How many zeros in a Billion?

[[bear]]

The american way seems a hell of a lot less confusing.

[Vykranth]

10^9 = One billion (in English) = Un Milliard (in French)

10^12 = One Million Million or One Trillion (in English) = Un Billion (in French)

This is a very common pitfall when translating from French to English.

Sometimes it's simpler to explain in mega (10^6), giga (10^9), tera (10^12), peta (10^15), exa (10^18)

[neufuse Veteran]

10^12 for me as it makes more logical sense. 10^9 just seems basic.

But the logical way isn't always the standard so generally refer to the 10^9.

how does it make logical sense? To me each grouping of digits should have a name... as in ones tens hundreds thousands millions billions trillions..etc... if you skip 10^9 what would you call 123,000,000,000 ?

[whitebread]

I guess. It looked like you were just being arrogant. I agree with a standard and it makes sense to use the most common meaning as the standard.

Maybe it was a form of arrogance. People are taught a certain way of doing things, and when something appears that challenges the longstanding notions it can seem a tad ridiculous.

For example, living in the Northern Hemisphere, I've become accustomed to thinking of the North Pole as being the "top" of the world. It appears as the top on all maps I've ever seen, and on globes, too. But... I recently learned that in the Southern Hemisphere, they view the South Pole as the "top" and the South Pole appears as the top on all maps and globes. Weird way of thinking, but I suppose no more or less correct than the Northern Hemisphere way of thinking........

[Fred Derf Veteran]

http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/large.html

so, officially, even in britain, billion means thousand million.

So basically, regardless of which you think is correct, blame the French?

So in europe what is the order of groupings if billion isnt what it is in the USA? Here its like this

Ones

Tens

Hundreds

Thousands

Millions

Billions

Trillions

what is between millions and billions in europe then?

Milliards

But... I recently learned that in the Southern Hemisphere, they view the South Pole as the "top" and the South Pole appears as the top on all maps and globes. Weird way of thinking, but I suppose no more or less correct than the Northern Hemisphere way of thinking........

But then all the writing is upside down! :D

[Lighthalzen]

This topic is actually educational cause I never knew there was a difference! Thanks! :laugh:

[fr33k]

for me it's like this:

1 = One

10 = Ten

100 = 1 Hundred

1,000 = 1 Thousand

1,000,000 = 1 Million

1,000,000,000 = 1 Billion

1,000,000,000,000 = 1 Trillion

trillion, billion, million, thousand, hundred

I'd hate to owe someone 1 billion $1,000,000,000 where they think $1,000,000,000,000 trillion is a billion

[PaulCabby]

Why isn't there a universal way of naming numbers?

[RazorSA]

So ... Going according to the 'stupid' method, is a Trillion = a Billion, Billion ???

Just like a Billion = a Million, Million ???

1 = One

10 = Ten

100 = 1 Hundred

1,000 = 1 Thousand

1,000,000 = 1 Million

1,000,000,000 = 1 Billion

1,000,000,000,000 = 1 Trillion

Sound good !!!!

[_sphinx_]

That's ridiculous...a billion is 1X10⁹, not a million million...just as the trillion isn't a billion billion.

[levianthen]

interesting, 9 0s for me

[KoL Veteran]

I didn't know this until I went to university. In Spanish is like this.

1,000 = millar (thousand)

1,000,000 = mill?n (million)

1,000,000,000 = millar de mill?n (not sure how to call this in English)

1,000,000,000,000 = bill?n (billion)

EDIT: I didn't saw the link. The word for 1,000,000,000 is milliard. The correct billion is 10^12 but everyone (and I) use 10^9

[jelli]

1x10^9 for me, but i also accept it when people use 1x10^12.

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[WooSH]

lol the first US standard that is actually LESS confusing than the rest.

living in the US the 9 zeros makes more logical sense, since there arent that many thinks in this life that are a million million so you will rarely use that word. we use 'billions' (10^9) not that much but still frequently when dealing with wealth and company profits. our TRILLION (10^15?) is very rarely used here unless were talking about something like... the war thats going on.

[PricklyPoo]

So in Europe is a trillian a billion billions? :p

[boogerjones]

lol the first US standard that is actually LESS confusing than the rest.

Very true. I pray that we switch to the metric system before I die. NASA just recently made the switch (finally!).

[P!P]

its just proof that americans cant count :p

It's just proof that some people will take a jab at Americans any chance they get.

[Stalk3r]

1000000000 here in Estonia (9 zeros), haven't heard of it being different in the rest of the European Union countries.

[richter]

So in Europe is a trillian a billion billions? :p

In Europe Trillion has 18 zeros, while in the US it's 12. We don't use thousands of something. We've same names, the breakpoint is milliard/billion. While it sounds "natural" for English language, it doesn't for the rest of us.

[Pox]

It seems that it's scientifically accepted to use the American billion... that's what I use, anyway. Although once you get that big numbers it's easier just to lapse into scientific numbers, really. And I started a sentence with a preposition. There's another one. XD

[virgo89]

So i guess millionaires in Europe are richer than millionaires in America :p

[richter]

They are not because million is the same. :p (6 zeros)

[Pox]

So i guess millionaires in Europe are richer than millionaires in America :p

nope, billionaires ;)

[_sphinx_]

That's just ridiculous...how come they haven't standardized this?

What about googol, centillion and googolplex? Are they also conflicting?

[Echilon]

Interesting. I always thought a UK billion was 1,000,000,000,000 but a US billion was 1,000,000,000.