Angstrom

/ˈæŋstrəm/ noun

Definition

A unit of measurement equal to one ten-billionth of a meter, used to measure wavelengths of light and atomic distances.

Etymology

Named after Anders Jonas Ångström, a Swedish physicist of the 19th century who studied light and spectra. The unit preserves his name with the diacritical mark often dropped in English writing.

Kelly Says

The angstrom is one of the few scientific units named after a scientist (like the joule or watt), but Anders Ångström never intended it—he used different measurements, and the unit was named in his honor posthumously by the scientific community.

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