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Glite Dictionary
picometer

picometer

7.2
A unit of length equal to one trillionth of a meter used to measure atoms
  • noun
  • /ˈpɪkəˌmiːtər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : picómetro
  • In scientific discussions, picometers are often used to describe atomic-scale measurements.

Examples

  • One picometer is one-thousandth of a nanometer.

    Academic text (2007)

  • A manufacturer says it has a motion controller that can work with a line of piezoelectric linear motor actuators to deliver resolution measured in picometers.

    Academic text (2007)

  • If we simply go to the far end of the scale, the picometer scale, you see carbon.

  • It's half an angstrom roughly, but picometers is the right unit for people that think of atoms.

  • (The wavelength of gamma rays used for this process is on the order of picometers.)

    Blog text (29)

  • Piezo and Picometers

    Academic text (2007)

  • At the ultrashort-wavelength end of the electromagnetic spectrum are high-frequency, high-energy gamma rays, whose wavelengths are measured in picometers.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Line selection of a single output wavelength has been demonstrated; however, the natural linewidth, which is similar to 1 picometer (pm), is not adequate for an all-refractive projection lens design (see the next section).

    Academic text (2001)

  • The wavelength of some high-energy gamma rays is measured in picometers.

  • One picometer is equal to one trillionth of a meter.

Synonyms

micromicron
vspicometer
  • Archaic
9.9

A unit for measuring length equal to one trillionth of a meter

has the same meaning but is known by a different accepted name

How Long

meter
  • Specialized
621 1.0
millimeter
  • Specialized
140 2.5
micrometer
  • Specialized
2 4.8
nanometer
  • Specialized
7 4.8
picometer
  • Specialized
7.2
femtometer
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

picometer singular
picometers plural

Morphology

picometer = meter (semi-transparent) = pico + meter

The word is directly built from the SI prefix 'pico-' plus 'meter', so the meaning follows a standard measurement pattern.

Etymology

Picometer joins the prefix pico-, used in science to mean 'one trillionth' or 'very tiny', with meter, the word for 'measure' you see in kilometer and centimeter. So a picometer is a 'very tiny measure' equal to one trillionth of a meter.