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This document deals with very small numbers. Just like the big numbers on another sheet, these are so small they are almost incomprehensible. The "blink of an eye' is 2/10 of a second. That's fast for humans but it's a lifetime in computer technology. If it took 2/10 of a second to execute each and every computer instruction, the Internet would crawl to a halt. Once again, this introduces not only some difficult concepts but some unfamiliar vocabulary and gives examples that students can understand. It's also got co-curricular possibilities with science and language arts. The prefixes on this sheet and others are used throughout the technical and scientific communities. Measuring Time
· 1 picosecond (one-trillionth of a second) - This is about the shortest period of time we can currently measure accurately. · 1 nanosecond (one-billionth of a second) - 2 to 4 nanoseconds is the length of time that a typical home computer spends executing one software instruction. · 1 microsecond (one-millionth of a second) - · 1 millisecond (one-thousandth of a second) - This is the typical fastest time for the exposure of film in a normal camera. A picture taken in 1/1,000th of a second will usually stop all human motion. · 1 centisecond (one-hundredth of a second) - The length of time it takes for a stroke of lightning to strike · 1 decisecond (one-tenth of a second) - A blink of an eye · 1 second - An average person's heart beats once each second. · 60 seconds - One minute; a TV commercial
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This
one of several cool little documents I used when
teaching math. I was also the de facto computer teacher for the middle
grades and they came in handy there too. The other documents are also posted
on the site home page.