Information AboutBillion |
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The word "billion" and its equivalents in other Language s refer to either one million million or one thousand million, depending on whether the writer is using the Long Scale Or The Short Scale . 10<SPAN STYLE="DISPLAY:NONE;">^</SPAN><SUP>9</SUP> (SHORT SCALE) In the late 17th century a change was made in the way of writing large numbers. Numbers had been separated into groups of six digits, but at this time the modern grouping of three digits came into use. As a result, a minority of Italian and French scientists began using the word "billion" to mean 109 (one thousand million, or 1 000 000 000), and correspondingly redefined ''trillion'' and higher numbers to mean powers of one thousand rather than one million. This is known in French as the ''échelle courte'' (" Short Scale ") and is now generally used by most English-speaking countries, as well as Brazil , Turkey and Greece . In Puerto Rico it must be specified. 10<SPAN STYLE="DISPLAY:NONE;">^</SPAN><SUP>12</SUP> (LONG SCALE) The original meaning, established in the 15th century, was "a million of a million" (1,000,0002, hence the name billion), or 1012 = 1 000 000 000 000. This system, known in French as the ''échelle longue'' (" is not the primary language. 1012 is referred to as a Trillion in the "short scale" system. SYNONYMS Use of "thousand million" for 109 and "million million" for 1012 can avoid ambiguity; however, British media, including the BBC , which long used "thousand million" for this reason, use "billion" to mean 109 and "trillion" to mean 1012. The old word " Milliard ", also found in many other languages, can be used for 109 but is unfamiliar even to many native English speakers. See Long And Short Scales for a more detailed discussion and usage advice. SENSE OF SCALE The facts below give a sense of how large one billion (one thousand million, 109) is in the context of passage of time.
In terms of distance:
In terms of count: A is a cube; '''B''' consists of 1000 cubes of type A. '''C''' consists of 1000 Bs; and '''D''' 1000 Cs. Thus there are 1 million As in C; and 1 billion As in D. Likewise, there are a billion cubic millimeters in a cubic meter of water. NOTES SEE ALSO
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