Angstrom to nm converter

Learn how to convert angstrom to nm with Omni: you will discover that the difficulties are as small as an atom. Keep reading this short article to learn:

• What are angstrom and nanometers?
• How to convert angstrom to nanometers; and
• Examples of conversions of angstrom to nm and vice-versa.

Angstrom and nanometers are metric measurement units for length. Both of them have ample applications in physics and nanotechnology. Nanometers and angstrom, with respective symbols nm and Å, are perfect for describing objects and phenomena around the scale of a molecule or an atom. DNA coils, organic molecules, and the transistors in your computer's CPU are on the scale of the nanometer. Atoms, smaller molecules, and some structures like carbon nanotubes are measured in angstroms.

Both angstrom and nanometers are metric units; however, the angstrom is not an official SI unit. The conversions of angstrom and nanometer to meters are:

These relationships allow us to define a straightforward relationship between angstrom and nanometer. Let's discover it.

By calculating the difference between the exponents in the conversion between angstrom and nanometer to meter, we can find the direct conversion between the former two units:

That is, 10 angstrom is 1 nm. How did such a unit originate? Why do we still convert nm to angstrom?

The angstrom originated in the late 19th century, as physics underwent significant changes. This unit was ideal for describing spectral lines, and undoubtedly helped with the quantum revolution.

The angstrom also is the closest unit of length to the Borh's radius and measures comfortably the bonds between atoms, making it probably the best unit to describe phenomena between the molecular scale and the scale of particles as quarks (subatomic particles).

With the development of science, and the standardization of units, the angstrom slowly fell out of fashion: the nanometer largely suffices for the measurement need of science at the atomic and subatomic scale. Physicists still use the unit as a tradition and partly as a matter of convenience in specific fields.

How to convert nm to angstrom and vice-versa

To convert between nanometers and angstrom and vice-versa, you only have to multiply or divide by $10$:

• If you are converting nanometers to angstroms, multiply by $10$.
• If converting from angstrom to nanometers, divide by $10$.

Let's try our hand at angstrom to nm conversion. Take the atomic radius of tellurium, the element number 52: $r_{\rm{Te}} = 14.0\ \rm{\AA}$. How many nanometers is this length? To find the answer, use the conversion above and multiply the measure in nanometers by the conversion factor we found above:

Tellurium is a rather large atom. Let's try the conversion of nanometers to angstroms. Take Bohr's radius, a measure of the distance between the nucleus and the electron in a neutral hydrogen atom. Its value in angstrom is $a_0 = 0.05291\ \rm{nm}$. How much is the Bohr's radius in angstroms?

As you can see, the angstrom is a better choice to express this quantity.

You can find many more relevant calculators at Omni:

• Length converter;
• The mil to inch converter;
• The mil to mm converter;
• Micron to mil converter;
• The mil converter;
• The nm converter;
• The nm to m converter; and
• The micrometer converter.

To convert angstrom to mm, you have to follow a single step:

1. Divide the measure in angstrom by 10 to find the measure in nm.

You can also find the measure in meters first (by dividing by 10^-10) and then convert back to nanometers by multiplying by 10⁹.

1 angstrom is equal to 0.1 nm:

1 Å = 0.1 nm

That is, there are 10 angstroms in each nanometer. Think about this relationship as the one existing between millimeters and meters, just ten million times smaller!

Scientists still use the angstrom as a measurement unit for length, even though it's outside the international system (SI), because it comfortably describes objects and phenomena between the atomic and the subatomic scale.

Spectroscopy, atomic physics, and many more fields of physics, biophysics, and chemistry prefer the angstrom over the nanometer (10^-9 m) or the picometer (10^-12).