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Billion is a word for a large number, and it has two distinct definitions: 1,000,000,000 , i.e. one thousand million , or 10 9 (ten to the ninth power ), as defined on the short scale . This is now the most common sense of the word in all varieties of English; it has long been established in American English and has since become common in ...
In this way, numbers up to 10 3·999+3 = 10 3000 (short scale) or 10 6·999 = 10 5994 (long scale) may be named. The choice of roots and the concatenation procedure is that of the standard dictionary numbers if n is 9 or smaller. For larger n (between 10 and 999), prefixes can be constructed based on a system described by Conway and Guy. [17]
The factor is intended to make reading comprehension easier than a lengthy series of zeros. For example, 1.0 × 10 9 expresses one billion—1 followed by nine zeros. The reciprocal, one billionth, is 1.0 × 10 −9.
m × 10 n. Or more compactly as: 10 n. This is generally used to denote powers of 10. Where n is positive, this indicates the number of zeros after the number, and where the n is negative, this indicates the number of decimal places before the number. As an example: 10 5 = 100,000 [1] 10 −5 = 0.00001 [2]
To put in perspective the size of a googol, the mass of an electron, just under 10 −30 kg, can be compared to the mass of the visible universe, estimated at between 10 50 and 10 60 kg. [5] It is a ratio in the order of about 10 80 to 10 90, or at most one ten-billionth of a googol (0.00000001% of a googol).
Laptop hard drive, with its platter exposed. Giga-(/ ˈ ɡ ɪ ɡ ə / or / ˈ dʒ ɪ ɡ ə /) is a unit prefix in the metric system denoting a factor of a short-scale billion or long-scale milliard (10 9 or 1,000,000,000).
With a number, "billion" can be abbreviated as b, bil [2] or bn. [3] [4] In standard form, it is written as 1 × 10 9. The metric prefix giga indicates 1,000,000,000 times the base unit. Its symbol is G. One billion years may be called an eon in astronomy or geology.
Each of these words translates to the American English or post-1974 British English word billion (10 9 in the short scale). The term billion originally meant 10 12 when introduced. [7] In long scale countries, milliard was defined to its current value of 10 9, leaving billion at its original 10 12 value and so on for the larger numbers. [7]