One billionth is the reciprocal of a billion, which means it has one of two definitions depending on whether the long scale or short scale definition is being used.[1]
In the short (or United States ) scale, a billionth is equal to 0.000 000 001, or 1 x 10−9 in scientific notation or standard form. The prefix for this number is nano, and is abbreviated as "n" (for example, in electronics, one nanofarad would be written as 1 nF).[2]
In the long (or United Kingdom ) scale, a billionth is equal to 0.000 000 000 001, or 1 x 10−12 in scientific notation or standard form. The prefix for this number is pico-, and is abbreviated as "p" (for example, in electronics, one picofarad would be written as 1 pF).[3]
Preceded by Millionth |
Decimal orders of magnitude |
Succeeded by Trillionth |