What is microsecond?
A microsecond is a unit of time equal to one millionth of a second. It is used in electronics, radar systems, telecommunications, and measuring the speed of high-frequency processes.
Real-world uses
Microseconds are used to measure CPU instruction execution times, radar pulse durations, and ultrasonic echo intervals. High-frequency trading systems operate on microsecond timescales, and camera flash durations are typically 1–1,000 µs.
History
The microsecond became measurable with the development of oscilloscopes and electronic timing circuits in the early 20th century. The prefix "micro-" was adopted from Greek and formally standardized as an SI prefix in 1960.
Common mistakes
Using "us" instead of "µs" as the symbol, which can cause confusion with the word "us" in text. Also, conflating microseconds with milliseconds in performance benchmarks, leading to 1000x reporting errors.
What is minute?
A minute is a unit of time equal to 60 seconds. It is universally used for scheduling, cooking, fitness tracking, and expressing short durations in everyday life.
Real-world uses
Minutes structure daily life through meeting schedules, cooking times, exercise intervals, and transportation timetables. Medical professionals measure heart rate in beats per minute and respiratory rate in breaths per minute.
History
The minute comes from the Latin "pars minuta prima" (first small part), referring to the first division of the hour into 60 parts. This sexagesimal division originated with the ancient Babylonians around 2000 BCE.
Common mistakes
Using "m" as an abbreviation for minutes, which conflicts with metres. The correct abbreviation is "min." Also, performing arithmetic on time without accounting for the base-60 system (e.g., 1.5 hours is 1 hour 30 minutes, not 1 hour 50 minutes).
When is this conversion used?
Converting microsecond to minute is useful in the time domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
Worked examples
1 microsecond = 1.666667e-08 minute
1 minute = 60 second
How to convert microsecond to minute
To convert microsecond to minute, multiply the value by 1.666667e-08.
To convert minute back to microsecond, multiply by 60,000,000.
Measurement standards
The SI second is defined as the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom, maintained by the BIPM and national metrology institutes worldwide.
Did you know?
Earth's rotation is gradually slowing due to tidal friction with the Moon. To keep atomic time aligned with solar time, "leap seconds" have been inserted 27 times since 1972 — though they are scheduled to be abolished by 2035.
Quick reference: microsecond to minute
| microsecond | minute |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 1.666667e-09 |
| 0.5 | 8.333333e-09 |
| 1 | 1.666667e-08 |
| 2 | 3.333333e-08 |
| 5 | 8.333333e-08 |
| 10 | 1.666667e-07 |
| 25 | 4.166667e-07 |
| 50 | 8.333333e-07 |
| 100 | 0.00000167 |
| 250 | 0.00000417 |
| 500 | 0.00000833 |
| 1,000 | 0.00001667 |
Common values
| microsecond | minute | |
|---|---|---|
| Blink of an eye | 300,000 microsecond | 0.005 minute |
| Average pop song | 210,000,000 microsecond | 3.5 minute |
| Feature film | 7.200000e+09 microsecond | 120 minute |
| One work day (8 hrs) | 2.880000e+10 microsecond | 480 minute |
| One calendar year | 3.153600e+13 microsecond | 525,600 minute |
Available Time units
More microsecond conversions
- Convert microsecond to second
- Convert microsecond to minute
- Convert microsecond to hour
- Convert microsecond to day
- Convert microsecond to week
- Convert microsecond to year (365 d)
- Convert microsecond to millisecond
- Convert microsecond to nanosecond
- Convert microsecond to century (100 yr)
Assumption: year is defined as 365 days and century values are approximate.