Definition
A prefix meaning one-millionth (1/1,000,000) of a unit. Its symbol is the Greek letter mu (µ). For example, one microsecond is one-millionth of a second, and one microfarad is one-millionth of a farad.
Plain English
A prefix that means one-millionth of something. If you see 'micro' in front of a unit, divide that unit by a million.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft electrical, instrument, avionics, and maintenance discussions where very small measurements are used.
Derivation
From the Greek 'mikros,' meaning 'small.' The same root appears in 'microscope' (a tool for seeing small things). In measurement, it was adopted as the standard prefix for one-millionth.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing the exact meaning helps prevent misreading small electrical or instrument values during maintenance discussions, aircraft manual reading, or systems study.
Intuition Check
Micro does not just mean small in a loose everyday sense. In technical aviation use, micro means exactly one millionth of the unit being named.
Example Sentence 1
The capacitor in the radio circuit is rated at 10 microfarads.
Example Sentence 2
The ignition filter uses a capacitor rated in microfarads to suppress noise.