Size of cells

• Meter


  The base unit of measurement in science
• Sizes in biology


  • Often much smaller than a meter
• Centi


  One hundredth
• Centimeter (cm)


  One hundredth of a meter
• Size of objects

  • Width of little finger is around 1 cm
• Milli

  One thousandth
• Millimeter (mm)


  One thousandth of a meter
• Size of objects

  • Tip of a ballpoint pen is around 1 mm
• Micro


  One millionth
• Micrometer (μm)


  One millionth of a meter
• Size of objects


  • Typical human cell is 10-20 μm in size
• Nano


  One billionth
• Nanometer (nm)


  One billionth of a meter
• Size of objects

  • Hemoglobin molecule is around 5 nm in diameter
• Prefixes like centi, milli, micro, and nano are used to describe very small sizes in biology