How Many Seconds in a Year?
A quick sanity check that everyone should know.
The Quick Mental Math
# Approximate calculation
quick_estimate = 60 * 60 * 24 * 3653.15e+7
60 seconds × 60 minutes × 24 hours × 365 days = 3.15e+7 seconds
More Precise (with leap years)
# Using the year distribution (accounts for leap years)
seconds_exact = year as second3.154e+7 [3.154e+7, 3.162e+7] second {time}
With leap years: 3.154e+7 [3.154e+7, 3.162e+7] second {time}
The Famous Approximation
A useful fact: there are approximately π × 10^7 seconds in a year!
# Check the approximation
pi_approximation = pi * 10^7
error_percent = (pi_approximation - seconds_per_year) / seconds_per_year * 100-0.447
π × 10^7 = 3.14e+7
The approximation is off by only -0.447%!
Useful Conversions
# Milliseconds in a year
ms_per_year = seconds_per_year * 1000
# Nanoseconds in a year
ns_per_year = seconds_per_year * 1e93.16e+16
- Milliseconds per year: 3.16e+10
- Nanoseconds per year: 3.16e+16