Zeptonewton
\ZEP-toe-new-ton\ n.
A unit of force equal to one billionth of a trillionth of a newton.
An itty-bitty object can be used to suss out teeny-weeny forces.
Scientists used an atom of the element ytterbium to sense an electromagnetic force smaller than 100 zeptonewtons, researchers report online March 23 in Science Advances. That’s less than 0.0000000000000000001 newtons — with, count ‘em, 18 zeroes after the decimal. At about the same strength as the gravitational pull between a person in Dallas and another in Washington, D.C., that’s downright feeble.
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