Sixteenths

Sixteenths is a term used in two related domains. In mathematics, a sixteenth refers to the fraction 1/16 of a whole. It represents one part of sixteen equal parts; sixteen sixteenths make a whole. In decimal form, 1/16 equals 0.0625, and in percent, 6.25%. The term is used when dividing objects, quantities, or measurements into sixteen equal parts. For example, an inch can be divided into sixteen sixteenths, so each sixteenth inch is 0.0625 inch.

In music, sixteenth notes, also known as semiquavers in British English, are a note value that lasts one quarter of a beat when the beat is a quarter note in common time. There are sixteen sixteenth notes in a 4/4 measure, and they are written with two beams (two flags if written singly). In performance, the beat is commonly subdivided as one-e-and-a for counting, with the four sixteenth notes per beat counted as “one-e-and-a,” “two-e-and-a,” etc. A group of sixteenth notes can form rhythmic figures such as dotted rhythms or rapid sixteenth runs.

Regional terminology varies: “sixteenth” is the American term for the note value; “semiquaver” is the British term. The plural form “sixteenths” is used for both the fractional unit and the musical note value. Understanding sixteenths is fundamental to precise subdivision in rhythms as well as to quantifying parts of a whole in measurement.