# micron ?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micron/237358>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 30, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micron/237358 "2004-03-30T18:31:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Erik\_B.Johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Erik\_B.Johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erik_B.Johnson)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micron/237358/1 "2004-03-30T18:31:11Z")

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Isn’t micro used to describe 1/1000000 ? Why did they use the word micron to describe 1/1000 of a millimeter? Was it because it would have been a milli-milli-meter?

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**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micron/237358/2 "2004-03-30T18:35:20Z")

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Because 1/000 of a millimeter = 1/1000000 of a meter = 1 micrometer = 1 micron.

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**Author:** ![Erik\_B.Johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Erik\_B.Johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erik_B.Johnson)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micron/237358/3 "2004-03-30T18:43:46Z")

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> [@Nametag](#):
>
> Because 1/000 of a millimeter = 1/1000000 of a meter = 1 micrometer = 1 micron.

Holy cow. That is so simple. I do not know what the @#$&!!! I was thinking. Thank you for your direct and forgiving answer.

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/micron/237358/4 "2004-03-30T18:44:36Z")

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**Nametag** is, of course, correct. Incidentally, the word “micron” is likely used to term this unit to avoid confusion with the metrological instrument, the micrometer.