Convert Shakes to Yoctoseconds
Convert Shakes (sh) to Yoctoseconds (ys) instantly and accurately.
Conversion Formula
ys = sh × 1.000000000e+16
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.
About Yoctoseconds
A yoctosecond (ys) = 10⁻²⁴ s - the smallest named SI prefix time unit. Light travels ~0.3 fm in 1 ys, about one-tenth the proton charge radius. Strong-force quark binding operates on ~1 ys timescales; W and Z boson lifetimes are ~260-290 ys. Lead-lead collisions at the LHC produce quark-gluon plasma that thermalises within a few ys. These timescales are inferred from decay widths via ΔE × Δt ≥ ℏ. 1 ys = 10⁻²⁴ s.
Quick Reference Table
| Shakes (sh) | Yoctoseconds (ys) |
|---|---|
| 1 sh | 1 × 1016 ys |
| 2 sh | 2 × 1016 ys |
| 5 sh | 5 × 1016 ys |
| 10 sh | 1 × 1017 ys |
| 25 sh | 2.5 × 1017 ys |
| 50 sh | 5 × 1017 ys |
| 100 sh | 1 × 1018 ys |