Year to Shake Conversion Calculator: Free Online Tool
Convert years to shakes with our free online time converter.
Year to Shake Calculator
How to Use the Calculator:
- Enter the value you want to convert in the 'From' field (Year).
- The converted value in Shake will appear automatically in the 'To' field.
- Use the dropdown menus to select different units within the Time category.
- Click the swap button (⇌) to reverse the conversion direction.
How to Convert Year to Shake
Converting Year to Shake involves multiplying the value by a specific conversion factor, as shown in the formula below.
Formula:
1 Year = 3.1557e+15 shakesExample Calculation:
Convert 60 years: 60 × 3.1557e+15 = 1.8934e+17 shakes
Disclaimer: For Reference Only
These conversion results are provided for informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, we make no guarantees regarding the precision of these results, especially for conversions involving extremely large or small numbers which may be subject to the inherent limitations of standard computer floating-point arithmetic.
Not for professional use. Results should be verified before use in any critical application. View our Terms of Service for more information.
What is a Year and a Shake?
A year is a unit of time based on the orbital period of the Earth around the Sun. A standard calendar year has 365 days, while a leap year has 366 days. For scientific and conversion purposes, the Julian year is often used, defined as exactly 365.25 days (or 31,557,600 seconds).
A Shake is an informal unit of time equal to 10 nanoseconds (10 ns), or 10⁻⁸ seconds. It is primarily used in nuclear physics and astrophysics to measure the timing of events in nuclear reactions and related phenomena.
Note: The Year is part of the imperial/US customary system, primarily used in the US, UK, and Canada for everyday measurements. The Shake belongs to the imperial/US customary system.
History of the Year and Shake
Calendars have been developed since antiquity to track the seasons, crucial for agriculture. Early calendars (e.g., Egyptian) approximated the solar year. The Julian calendar introduced the leap year concept (every 4 years) to better align with the ~365.25 day solar year. The Gregorian calendar refined this further by adjusting the leap year rule (skipping leap years in century years not divisible by 400) for even greater accuracy relative to the tropical year (time between vernal equinoxes).
The term "Shake" originated during the Manhattan Project, the World War II effort to develop the first nuclear weapons. Nuclear chain reactions happen extremely quickly, and physicists needed a convenient, short unit of time to discuss the timing of events within these reactions. Ten nanoseconds was chosen as a practical order of magnitude for many processes involved. The name itself is informal, reputedly derived from the expression "two shakes of a lamb's tail," implying a very short duration.
Common Uses for years and shakes
Explore the typical applications for both Year (imperial/US) and Shake (imperial/US) to understand their common contexts.
Common Uses for years
- Calendars & Dating: The fundamental unit for long-term dating and tracking historical events.
- Age: Standard unit for measuring the age of people, animals, objects, and historical periods.
- Cycles: Measuring long durations such as astronomical cycles, geological periods, project timelines, fiscal periods (fiscal year), academic periods (academic year).
- Anniversaries & Celebrations: Marking annual events like birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries.
- Interest Rates & Finance: Often used as the basis for calculating annual interest rates (APR) and financial reporting.
Common Uses for shakes
The Shake is almost exclusively used in specific technical fields:
- Nuclear Physics: Measuring the time intervals between successive neutron generations in a nuclear chain reaction.
- Astrophysics: Discussing timescales relevant to certain high-energy astrophysical events.
- Particle Physics: Occasionally used in experiments involving very short-lived particles or interactions.
- Laser Physics: Sometimes used in contexts involving very short laser pulses.
It is not used for everyday time measurements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Questions About Year (yr)
How many days are in a year?
A common year has 365 days. A leap year has 366 days.
What is a leap year?
A leap year occurs generally every 4 years and includes an extra day (February 29th) to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical or seasonal year.
Why is 365.25 days often used for a year in calculations?
This represents the average length of a year in the Julian calendar system, accounting for the leap day every four years. It provides a consistent value for conversions and scientific contexts.
How many seconds are in a Julian year?
There are 31,557,600 seconds in a Julian year (365.25 days * 86,400 seconds/day).
About Shake (shake)
How long is a Shake in seconds?
One Shake is equal to 10 nanoseconds (10 ns), which is 10⁻⁸ seconds, or 0.00000001 seconds.
Where did the name "Shake" come from?
The name is an informal term coined during the Manhattan Project. It's believed to be a humorous reference to the phrase "in two shakes of a lamb's tail," signifying a very brief period, appropriate for the rapid events in nuclear reactions.
Is the Shake an SI unit?
No, the Shake is not part of the International System of Units (SI). The standard SI unit for time is the second (s). The Shake is a specialized, informal unit used within specific scientific communities for convenience.
Conversion Table: Year to Shake
| Year (yr) | Shake (shake) |
|---|---|
| 1 | 3,155,695,200,000,000 |
| 5 | 15,778,476,000,000,000 |
| 10 | 31,556,952,000,000,000 |
| 25 | 78,892,380,000,000,000 |
| 50 | 157,784,760,000,000,000 |
| 100 | 315,569,520,000,000,000 |
| 500 | 1,577,847,600,000,000,000 |
| 1,000 | 3,155,695,200,000,000,000 |