1 picosecond
1 psTime · definition
Time conversions use a Julian year of exactly 365.25 days.
Time
Just how long is 1 picosecond?
Fleeting instants
1 ps
1 × 10⁻¹² sseconds
2.7778 × 10⁻¹⁶ hhours
1.1574 × 10⁻¹⁷ daysdays
3.1688 × 10⁻²⁰ yearsyears
01
1 picosecond1 psTime · definition
02
Caesium-133 clock transition108.8 psOne transition period · derived
Both timelines start together. Length measures elapsed time, not a physical distance.
A little perspective
Caesium-133 clock transition lasts about 109 times as long as 1 picosecond.
Measurements, assumptions & sources +
Caesium-133 clock transition
The SI second is defined from exactly 9,192,631,770 periods of the unperturbed caesium-133 ground-state hyperfine transition. Period and photon energy here are derived from that exact frequency.
BIPM — The International System of Units
The marked one transition period is calibrated. Unmeasured illustration details are representative.
Measurement details
Why these numbers?
The visual compares time with one transition period. The records below preserve each value’s basis and caveats.
Caesium-133 clock transition
108.8 psOne transition period · derived
The SI second is defined from exactly 9,192,631,770 periods of the unperturbed caesium-133 ground-state hyperfine transition. Period and photon energy here are derived from that exact frequency.
- Comparing
- Time ↔ One transition period
- Relative size
- Caesium-133 clock transition is larger on this measurement by a factor of about 109.
How to read the visual
The labelled spans and stored measurements determine the scale; unmeasured illustration details do not.
- Caesium-133 clock transition is labelled derived; treat the displayed value as a comparison anchor rather than false precision.
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