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nm converter

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What are nanometers?How do I convert nm to...Other nm conversionsMore than conversion of nanometersFAQs

The nm converter is a simple but helpful tool for your conversion needs between one of the smallest measurement units for length and a measurement unit of your choice.

In this short article, you'll learn:

  • What are nanometers?
  • The most important conversions of length with nanometers:
    • nm to mm conversion;
    • nm to cm conversion; and
    • nm to m conversion.

And much more!

What are nanometers?

Nanometers are a metric unit for length which typical applications in fundamental physics. Since nanometers are units in the international system (SI), we define them starting from a base unit, the meter. A nanometer equals a billionth of a meter, or, in mathematical terms:

1 nm=0.00000001 m\rm 1\ nm = 0.00000001\ m

This is the same as saying that a billion nanometers make a meter:

1, ⁣000, ⁣000, ⁣000 nm=1 m1,\!000,\!000,\!000\ \rm{nm} = 1\ \rm{m}

These two equations should be enough to tell you that the nanometer is an extremely small measurement unit, at least when considering the human scale. Viruses, molecules, and the smallest components inside your computer reside at that scale. There, the laws of physics change slightly as quantum effects begin to become relevant. Gravity is almost meaningless, while other forces that we usually ignore contribute to shaping that microscopic world.

How do I convert nm to...

Converting nanometers to any other unit is not that complicated. In some cases, however, you must pay particular attention to the number of 0s in your results.

nm conversion between metric units

The conversion between nanometers and any other metric units is straightforward. Write them down using the scientific notation and sum or subtract the exponents as needed to reach the desired final measurement unit. Here is a handy table to help you refresh those exponents.

Unit

Exponent

A˚\rm{\AA}

10−10 m10^{-10}\ \rm{m}

nm\rm{nm}

10−9 m10^{-9}\ \rm{m}

µm\rm{µm}

10−6 m10^{-6}\ \rm{m}

mm\rm{mm}

10−3 m10^{-3}\ \rm{m}

cm\rm{cm}

10−2 m10^{-2}\ \rm{m}

m\rm{m}

100 m10^{0}\ \rm{m}

km\rm{km}

103 m10^{3}\ \rm{m}

Rewriting the table to "center" it on nanometers gives you the fastest way to convert between nanometers and other units of the SI: simply divide the quantity in nanometers by the exponent on the right side of the table.

Unit

Exponent

A˚\rm{\AA}

10−1 nm10^{-1}\ \rm{nm}

nm\rm{nm}

100 nm10^{0}\ \rm{nm}

µm\rm{µm}

103 nm10^{3}\ \rm{nm}

mm\rm{mm}

106 nm10^{6}\ \rm{nm}

cm\rm{cm}

108 nm10^{8}\ \rm{nm}

m\rm{m}

109 nm10^{9}\ \rm{nm}

km\rm{km}

1012 nm10^{12}\ \rm{nm}

The conversion of nanometers to millimeters

You can either pass through the meter or convert directly to convert from nanometers to millimeters. In the first case, follow these steps:

  1. Find how many meters correspond to your measure in nanometers: divide the measure by 1000000000=1091000000000 = 10^9.
  2. Find how many millimeters correspond to the result in meters: multiply by 1000=1031000 = 10^3, the number of millimeters in a meter.

The result is the number of millimeters equal to the measure in nanometers.
In the second case, simply consider that there are 1000000=1061000000 = 10^6 nanometers in each millimeter (it's that small!): divide the measure in nanometers by 10000001000000 to find the corresponding value in millimeters.

Kilometer to nanometers conversion

Though this conversion is rarely useful, we can consider it for educational purposes.

  1. Convert from kilometers to meters: multiply the measure in kilometers by 1000=1031000 = 10^3.
  2. Convert from meters to nanometers by multiplying the result by 1000000000=1091000000000 = 10^9.

You can also directly multiply the measure in kilometers by 101210^{12}.

Other nm conversions

You can use the nm converter to convert to any other length unit. However, if you want to perform the same calculations by hand, you must remember the proper conversion factors. If you want to convert, for example, between nanometers and inches, we suggest you convert first nanometers to meters, then meters to feet, and eventually feet to inches. In this conversion, the only difficult-to-remember factor is the one between meters and feet: 1 m=3.28084 ft1\ \rm{m}= 3.28084\ \rm{ft}.

More than conversion of nanometers

You can find many more relevant calculators at Omni:

FAQs

How do I convert 100 nm to mm?

To convert 100 nm to mm, follow these easy steps:

  1. Convert 100 mm to meters: divide this quantity by 109:

    100 nm = 100 nm/109 nm/m = 10-7 m.

  2. Convert this quantity in millimeters: multiply it by 103:

    10-7 m = 10-7 m × 103 mm/m = 10-4 mm.

  3. Or simply divide the measure in nanometers by 106:

    100 nm = 100 nm/106 nm/mm = 10-4 mm

How many inches is 450 nm?

450 nm are equal to 0.000017717 inches. To find this result, that is, the wavelength of blue light, follow these steps:

  1. Convert 450 nm to meters:

    450 nm = 450/109 m = 4.5 × 10-7 m

  2. Convert the result to feet:

    4.5 × 10-7 m = 4.5 × 10-7 m × 3.28084 ft/m = 1.476 ×10-6 ft

  3. Multiply the result by 12 to find the corresponding measure in inches:

    1.476 ×10-6 ft = 1.771 × 10-5 in

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