also
References
- ^ Buis, Alan (January 10, 2005). "NASA Details Earthquake Effects on the Earth". NASA. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ^ Richard Pogge. "GPS and Relativity". Retrieved 2011-10-01.
- ^
- 382.1 microseconds - a random number picked by an anonymous contributor
- ^
R Bacon (2000) [1928]. The Opus Majus of Roger Bacon. Translated by BR Belle. University of Pennsylvania Press. table facing page 231. ISBN 978-1-85506-856-8.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|nopp=
ignored (|no-pp=
suggested) (help)