nanometer

Examples of nanometer in the following topics:

• Light

  • The wavelength of light is expressed in nanometers (nm); one nanometer is one billionth of a meter.

• Discovery and Detection of Viruses

  • Virions, single virus particles, are very small, about 20–250 nanometers in diameter.

• Intermediate Filaments and Microtubules

  • Intermediate filaments have an average diameter of 10 nanometers, which is between that of 7 nm actin (microfilaments), and that of 25 nm microtubules, although they were initially designated 'intermediate' because their average diameter is between those of narrower microfilaments (actin) and wider myosin filaments found in muscle cells.

• Basic Structures of Prokaryotic Cells

  • The plasma membrane is a thin lipid bilayer (6 to 8 nanometers) that completely surrounds the cell and separates the inside from the outside.

• Microscopy

  • (a) Most light microscopes used in a college biology lab can magnify cells up to approximately 400 times and have a resolution of about 200 nanometers.