How big is the nanometer?

The nanometer is relatively small, a billion meter. It is 20 times wider than the diameter of the hydrogen atom. In terms of electromagnetic spectrum, 1 nanometer is about the wavelength of soft X -rays. Hard X -rays and gamma rays have a shorter wavelength. The width of double helix DNA, a molecule that carries our genetic code is about 2 nanometers. Electron microscopes use electrons rather than photons (light) to take pictures. Today's best electron microscopes have a resolution of only 0.05 nanometers, the diameter of the hydrogen atom.

To get the length of the nanometer in the perspective, pretend that you have reduced about 1.5 billion times, so your height will become 1 nanometer. From our new point of view, one would be about 1.5 million km high. This is about 120 Earth's average or three times longer than the distance from Earth to the moon.

The bacterial flagellum has a diameter of about 20 nanometers. Bacteria generally have a diameter between 300 and 5,000 nanometers. Members of the mycoplasma , lackingThe cell wall is the smallest for about 300 nanometer widths.

viruses and mobile genetic elements called prions and satellites are smaller than bacteria, with diameters between 5 and 300 nanometers. Some of these entities are only a few pairs of bases and all depend on conventional life forms for their replication.

Eukaryotic or complex cells such as cells in our body are about 10 times larger than bacteria, with diameters between about 5,000 nanometers and 100,000 nanometers. As for the world of nanometer, they are quite huge.

Nanometer technology has launched new areas of science and technology, calling nanoscience and nanotechnology. These fields seek to use the effects of nano-level in favor of humanity. So far, nanotechnology has been used in computers, cosmetics and textiles, but in the longer term, it could be used in virtually every thinchable product.