Barn to Section Converter
Unit Converter
Instant · Precise · Universal
23 units available
6 categories total
How to Convert Barn to Section
To convert barns to m²: multiply by 10⁻²⁸. To fm²: multiply by 100.
1 b = 10⁻²⁸ m² = 100 fm². Millibarns (mb), microbarns (µb), and nanobarns (nb) are common submultiples.
For example, 1 Barn (b) = 3.861022e-35 Section (section).
Barn to Section — Common Values
| Barn (b) | Section (section) |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 3.861022e-36 |
| 0.5 | 1.930511e-35 |
| 1 | 3.861022e-35 |
| 2 | 7.722043e-35 |
| 5 | 1.930511e-34 |
| 10 | 3.861022e-34 |
| 25 | 9.652554e-34 |
| 50 | 1.930511e-33 |
| 100 | 3.861022e-33 |
| 500 | 1.930511e-32 |
| 1000 | 3.861022e-32 |
About Barn (b)
Definition
The barn is a unit of area equal to 10⁻²⁸ m², used to express nuclear cross-sections — the effective target area of subatomic particles.
Mathematical Relationship
1 b = 10⁻²⁸ m² = 100 fm². Millibarns (mb), microbarns (µb), and nanobarns (nb) are common submultiples.
Conversion Formula
To convert barns to m²: multiply by 10⁻²⁸. To fm²: multiply by 100.
Practical Applications
Quantifying nuclear reaction probabilities, neutron absorption, and particle scattering in reactor design.
Interesting Facts
The physicists named it 'barn' as a joke: nuclei were 'as big as a barn' compared to what they expected. Later units include 'outhouse' (10⁻⁶ barns) and 'shed' (10⁻²⁴ barns).
Common Mistakes
Thinking a barn is a large area — at the human scale 10⁻²⁸ m² is incomprehensibly small.
Educational Tips
Cross-section = probability of interaction. A bigger barn value means a particle is more likely to 'hit the target' — hence the barn analogy.
About Section (section)
Definition
A section is a unit of land area equal to 1 square mile (640 acres or 2.59 km²), used in the US Public Land Survey System.
Mathematical Relationship
1 section = 1 mi² = 640 acres = 2.59 km². 36 sections = 1 township.
Conversion Formula
To convert sections to acres: multiply by 640. To km²: multiply by 2.59.
Practical Applications
Rural property descriptions, agricultural land division, mineral rights, and road grid planning in the western US.
Interesting Facts
Section 16 in every township was traditionally reserved for public schools — a major source of early American education funding.
Common Mistakes
Forgetting that sections are numbered in a specific serpentine pattern within a township (1 in NE, snaking to 36).
Educational Tips
The US west of Ohio is largely divided into a grid of 1-mile sections. Look at Google Maps in rural areas to see the grid patterns.