Angstrom

Angstrom, pronounced ANG struhm, is a unit of length used to measure very small distances. For example, the atoms in a salt crystal are only several angstroms apart. Wavelengths of light are sometimes measured in angstroms. The wavelength of visible light measures several thousand angstroms. One angstrom equals 0.0000001 millimeter (0.0000000039 inch). The angstrom is abbreviated A or A. It is named in honor of the Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Angstrom, who made important studies of light.

Contributor: Lawrence P. Brehm, Ph.D., Staff Physicist, International Business Machines Corp.

Angstrom

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