| Factor (m) |
Multiple |
Value |
Item
|
| 10−15 |
1 femtometre (fm) |
|
size of a proton |
| classical electron radius |
| scale of the atomic nucleus1 |
| 10-14 |
10 fm |
|
range of the weak force |
| 10−13 |
100 fm |
|
| 10−12 |
1 picometre (pm) |
|
distance between atomic nuclei in a white dwarf |
|
wavelength of gamma rays |
| 2.4 pm |
Compton wavelength of electron |
| 5 pm |
wavelength of shortest X-rays |
| 10−11 |
10 pm |
25 pm |
radius of hydrogen atom |
| 31 pm |
radius of helium atom |
| 53 pm |
Bohr radius |
| 10−10 |
100 pm |
|
wavelength of X-rays |
| 100 pm |
1 Ångström |
| 100 pm (0.1 nm) |
covalent radius of sulfur atom |
| 154 pm (0.154 nm) |
length of a typical covalent bond (C–C). |
| 500 pm (0.50 nm) |
width of protein α helix
|
| 10−9 |
1 nanometre (nm) |
1 nm |
diameter of Carbon nanotube4 |
| 2 nm |
diameter of DNA helix |
| 2.5 nm |
Smallest transistor gate oxide thickness microprocessors (as of Jan 2007) |
| 3 nm |
distance between a hard drive read head and the disk surface |
| 3.4 nm |
length of a DNA turn (10 bp) |
| 3 × 8 nm |
size of an albumin protein molecule |
| 6 - 10 nm |
thickness of cell membrane |
| 10−8 |
10 nm |
10 nm |
typical diameter of nanowire |
| 10 nm |
thickness of cell wall in gram-negative bacteria |
| 20 nm |
thickness of bacterial flagellum |
| 20 - 80 nm |
thickness of cell wall in gram-positive bacteria |
| 32 nm |
Smallest feature size of production microprocessors (as of October 2008) |
| 40 nm |
extreme ultraviolet wavelength |
| 90 nm |
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (generally, viruses range in size from 20 nm to 450 nm) |
| 10−7 |
100 nm |
|
size of chromosomescitation neededclarification needed |
| 100 nm |
90% of particles in wood smoke are smaller than thiscitation needed |
| 121.6 nm |
wavelength of the lyman-alpha line |
| 380–430 nm |
wavelength of violet light—see color and optical spectrum |
| 625–740 nm |
wavelength of red light
|
| 10−6 |
1 micrometre (µm) |
1 µm |
also called 1 micron |
| 1–3 µm |
particle size that a surgical mask removes at 80-95% efficiencycitation needed |
| 8 µm |
Average width of strand of Spider web major ampullate (dragline) thread from Nephila species5 |
| 10−5 |
10 µm |
10 µm |
typical size of a fog, mist or cloud water droplet |
| 12 µm |
width of Acrylic fibre |
| 25.4 µm |
1/1000 inch, commonly referred to as 1 mil |
| 10−4 |
100 µm |
200 µm |
typical length of Paramecium caudatum, a ciliate protist |
| 300 µm |
diameter of Thiomargarita namibiensis, the largest bacterium ever discovered |
| 500 µm |
MEMS micro-engine
|
| 10−3 |
1 millimetre (mm) |
2.54 mm |
distance between pins in old DIP (dual-inline-package) electronic components |
| 5 mm |
length of average red ant |
| 7.62 mm |
common military ammunition size |
| 10−2 |
1 centimetre (cm) |
1.5 cm |
length of a large mosquito |
| 2.54 cm |
1 inch |
| 3.1 cm |
1 attoparsec (10−18 parsecs) |
| 4.267 cm |
diameter of a Golf ball |
| 10−1 |
1 decimetre (dm) |
10 cm |
wavelength of the highest UHF radio frequency, 3 GHz |
| 10 cm |
diameter of the cervix upon entering the second stage of labour |
| 10.16 cm |
1 hand used in measuring height of horses (4 inches) |
| 12 cm |
wavelength of the 2.45 GHz ISM radio band |
| 15 cm |
height of a Lilliputian from Gulliver's Travels |
| 15 cm |
approximate size of largest beetle species |
| 15 cm |
