Final answer:
When the basic metric unit is divided by 1,000,000, the resulting unit prefix is micro-, representing 1/1,000,000 of the base unit. This is part of the metric system, which uses powers of ten for easy conversion between units.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the basic metric unit is divided by 1,000,000, the resulting unit prefix is micro-. In the metric system, the prefix micro- denotes a factor of 10-6 or 1/1,000,000. For example, one micrometer (µm) is equal to one-millionth of a meter. Similarly, one microsecond (µs) is one-millionth of a second.
In contrast, the prefix milli- represents 1/1,000 of the base unit. As for computer memory, the basic unit of measurement is the byte (b), and the unit for one million bytes is a megabyte (MB), where the prefix mega- indicates a multiple of 1,000,000.
It is important to understand these multiplicative prefixes in the context of the metric system, which is used extensively in various fields such as chemistry, engineering, and physics. The metric system is based on powers of ten, making it easy to convert between different units of measurement using these prefixes.