Editing 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<sup>−9</sup> or {{Gaps|0.000|000|001}}. It is frequently encountered in [[science]] and [[electronics]] for prefixing [[Unit of measurement|units]] of [[time]] and [[length]].

;Examples:
* Three gold atoms lined up are about one [[nanometer]] (nm) long.
* If a [[Marble (toy)|toy marble]] were scaled down to one nanometer wide, Earth would scale to about {{convert|1|m|ft|sp=us}} wide.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nano.gov/nanotech-101/what/nano-size|title=Size of the Nanoscale|publisher=[[National Nanotechnology Initiative]]|access-date=2020-05-14}}</ref>
* One [[nanosecond]] (ns) is about the time required for light to travel 30 cm in air, or 20 cm in an optical fiber. 
* One nanometer per second (nm/s) is approximately the speed that a fingernail grows.

The prefix derives from the Greek {{lang|grc|[[Wiktionary:νᾶνος|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. 

Human fingernails grow at approximately one nanometer per second.<ref>{{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}}</ref>

== Nanosecond ==
{{excerpt|Nanosecond}}

== See also ==
* [[RKM code]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:SI prefixes]]

[[simple:Nano-]]