nanosecond (ns)
1 nanosecond = 1.000000e-09 seconds
What is nanosecond?
A nanosecond is a unit of time equal to one billionth of a second. It is critical in computer processor timing, high-frequency trading, optical communications, and physics experiments.
Notes: Metric unit
Real-world uses
Nanoseconds are used in computing to measure memory access times (DRAM latency is typically 10–100 ns), CPU cache operations, and network packet timestamps. Light travels approximately 30 cm in one nanosecond, a fact used in signal timing.
History
The nanosecond became a practical unit with the advent of digital electronics in the 1960s. Grace Hopper famously used a 30 cm piece of wire to demonstrate the distance light travels in a nanosecond, making the concept tangible for non-engineers.
Common mistakes
Underestimating how short a nanosecond is—light only travels about one foot in a nanosecond. Also, confusing nanoseconds with microseconds in performance specifications, which differ by a factor of 1,000.
When is this conversion used?
Converting nanosecond 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 nanosecond to second
To convert nanosecond to second, multiply the value by 1.000000e-09.
Conversion formula (from base unit)
x * 1e-9
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.
| nanoseconds | seconds |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 1.000000e-10 |
| 0.5 | 5.000000e-10 |
| 1 | 1.000000e-09 |
| 2 | 2.000000e-09 |
| 5 | 5.000000e-09 |
| 10 | 1.000000e-08 |
| 25 | 2.500000e-08 |
| 50 | 5.000000e-08 |
| 100 | 1.000000e-07 |
| 250 | 2.500000e-07 |
| 500 | 5.000000e-07 |
| 1,000 | 0.000001 |
Common values
| nanoseconds | seconds | |
|---|---|---|
| Blink of an eye | 300,000,000 nanoseconds | 0.3 seconds |
| Average pop song | 2.100000e+11 nanoseconds | 210 seconds |
| Feature film | 7.200000e+12 nanoseconds | 7,200 seconds |
| One work day (8 hrs) | 2.880000e+13 nanoseconds | 28,800 seconds |
| One calendar year | 3.153600e+16 nanoseconds | 31,536,000 seconds |
Full nanosecond conversion table
| Unit | Value | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| second | 1 ns = 1.000000e-09 s | × 1.000000e-09 |
| minute | 1 ns = 1.666667e-11 min | × 1.666667e-11 |
| hour | 1 ns = 2.777778e-13 h | × 2.777778e-13 |
| day | 1 ns = 1.157407e-14 d | × 1.157407e-14 |
| week | 1 ns = 1.653439e-15 wk | × 1.653439e-15 |
| year (365 d) | 1 ns = 3.170979e-17 yr | × 3.170979e-17 |
| millisecond | 1 ns = 0.000001 ms | × 0.000001 |
| microsecond | 1 ns = 0.001 µs | × 0.001 |
| century (100 yr) | 1 ns = 3.170979e-19 century | × 3.170979e-19 |