length of a Bic pen with cap on |
| 21 cm |
wavelength of the hydrogen line, a hyperfine transition of the hydrogen atom |
| 22 cm |
diameter of a typical soccer ball |
| 29.98 cm |
distance light travels in one nanosecond |
| 30.48 cm |
1 foot |
| 31 cm |
wingspan of largest butterfly species Ornithoptera alexandrae |
| 50-65 cm |
a pizote's tail |
| 66 cm |
length of the longest pine cones (produced by the sugar pine) |
| 90 cm |
average length of a rapier, a fencing sword |
| 91 cm |
1 yard
|
| 100 |
1 metre |
1 m |
wavelength of the lowest UHF and highest VHF radio frequency, 300 MHz |
| 1 m |
approximate height of the top part of a doorknob on a door |
| 1.435 m |
Standard gauge of railway track |
| 1.7 m (5 feet 7 inches) |
average height of a human being |
| 2.44 m |
height of a football goal. |
| 2.45 m |
highest jump by a human being (Javier Sotomayor) |
| 2.72 m |
tallest known human being (Robert Wadlow) |
| 2.77 - 3.44 m |
wavelength of the broadcast radio FM band 87–108 MHz |
| 3.048 m (10 feet) |
height of the basket in basketball |
| 5.5 m |
height of tallest animal, the giraffe |
| 8.95 m |
longest jump by a human being (Mike Powell) |
| 101 |
1 decametre (dam) |
10 m |
wavelength of the lowest VHF and highest shortwave radio frequency, 30 MHz |
| 18.44 m (60 feet 6 inches) |
distance between the pitcher's rubber and home plate on a baseball field |
| 20.12 m (22 yards) |
length of a cricket pitch |
| 21 m |
height of High Force waterfall in England. |
| 23 m |
height of the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde, Paris. |
| 25 m |
wavelength of the broadcast radio shortwave band at 12 MHz |
| 27.43 m (90 feet) |
distance between bases on a baseball field |
| 30 m |
length of a blue whale, the largest animal |
| 31 m |
wavelength of the broadcast radio shortwave band at 9.7 MHz |
| 40 m |
average depth beneath the seabed of the Channel tunnel |
| 49 m |
width of an American football field (53 1/3 yards) |
| 49 m |
wavelength of the broadcast radio shortwave band at 6.1 MHz |
| 52 m |
height of Niagara Falls |
| 55 m |
height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa |
| 62 m |
Height of Pyramid of Djoser |
| 70 m |
width of a typical football field |
| 70 m |
length of the Bayeux Tapestry |
| 88.40 m |
wingspan of the Antonov An-225 transport aircraft |
| 91.44 m |
length of an American football field (100 yards, measured between the goal lines) |
| 93.47 m |
height of the Statue of Liberty (foundation of pedestal to torch) |
| 102 |
1 hectometre (hm) |
100 m |
wavelength of the lowest shortwave radio frequency and highest medium wave radio frequency, 3 MHz |
| 105 m |
length of a typical football field |
| 109.73 m |
total length of an American football field (120 yards, including the end zones) |
| 115.55 m |
height of the world's tallest tree, a Coast redwood |
| 137 m (147 m) |
height (present/original) of the Great Pyramid of Giza |
| 139.5 m |
height of the world's tallest roller coaster, Kingda Ka |
| 187 m |
shortest wavelength of the broadcast radio AM band, 1600 kHz |
| 299.792 m |
approximate distance travelled by light in one microsecond |
| 300.65 m |
height of the Eiffel Tower (roof) |
| 340 m |
distance sound travels in air in one second; see speed of sound |
| 400–500 m |
approximate heights of the world's tallest skyscrapers of the past 70 years. |
| 458 m |
