The micrometre (American spelling micrometer) is a unit of length and is a multiple of the SI unit metre. It uses the symbol μm.
It represents one millionth of a metre and is also known by its previously depreciated name micron.
In the US, the term 'micron' helped distinguish the unit name from the device 'micrometer' but the International System of Units (SI) discontinued this term in favour of micrometre as the prefix system required the use of the Greek symbol 'μ' which invoked the factor x10−6.
The fermis is a unit of length in the non-SI metric system and uses the symbol fm.
One fermi is equal to 1×10−15m or 3.9370×10−14 in.
It is used to measure nuclear distances and was named after the Italian physicist Enrico Fermi (1901–1954). It has now been replaced with the SI-derived term femtometre.