A nanosecond (ns) is one billionth of a second (10-9 s). The word nanosecond is formed by the prefix nano and the unit second. Its symbol is ns. A nanosecond is equal to 1000 picoseconds or 1/1000 microsecond. Because the next SI unit is 1000 times larger, times of 10-8 and 10-7 seconds are typically expressed as tens or hundreds of nanoseconds. Times of this magnitude are commonly encountered in telecommunications, pulsed lasers and some areas of electronics. Some notable measurements in thi… (More on Nanosecond)