length of the Knock Nevis, the world's largest supertanker |
| 541 m (1776 ft) |
height of the planned Freedom Tower at the World Trade Center site |
| 555 m |
longest wavelength of the broadcast radio AM band, 540 kHz |
| 647 m |
height of the Warsaw radio mast, formerly the tallest man-made structure, collapsed in 1991 |
| 707 m |
height of the Burj Dubai (as of 2008), the World's tallest structure built by man |
| 979 m |
height of the Salto Angel, the world's highest free-falling waterfall (Venezuela)
|
| 103 |
1 kilometre (km) |
1 km |
wavelength of the lowest medium wave radio frequency, 300 kHz |
| 1609 m |
1 international mile |
| 1852 m |
1 nautical mile |
| 1991 m |
Span of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, largest in the world as of June 2006 |
| 2309 m |
Axial length of the Three Gorges Dam, the largest dam in the world |
| 8848 m |
height of the highest mountain on earth, Mount Everest |
| 104 |
10 km |
10.911 km |
depth of deepest part of the ocean, Mariana Trench |
| 13 km |
narrowest width of the Strait of Gibraltar, separating Europe and Africa |
| 25 km |
height of the highest known mountain of the solar system, Olympus Mons on Mars |
| 30 km |
length of the longest man made dike enclosed by water on two sides, the Afsluitdijk |
| 31.3 km |
highest parachute jump (Joseph Kittinger) |
| 33 km |
narrowest width of the English Channel at the Strait of Dover |
| 34.668 km |
highest manned balloon flight (Malcolm D. Ross and Victor E. Prather) |
| 38.422 km |
length of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, as of June 2006, the longest bridge in the world |
| 42.195 km |
length of the Marathon, the longest mainstream long-distance road running event |
| 53.9 km |
length of the Seikan Tunnel, as of February 2006[update], the longest in the world |
| 77.1 km |
total length of the Panama Canal |
| 90 km |
width of the Bering Strait |
| 105 |
100 km |
111 km |
one degree of latitude on Earth |
| 163 km |
length of the Suez Canal |
| 300 km |
the approximate distance travelled by light in one millisecond |
| 560 km |
distance of Bordeaux-Paris, formerly the longest one-day professional cycling race |
| 804.67 km (500 miles) |
distance of the Indy 500 automobile race |
| 975 km |
greatest diameter of the largest solar system asteroid,6 1 Ceres |
| Factor (m) |
Multiple |
Value |
Item
|
| 106 |
1,000 km = 1 megametre (Mm) |
2,390 km |
diameter of dwarf planet Pluto, formerly the smallest planet6 of our solar system |
| 3,480 km |
diameter of the Moon |
| 5,200 km |
typical distance covered by the winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans automobile endurance race |
| 6,400 km |
length of the Great Wall of China |
| 6,600 km |
approximate length of the two longest rivers, the Nile and the Amazon |
| 7,821 km |
length of the Trans-Canada Highway |
| 9,288 km |
length of the Trans-Siberian Railway, longest in the world |
| 107 |
10,000 km |
12,756 km |
equatorial diameter of the Earth |
| 40,075 km |
length of the Earth's equator |
| 108 |
100,000 km |
142,984 km |
diameter of Jupiter |
| 299,792.458 km |
distance travelled by light in one second |
| 384,000 km = 384 Mm |
Moon's orbital distance from Earth
|
| 109 |
1 million km = 1 gigametre (Gm) |
1,390,000 km = 1.39 Gm |
diameter of the Sun |
| 4,200,000 km = 4.2 Gm |
greatest mileage ever recorded by a car (A 1966 Volvo P-1800S, still driving) |
