microsecond (µs)
1 microsecond = 0.000001 seconds
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.
Notes: Metric unit
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.
When is this conversion used?
Converting microsecond to second is useful in the time domain when comparing values across different measurement standards or applying formulas that require a specific unit.
How to convert microsecond to second
To convert microsecond to second, multiply the value by 0.000001.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1e-6
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.
| microseconds | seconds |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 1.000000e-07 |
| 0.5 | 5.000000e-07 |
| 1 | 0.000001 |
| 2 | 0.000002 |
| 5 | 0.000005 |
| 10 | 0.00001 |
| 25 | 0.000025 |
| 50 | 0.00005 |
| 100 | 0.0001 |
| 250 | 0.00025 |
| 500 | 0.0005 |
| 1,000 | 0.001 |
Common values
| microseconds | seconds | |
|---|---|---|
| Blink of an eye | 300,000 microseconds | 0.3 seconds |
| Average pop song | 210,000,000 microseconds | 210 seconds |
| Feature film | 7.200000e+09 microseconds | 7,200 seconds |
| One work day (8 hrs) | 2.880000e+10 microseconds | 28,800 seconds |
| One calendar year | 3.153600e+13 microseconds | 31,536,000 seconds |
Full microsecond conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| second | 1 µs = 0.000001 s | × 0.000001 |
| minute | 1 µs = 1.666667e-08 min | × 1.666667e-08 |
| hour | 1 µs = 2.777778e-10 h | × 2.777778e-10 |
| day | 1 µs = 1.157407e-11 d | × 1.157407e-11 |
| week | 1 µs = 1.653439e-12 wk | × 1.653439e-12 |
| year (365 d) | 1 µs = 3.170979e-14 yr | × 3.170979e-14 |
| millisecond | 1 µs = 0.001 ms | × 0.001 |
| nanosecond | 1 µs = 1,000 ns | × 1,000 |
| century (100 yr) | 1 µs = 3.170979e-16 century | × 3.170979e-16 |