Convert Picoseconds to Shakes
Convert Picoseconds (ps) to Shakes (sh) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
sh = ps × 1.000000000e-4
About Picoseconds
A picosecond (ps) = 10⁻¹² s; light travels 0.3 mm. Water molecules reorient via H-bond dynamics in ~1-3 ps, explaining microwave absorption. THz spectroscopy probes ps-scale dynamics in molecular systems. Sub-5 nm CMOS gate delays are a few ps; GaAs HEMTs reach ~0.1 ps. Muon mean lifetime = 2,197 ps. OTDR uses ps pulses for millimetre-resolution fibre-fault location. 1 ps = 10⁻¹² s.
About Shakes
A shake = exactly 10 ns (10⁻⁸ s) - the informal unit for fission prompt-neutron generation time, coined at Los Alamos during the Manhattan Project (1943-1945). A prompt-neutron generation in a supercritical core takes ~1-10 shakes; a full explosive chain reaction unfolds over ~50-100 shakes. The name alludes to 'two shakes of a lamb's tail'. Still used in reactor physics and weapons-design calculations. 1 shake = 10 ns.
Quick Reference Table
| Picoseconds (ps) | Shakes (sh) |
|---|---|
| 1 ps | 1 × 10-4 sh |
| 2 ps | 0.0002 sh |
| 5 ps | 0.0005 sh |
| 10 ps | 0.001 sh |
| 25 ps | 0.0025 sh |
| 50 ps | 0.005 sh |
| 100 ps | 0.01 sh |