one third of a second

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "one third of a second" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when measuring time intervals, particularly in contexts like sports, science, or technology where precision is important. Example: "The runner completed the race in just one third of a second faster than his previous record."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Wiki

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

If you are going to be grabbing someone's face or going for the eyes, it is going to take longer than one third of a second".

The Guardian - Sport

Meanwhile, in England, Locke, in his work An Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689), made references to the "philosopher's foot" which he defined as being one third of a "second pendulum" at 45° latitude.

Wikipedia

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

54 human-written examples

"For all the things we do in education, this one-tenth-of-a-second shot is getting unbelievable attention from the world".

The New York Times - Sports

Why didn't we enter the intersection one thousandth of a second sooner, and die instead of die laughing?

The New Yorker

In other words, if you have a 100 mm lens keep the speed to above one hundredth of a second.

The Guardian

"Everything counts," Cavic said, "but again, with one hundredth of a second it's something you can't show".

The New York Times

Molecular simulations are now done as a series of tiny intervals that may be as short as a femtosecond, one billionth of one millionth of a second, and may last no longer than a microsecond, or one millionth of a second.

The New York Times - Science

An optimal flake size is around 0.6 μm with average response time about one tenth of a second.

Nanoscale Research Letters

About one tenth of a second later, a grind was performed.

Vice

It is measured in seconds using a stopwatch, to one hundredth of a second.

BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders

"I had one one-hundredth of a second to make a decision on what I was going to do.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When precision is important, use "one third of a second" to clearly define a specific duration. This is especially useful in scientific, technical, or sports contexts where timing is crucial.

Common error

Avoid using ""one third of a second"" when an approximation is sufficient. Terms like "a moment" or "briefly" may be more appropriate if the exact duration isn't critical.

Linguistic Context

The phrase ""one third of a second"" functions as a noun phrase specifying a duration of time. Ludwig AI affirms this usage in its analysis of example sentences.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

News & Media

50%

Wiki

25%

Science

25%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase ""one third of a second"" is a grammatically correct noun phrase used to specify a duration of time, as supported by Ludwig AI. While relatively uncommon, it finds application in contexts needing temporal precision, particularly in news, scientific discussions, and encyclopedic explanations. It can be expressed numerically as 0.33 seconds, or approximated with phrases such as "a fraction of a second" when less accuracy is needed. This phrase is found in authoritative sources like The New York Times and The Guardian.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

a third of a second

Omits the word "one" for a slightly more concise expression.

0.33 seconds

Expresses the duration numerically.

approximately 333 milliseconds

Converts the duration to milliseconds for greater precision, with the use of 'approximately' to express an estimated value.

around a third of a second

Adds "around" to indicate an approximation.

close to a third of a second

Uses "close to" to denote nearness to the specified duration.

slightly over 300 milliseconds

Expresses as milliseconds with an indication of exceeding 300ms slightly.

just under 350 milliseconds

Expresses as milliseconds with an indication of being slightly less than 350ms.

a fraction of a second

A more general term implying a short amount of time, less precise.

split second

A very short, often immeasurable amount of time.

a brief moment

A general term for a very short amount of time, not numerically specific.

FAQs

How do you write "one third of a second" in numerical form?

You can represent "one third of a second" numerically as 0.33 seconds. For more precision, you might use 0.333 seconds.

Is it better to say "one third of a second" or "a third of a second"?

Both "one third of a second" and "a third of a second" are grammatically correct and generally interchangeable. The choice often depends on the desired level of emphasis or formality.

What's a more general way to refer to a very short time span?

If you don't need to be precise, you could use terms like "a split second", "a moment", or "a brief period".

In what contexts is it important to be precise when describing short durations?

Precision is important in scientific experiments, sports competitions, and technological applications where accurate timing is essential. In these scenarios, ""one third of a second"" provides a clear and specific measurement.