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Time

Factor (s)MultipleSymbolDefinitionComparative examples & common unitsOrders of magnitude
10−441 Planck time.tPThe time required to travel one Planck length at the speed of light (c)5.4×10−20 ys = 5.4×10−44 s: One Planck time tP = \sqrt{\hbar G/c^5} ≈ 5.4×10−44 s[2] is the briefest physically meaningful span of time. It is the unit of time in the natural units system known as Planck units.10−20 ys, 10−19 ys (10−44 s, 10−43 s)
10−241 yoctosecondys[3]Yoctosecond, (yocto- + second), is one septillionth of a second0.3 ys: mean life of the W and Z bosons.[4][5][a]
0.5 ys: time for top quark decay, according to the Standard Model.
1 ys: time taken for a quark to emit a gluon.
23 ys: half-life of 7H.
1 ys and less, 10 ys, 100 ys
10−211 zeptosecondzsZeptosecond, (zepto- + second), is one sextillionth of one second7 zs: half-life of helium-9’s outer neutron in the second nuclear halo.
17 zs: approximate period of electromagnetic radiation at the boundary between gamma rays and X-rays.
300 zs: approximate typical cycle time of X-rays, on the boundary between hard and soft X-rays.
500 zs: current resolution of tools used to measure speed of chemical bonding[6]
1 zs, 10 zs, 100 zs
10−181 attosecondasOne quintillionth of one second12 attoseconds: shortest measured period of time.[7]1 as, 10 as, 100 as
10−151 femtosecondfsOne quadrillionth of one second1 fs: Cycle time for 390 nanometre light; transition from visible light to ultraviolet; light travels 0.3 micrometers (µm)1 fs, 10 fs, 100 fs
10−121 picosecondpsOne trillionth of one second1 ps: half-life of a bottom quark; light travels 0.3 millimeters (mm)
4 ps: Time to execute one machine cycle by an IBM Silicon-Germanium transistor
1 ps, 10 ps, 100 ps
10−91 nanosecondnsOne billionth of one second1 ns: Time to execute one machine cycle by a 1 GHz microprocessor
1 ns: Light travels 30 centimetres (12 in)
1 ns, 10 ns, 100 ns
10−61 microsecondµsOne millionth of one second1 µs: Time to execute one machine cycle by an Intel 80186 microprocessor
4–16 µs: Time to execute one machine cycle by a 1960s minicomputer
1 µs, 10 µs, 100 µs
10−31 millisecondmsOne thousandth of one second1 ms: time for a neuron in human brain to fire one impulse and return to rest[8]
4–8 ms: typical seek time for a computer hard disk
100–400 ms (=0.1–0.4 s): Blink of an eye[9]
18–300 ms (=0.02–0.3 s): Human reflex response to visual stimuli
1 ms, 10 ms, 100 ms
1001 seconds1 s: 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the cesium-133 atom.[10] 60 s: 1 minute1 s, 10 s, 100 s
1031 kilosecond
(16.7 minutes)
ksOne thousand seconds3.6 ks: 3600 s or 1 hour
86.4 ks: 86 400 s or 1 day
604.8 ks: 1 week
103 s, 104 s, 105 s
1061 megasecond
(11.6 days)
MsOne million seconds2.6 Ms: approximately 1 month
31.6 Ms: approximately 1 year ≈ 107.50 s
106 s, 107 s, 108 s
1091 gigasecond
(32 years)
GsOne billion seconds2.1 Gs: average human life expectancy at birth (2011 estimate)[11]
3.16 Gs: approximately 1 century
31.6 Gs: approximately 1 millennium
109 s, 1010 s, 1011 s
10121 terasecond
(32 000 years)
TsOne trillion seconds6 Ts: time since the appearance of Homo sapiens (approximately)1012 s, 1013 s, 1014 s
10151 petasecond
(32 million years)
PsOne quadrillion seconds7.1–7.9 Ps: 1 galactic year (225-250 million years)[12]
143 Ps: the age of the Earth[13][14][15]
144 Ps: the approximate age of the Solar system[16] and the Sun.[17]
430 Ps: the approximate age of the Universe
440 Ps: the half-life of thorium 232
1015 s, 1016 s, 1017 s
10181 exasecond
(32 billion years)
EsOne quintillion seconds312 Es: Estimated lifespan of a 0.1 solar mass red dwarf star.1018 s, 1019 s, 1020 s
10211 zettasecond
(32 trillion years)
ZsOne sextillion seconds3 Zs: Estimated duration of Stelliferous Era. 9.8 Zs: the lifetime of Brahma in Hindu mythology1021 s, 1022 s, 1023 s
10241 yottasecond
(32 quadrillion years)
YsOne septillion seconds1.6416 Ys: Estimated half-life of the meta-stable 20983Bi radioactive isotope. 6.616×1050 Ys: Time required for a 1 solar mass black hole to evaporate completely due to Hawking radiation, if nothing more falls in.1024 s, 1025 s, 1026 s and more
Factor (a)MultipleCommon unitsOrders of magnitude
10−50Planck time, the shortest physically meaningful interval of time ≈ 1.71×10−50 a10−50 a
10−241 yoctoannum1 ya and less, 10 ya, 100 ya
10−211 zeptoannum1 za, 10 za, 100 za
10−181 attoannum1 aa, 10 aa, 100 aa
10−151 femtoannum1 fa, 10 fa, 100 fa
10−121 picoannum1 pa, 10 pa, 100 pa
10−91 nanoannum1 second = 3.17 × 10−8 a ≈ 10-7.50 a1 na, 10 na, 100 na
10−61 microannum1 minute = 1.90 × 10−6 a
1 hour = 1.40 × 10−4 a
1 ua, 10 ua, 100 ua
10−31 milliannum1 day = 2.73 × 10−3 a
1 week = 1.91 × 10−2 a
1 ma, 10 ma, 100 ma
1001 annum1 average year = 1 annum (= 365.24219 SI days)
1 decade = 10 a
1 century = 100 a
1 a, 10 a, 100 a
1031 kiloannummillennium = 1000 a103 a, 104 a, 105 a
1061 megaannumepoch = 1,000,000 a106 a, 107 a, 108 a
1091 gigaannumaeon = 1,000,000,000 a
13.8 Ga = 1.38×1010 a ≈ 13.8 billion years, the approximate age of the Universe
109 a, 1010 a, 1011 a
10121 teraannum1012 a, 1013 a, 1014 a
10151 petaannum1015 a, 1016 a, 1017 a
10181 exaannum19 exaannum, the estimated half-life of the “stable” 20983Bi radioactive isotope1018 a, 1019 a, 1020 a
10211 zettaannum1021 a, 1022 a, 1023 a
10241 yottaannum1024 a, 1025 a, 1026 and more