International System of Units prefixes
In the International System of Units (SI), prefixes are used to express multiples or submultiples of a base unit, making it easier to write and read very large or very small values. These prefixes are placed before the unit name and do not change the physical dimension of the quantity, only its numerical scale. Using prefixes correctly is essential for clear and standardized communication in scientific and technical contexts.
Table
| \(1000^{n}\) | \(10^{n}\) | prefix | symbol | short scale | long scale | decimal equivalence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| name | alternative name | ||||||
| \(1000^{10}\) | \(10^{30}\) | quetta | \(\mathrm{Q}\) | nonillion | quintillion | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | |
| \(1000^{9}\) | \(10^{27}\) | ronna | \(\mathrm{R}\) | octillion | thousand quadrillion | quadrilliard | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 |
| \(1000^{8}\) | \(10^{24}\) | yotta | \(\mathrm{Y}\) | septillion | quadrillion | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 | |
| \(1000^{7}\) | \(10^{21}\) | zetta | \(\mathrm{Z}\) | sextillion | thousand trillion | trilliard | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 |
| \(1000^{6}\) | \(10^{18}\) | exa | \(\mathrm{E}\) | quintillion | trillion | 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 | |
| \(1000^{5}\) | \(10^{15}\) | peta | \(\mathrm{P}\) | quadrillion | thousand billion | billiard | 1 000 000 000 000 000 |
| \(1000^{4}\) | \(10^{12}\) | tera | \(\mathrm{T}\) | trillion | billion | 1 000 000 000 000 | |
| \(1000^{3}\) | \(10^{9}\) | giga | \(\mathrm{G}\) | billion | thousand million | milliard | 1 000 000 000 |
| \(1000^{2}\) | \(10^{6}\) | mega | \(\mathrm{M}\) | million | 1 000 000 | ||
| \(1000^{1}\) | \(10^{3}\) | kilo | \(\mathrm{k}\) | thousand | 1 000 | ||
| \(1000^{2/3}\) | \(10^{2}\) | hecto | \(\mathrm{h}\) | hundred | 100 | ||
| \(1000^{1/3}\) | \(10^{1}\) | deca | \(\mathrm{da}\) | ten | 10 | ||
| \(1000^{0}\) | \(10^{0}\) | - | one | 1 | |||
| \(1000^{-1/3}\) | \(10^{-1}\) | deci | \(\mathrm{d}\) | tenth | 0.1 | ||
| \(1000^{-2/3}\) | \(10^{-2}\) | centi | \(\mathrm{c}\) | hundredth | 0.01 | ||
| \(1000^{-1}\) | \(10^{-3}\) | mili | \(\mathrm{m}\) | thousandth | 0.001 | ||
| \(1000^{-2}\) | \(10^{-6}\) | micro | \(\mathrm{\mu}\) | millionth | 0.000 001 | ||
| \(1000^{-3}\) | \(10^{-9}\) | nano | \(\mathrm{n}\) | billionth | milliardth | 0.000 000 001 | |
| \(1000^{-4}\) | \(10^{-12}\) | pico | \(\mathrm{p}\) | trillionth | billionth | 0.000 000 000 001 | |
| \(1000^{-5}\) | \(10^{-15}\) | femto | \(\mathrm{f}\) | quadrillionth | billiardth | 0.000 000 000 000 001 | |
| \(1000^{-6}\) | \(10^{-18}\) | atto | \(\mathrm{a}\) | quintillionth | trillionth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 001 | |
| \(1000^{-7}\) | \(10^{-21}\) | zepto | \(\mathrm{z}\) | sextillionth | trilliardth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 001 | |
| \(1000^{-8}\) | \(10^{-24}\) | yocto | \(\mathrm{y}\) | septillionth | quadrillionth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 | |
| \(1000^{-9}\) | \(10^{-27}\) | ronto | \(\mathrm{r}\) | octillionth | quadrilliardth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 | |
| \(1000^{-10}\) | \(10^{-30}\) | quecto | \(\mathrm{q}\) | nonillionth | quintillionth | 0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 | |