Express the quantity 128.2 * 10 - 12 s in each unit. a. ms b. ns c. ps d. fs

Key Concepts

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one unit to another unit. In this case, we are converting time measured in seconds to milliseconds (ms), nanoseconds (ns), picoseconds (ps), and femtoseconds (fs). Understanding the relationship between these units is essential, as each unit represents a different scale of time, with milliseconds being 10^-3 seconds and femtoseconds being 10^-15 seconds.

Scientific Notation

Scientific notation is a way of expressing numbers that are too large or too small in a compact form. It is written as a product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of ten. For example, 128.2 * 10^-12 seconds can be expressed as 1.282 * 10^-10 seconds, which simplifies calculations and comparisons, especially when dealing with very small or very large quantities.

Time Measurement Units

Time measurement units are standardized quantities used to measure time intervals. Common units include seconds (s), milliseconds (ms), nanoseconds (ns), picoseconds (ps), and femtoseconds (fs). Each unit is a factor of ten smaller than the previous one, with 1 ms equal to 10^-3 s, 1 ns equal to 10^-9 s, 1 ps equal to 10^-12 s, and 1 fs equal to 10^-15 s, which is crucial for accurate conversions.