How Large is a Micrometer?
A micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, is a unit of length commonly used to measure objects like cells or the wavelength of infrared radiation. The abbreviation used to designate a micrometer is µm, and the unit is also often referred to as a micron or micrometre. The limits of visual acuity for the human eye is often cited as objects 50 micrometers in diameter, about the size of a dust speck. The average width of a human hair is 80 micrometers. The building blocks that make up every living thing, the cell, have sizes in the micrometer range. A typical bacterial cell has a width of 1-10 micrometers, while a red blood cell has a diameter between 6-8 micrometers. A strand of spiderweb has an average width of 4-5 micrometers. Typical eukaryotic (non-bacterial) cells have a diameter of 7 micrometers. The average adult human body is made up of about 10 trillion cells, including 100 billion brain cells, or 1% of the total. In contrast, there are numerous organisms consisting of only one
A micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, is a unit of length commonly used to measure objects like cells or the wavelength of infrared radiation. The abbreviation used to designate a micrometer is µm, and the unit is also often referred to as a micron or micrometre. The limits of visual acuity for the human eye is often cited as objects 50 micrometers in diameter, about the size of a dust speck. The average width of a human hair is 80 micrometers. The building blocks that make up every living thing, the cell, have sizes in the micrometer range. A typical bacterial cell has a width of 1-10 micrometers, while a red blood cell has a diameter between 6-8 micrometers. A strand of spiderweb has an average width of 4-5 micrometers. Typical eukaryotic (non-bacterial) cells have a diameter of 7 micrometers. The average adult human body is made up of about 10 trillion cells, including 100 billion brain cells, or 1% of the total. In contrast, there are numerous organisms consisting of only one
