Convert Nanosecond (ns) to Second (s) instantly.
About these units
Nanosecond (ns)
A nanosecond is one billionth of a second (10⁻⁹ s), a timescale critical for modern digital circuits, high-frequency communication, and quantum experimentation. Light travels only about 30 centimeters in a nanosecond—making ns measurements essential in time-of-flight sensors, LIDAR systems, and high-speed oscilloscopes. Computer processor operations often occur at nanosecond intervals; modern CPUs with gigahertz clock speeds execute billions of cycles per second. In memory access and cache latency profiling, nanoseconds provide unparalleled insight into system performance. At this scale, electrical signals behave differently, revealing the importance of impedance, propagation delay, and electromagnetic behavior in modern electronics.
Second (s)
The second is the fundamental SI unit of time and the basis for nearly every modern timing system, from everyday clocks to astronomical calculations and quantum physics. Historically, the second was defined as 1/86,400 of a mean solar day—reflecting Earth's rotation. But because Earth's rotation is not perfectly constant, this definition proved insufficient for scientific precision. Today, the second is defined by the vibration frequency of the cesium-133 atom, specifically 9,192,631,770 oscillations of its hyperfine transition. This atomic definition gives the second extraordinary accuracy and stability, enabling technologies like GPS, satellite communications, deep-space navigation, and particle physics experiments. The second sits at the intersection of human history and cutting-edge physics: once tied to the apparent motion of the Sun, it is now anchored to a universal atomic constant, making it one of the most precisely defined units in science.