Millisecond

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A millisecond (from milli- and second; symbol: ms) is a thousandth (0.001 or 10−3 or 1/1000) of a second.[1][2]

10 milliseconds (a hundredth of a second, 10−2) are called a centisecond.

100 milliseconds (one tenth of a second, 10−1) are called a decisecond.

Horizontal logarithmic scale marked with units of time

To help compare orders of magnitude of different times, this page lists times between 10−3 seconds and 100 seconds (1 millisecond and one second). See also times of other orders of magnitude.

Examples[edit]

  • 1 millisecond (1 ms) – cycle time for frequencykHz; duration of light for typical photo flash strobe; time taken for sound wave to travel ca. 34 cm; repetition interval of GPS C/A PN code
  • 1.000692286 milliseconds – time taken for light to travel 300 km in a vacuum
  • 2 milliseconds to 5 milliseconds – typical response time in LCD computer monitors, especially high-end displays
  • 2.27 milliseconds – cycle time for A440 (pitch standard), the most commonly used pitch for tuning musical instruments
  • 3 milliseconds – a housefly's wing flap
  • 3.3 milliseconds – normal delay time between initiation and detonation of a C4 explosive charge
  • 4 milliseconds – typical average seek time for a 10,000 rpm hard disk
  • 5 milliseconds – a honey bee's wing flap
  • 5 milliseconds to 80 milliseconds – a hummingbird's wing flap
  • 8 milliseconds – 1/125 of a second, a standard camera shutter speed (125); fastest shifting time of a car's mechanical transmission
  • 10 milliseconds (10 ms) – a jiffy, cycle time for frequency 100 Hz
  • 10.378 milliseconds – rotation period of pulsar B1639+36A
  • 15.625 milliseconds – a two hundred fifty-sixth note at 60 BPM
  • 16.67 milliseconds (1/60 second) – a third, cycle time for American 60 Hz AC electricity (mains grid)
  • 16.68 milliseconds (1/59.94 second) – the amount of time one field lasts in 29.97 fps interlaced video (commonly erroneously referred to as 30 fps)
  • 20 milliseconds – cycle time for European 50 Hz AC electricity
  • 31.25 milliseconds – a hundred twenty-eighth note at 60 BPM
  • 33.367 milliseconds – the amount of time one frame lasts in 29.97 fps video (most common for NTSC-legacy formats)
  • 41.667 milliseconds – the amount of time one frame lasts in 24 fps video (most common cinematic frame rate)
  • 41.708 milliseconds – the amount of time one frame lasts in 23.976 fps video (cinematic frame rate for NTSC-legacy formats)
  • 50 milliseconds – the time interval between gear changes on a Lamborghini Aventador
  • 50 milliseconds – cycle time for the lowest audible tone, 20 Hz
  • 60 milliseconds – cycle time for European 16.7 Hz AC electrified railroad power grid
  • 60 milliseconds – the time interval between gear changes on a Ferrari 458 Spider
  • 62.5 milliseconds – a sixty-fourth note at 60 BPM
  • 5 to 80 milliseconds – typical latency for a broadband internet connection (important for playing online games)
  • 100 milliseconds – the time interval between gear changes on a Ferrari FXX
  • 125 milliseconds – a thirty-second note at 60 BPM
  • 134 milliseconds – time taken by light to travel around the Earth's equator
  • 150 milliseconds – recommended maximum time delay for telephone service
  • 185 milliseconds – the duration of a full rotation of the main rotor on Bell 205, 212 and 412 helicopters (normal rotor speed is 324 RPM)
  • 200 milliseconds – the time it takes the human brain to recognize emotion in facial expressions
  • 250 milliseconds – a sixteenth note at 60 BPM
  • 300 to 400 milliseconds – the time for the human eye to blink
  • 400 milliseconds – time in which the fastest baseball pitches reach the strike zone
  • 430 to 500 milliseconds – common modern dance music tempos (120–140 BPM)
  • 495 milliseconds – an approximate average of the round trip time for communications via geosynchronous satellites
  • 500 milliseconds – an eighth note at 60 BPM
  • 770 milliseconds – revolution period of a 78 rpm record
  • 860 milliseconds – average human resting heart cycle time
  • 1000 milliseconds – one second; the period of a 1 Hz oscillator
  • 86,400,000 (24 × 60 × 60 × 1000) milliseconds – one day
  • 604,800,000 (24 × 60 × 60 × 1000 × 7) milliseconds – one week
  • 31,556,908,800 (86,400,000 × 365.242) milliseconds – one year

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Units: M". How Many? A Dictionary of Units of Measurement.
  2. ^ New Oxford Dictionary

External links[edit]