Nano-
{{Short description|SI prefix denoting 10 to the -9th power}}
{{Other uses|Nano (disambiguation){{!}}Nano}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2020}}
{{Wiktionary|nano-}}
Nano (symbol n) is a unit prefix meaning one billionth. Used primarily with the metric system, this prefix denotes a factor of 10−9 or {{Gaps|0.000|000|001}}. It is frequently encountered in science and electronics for prefixing units of time and length.
The prefix derives from the Greek {{lang|grc|νᾶνος}} (Latin {{lang|la|nanus}}), meaning "dwarf". The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) officially endorsed the usage of nano as a standard prefix in 1960.
When used as a prefix for something other than a unit of measure (as for example in words like "nanoscience"), nano refers to nanotechnology, or means "on a scale of nanometres" (nanoscale).
{{SI prefixes (infobox)}}
Nanometre
{{excerpt|Nanometre}}
X-rays have a wavelength ranging from the size of 0.01 nm to 10 nm.
Three gold atoms lined up are about one nanometer (nm) long.
Human fingernails grow at approximately one nanometer per second.{{Cite web |title=Examples of Nanoscale Objects |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/examples-of-nanoscale-608575 |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}
Nanosecond
{{excerpt|Nanosecond}}
One nanosecond (ns) is about the time required for light to travel 30 cm in air, or 20 cm in an optical fiber.