convertimate Cross section

Square centimeters to barns

Type a value in cm² to get it in b instantly.

1×10²⁴b

That's 384,615,384,615,384,640× as big as xenon-135 absorption — nothing on our list beats it. A disc that size would have a radius of about 5.642×10¹² fm.

What it means

How big a target is that?

A cross section is an effective area, not a physical one. A strongly absorbing nucleus can present a target far larger than itself.

The math

How to convert cm² to b

To convert square centimeters to barns, multiply by 1×10²⁴.

Example: 1 cm² × 1×10²⁴ = 1×10²⁴ b.

In the other direction, 1 b = 1×10⁻²⁴ cm².

Every unit

Your cross section in every unit

Tables

cm² to b conversion table

cm² to b conversion table
cm²b
0.001 cm²1×10²¹ b
0.01 cm²1×10²² b
0.1 cm²1×10²³ b
1 cm²1×10²⁴ b
10 cm²1×10²⁵ b
100 cm²1×10²⁶ b
585 cm²5.85×10²⁶ b
1,000 cm²1×10²⁷ b
10,000 cm²1×10²⁸ b
1,000,000 cm²1×10³⁰ b
b to cm² conversion table
b to cm² conversion table
bcm²
0.001 b1×10⁻²⁷ cm²
0.01 b1×10⁻²⁶ cm²
0.1 b1×10⁻²⁵ cm²
1 b1×10⁻²⁴ cm²
10 b1×10⁻²³ cm²
100 b1×10⁻²² cm²
585 b5.85×10⁻²² cm²
1,000 b1×10⁻²¹ cm²
10,000 b1×10⁻²⁰ cm²
1,000,000 b1×10⁻¹⁸ cm²

Quick answers

Quick answers

How many b is 1 cm²?
1 cm² is 1×10²⁴ b.
How many b is 10 cm²?
10 cm² is 1×10²⁵ b.

The units

About these units

Square centimeters (cm²)

The CGS form, as reaction rate formulas usually want it.

Barns (b)

10⁻²⁸ m², roughly the area of a heavy nucleus.

Learn more about cross section units

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