Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site pur-phy.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!CS-Mordred!Pucc-H:pur-phy!act From: act@pur-phy.UUCP (Alex C. Tselis) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Billion and billions Message-ID: <1541@pur-phy.UUCP> Date: Mon, 3-Dec-84 02:21:29 EST Article-I.D.: pur-phy.1541 Posted: Mon Dec 3 02:21:29 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 4-Dec-84 07:48:35 EST References: <177@philabs.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Purdue Univ. Physics Dept., IN Lines: 12 > The number "one billion" means the number one followed by nine zeroes. This > suits the mathematicians just fine, but I find it difficult to deal with such > a definition when it comes to money, stars, etc.... In my attempts to really > get aquainted with this "billion", I have found that the best way is to relate > it to numbers that I can understand . For example, if I had one billion > dollars worth of quarters, how many Empire State buildings could I fill ( if > any)? Another one could be; if I had a billion Volkswagons and I parked them > end to end, how far would the line of cars go? I just got out four quarters, and the form a stack .65 cm high. A billion of them would form a stack 1.62 x 10**8 cm high. This is 4,039 miles. I'm sure that this can be related to.