Express the quantity 556.2×10⁻¹² s in each unit. a. ms b. ns c. ps d. fs

Key Concepts

Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers that are too large or too small in a more manageable form. It is written as a product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of ten. For example, 556.2 * 10^-12 seconds can be expressed as 5.562 * 10^-10 seconds, which simplifies calculations and comparisons.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion involves changing a quantity expressed in one unit to another unit while maintaining the same value. In this case, converting seconds to milliseconds (ms), nanoseconds (ns), picoseconds (ps), and femtoseconds (fs) requires knowing the relationships between these units: 1 ms = 10^-3 s, 1 ns = 10^-9 s, 1 ps = 10^-12 s, and 1 fs = 10^-15 s.

Time Units

Time units are standardized measures used to quantify time intervals. Common time units include seconds (s), milliseconds (ms), nanoseconds (ns), picoseconds (ps), and femtoseconds (fs). Understanding the scale of these units is crucial for converting between them, as they differ by factors of ten, with each subsequent unit being a thousand times smaller than the previous one.