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Glite Dictionary
femtovolt

femtovolt

9.9
A very small unit for measuring voltage equal to one quadrillionth of a volt
  • noun
  • /ˈfɛmtoʊˌvoʊlt/
  • Specialized
: femtovoltio
  • The device is designed to detect changes as low as one femtovolt.

Examples

  • In certain sensitive experiments, voltages as small as a few femtovolts can be significant.

  • Noise measurements sometimes require instrumentation capable of resolving fractions of a femtovolt.

  • A femtovolt is a tiny unit of measurement.

  • The femtovolt is essential in advanced electrical engineering.

  • In certain sensitive experiments, voltages as small as a few femtovolts can be significant.

  • The device is designed to detect changes as low as one femtovolt.

  • Noise measurements sometimes require instrumentation capable of resolving fractions of a femtovolt.

Surface Forms

femtovolt singular
femtovolts plural

Morphology

femtovolt = volt (transparent) = femto + volt

The prefix 'femto-' clearly indicates a factor of 10⁻¹⁵, making the meaning of 'femtovolt' directly derivable from 'volt'.

Etymology

Femtovolt combines the SI prefix femto-, taken from a Danish word meaning 'fifteen' because it stands for 10⁻¹⁵, with volt, the common electrical unit. So a femtovolt is a very, very small part of a volt — one quadrillionth (10⁻¹⁵) of a volt.