| 1010 |
10 million km |
18 million km |
approximately one light-minute |
| 1011 |
100 million km |
150 million km = 150 Gm |
1 astronomical unit (AU); mean distance between Earth and Sun. |
| ~ 900 Gm |
optical diameter of Betelgeuse (~600 x Sun)
|
| 1012 |
1000 million km = 1 terametre (Tm) |
1.4 ×109 km |
orbital distance of Saturn from Sun |
| ~ 3 ×109 km |
estimated optical diameter of VY Canis Majoris, as of 2007 the largest known star (~2000 x Sun) |
| 5.9 ×109 km = 5.9 Tm |
orbital distance of Pluto from Sun |
| ~ 7.5 ×109 km = 7.5 Tm |
outer boundary of the Kuiper belt, inner boundary of the Oort cloud (~ 50 AU) |
| 1013 |
10 Tm |
|
diameter of our Solar System as a whole1 |
| 15.91×109 km = 15.91 Tm |
distance of the Voyager 1 spacecraft from sun (as of May 2008[update]), the farthest man-made object so far7 |
| 1014 |
100 Tm |
|
|
| 1015 |
1 petametre (Pm) |
~ 7.5 ×1012 km = 7.5 Pm |
supposed outer boundary of the Oort cloud (~ 50,000 AU) |
9.46×1012 km = 9.46 Pm
= 1 light year |
distance travelled by light in one year; at its current speed, Voyager 1 would need 17,500 years to travel this distance |
| 1016 |
10 Pm |
3.2616 light-years
(3.08568×1016 m = 30.8568 Pm) |
1 parsec |
| 4.22 light-years = 39.9 Pm |
distance to nearest star (Proxima Centauri) |
| 10.4 light-years = 98.4 Pm |
as of September 2007, distance to nearest discovered extrasolar planet (Epsilon Eridani b) |
| 1017 |
100 Pm |
20.4 light-years = 193 Pm |
as of September 2007, distance to nearest discovered extrasolar planet with potential to support life as we know it (Gliese 581 c) |
| 6.15×1017 m = 615 Pm = 65 light-years |
approximate radius of humanity's radio bubble, caused by high-power TV broadcasts leaking through the atmosphere into outer space
|
| 1018 |
1 exametre (Em) |
200 light-years = 1.9 Em |
as of October 2007, distance to nearest discovered solar twin (HIP 56948), a star with properties virtually identical to our Sun 8 |
| 1019 |
10 Em |
1,000 light-years = 9.46 Em or 9.46 × 1015 km |
average thickness of Milky Way Galaxy9 (1000 to 3000 ly by 21 cm observations10) |
| 1020 |
100 Em |
12,000 light-years = 113.5 Em or 1.135 × 1017 km |
thickness of Milky Way Galaxy's gaseous disk11
|
| 1021 |
1 zettametre (Zm) |
100,000 light-years |
diameter of galactic disk of Milky Way Galaxy1 |
| 50 kiloparsecs |
distance to SN 1987A, the most recent naked eye supernova |
| 52 kiloparsecs = 1.6×1021 m = 1.6 Zm |
distance to the Large Magellanic Cloud (a dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way) |
| 54 kiloparsecs = 1.66 Zm |
distance to the Small Magellanic Cloud (another dwarf galaxy orbiting the Milky Way) |
| 1022 |
10 Zm |
22.3 Zm = 2.36 million light-years
= 725 kiloparsecs |
distance to Andromeda Galaxy |
| 50 Zm (1.6 Mpc) |
diameter of Local Group of galaxies |
| 1023 |
100 Zm |
300–600 Zm = 10–20 megaparsecs |
distance to Virgo cluster of galaxies
|
| 1024 |
1 yottametre (Ym) |
200 million light-years
= 2 Ym = 60 megaparsecs |
diameter of the Local Supercluster and the largest voids and filaments. |
500 million light-years
= 5 Ym = 150 megaparsecs |
|
| 1025 |
10 Ym |
|
| 1026 |
100 Ym |
1×1010 light-years
= 1026 m = 100 Ym |
estimated light travel distance to certain quasars |
92×109 light years
= 9.2×1026 m = 920 Ym |
approx. diameter (comoving distance) of the visible universe1 |