The average time it takes a computer to execute one instruction is measured in picoseconds. There are 3.6 × 10^15 picoseconds per hour. What fraction of a second is a picosecond?

Work Shown:

1 minute = 60 seconds

60 minutes = 60*60 = 3600 seconds

1 hour = 3600 seconds

1 hour = 3.6 * 10^15 picoseconds

3600 seconds = 3.6 * 10^15 picoseconds

3600/(3.6 * 10^15) seconds = (3.6 * 10^15)/(3.6 * 10^15) picoseconds

(3.6 * 10^3)/(3.6 * 10^15) seconds = 1 picosecond

(3.6/3.6) * 10^(3-15) seconds = 1 picosecond

1 * 10^(-12) seconds = 1 picosecond

1/(10^12) seconds = 1 picosecond

1/(1,000,000,000,000) seconds = 1 picosecond

one trillionth of a second = 1 picosecond

side note:

we can go from

1/(1,000,000,000,000) seconds = 1 picosecond

to

1 second = 1,000,000,000,000 picoseconds

after multiplying both sides by 1,000,000,000,000

The number 1,000,000,000,000 is read out as "one trillion". The number of zeros (12) is due to the exponent of 12 in 10^12.