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What is a billion
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and what is a trillion plesae?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.There used to be a difference between the British and American definitions of a 'billion'. Americans defined a billion as one thousand million (i.e. 1 followed by 9 zeros) while Brits defined it as one million million (i.e. 1 followed by 12 zeros).
When I was a child (1950s/1960s) the difference didn't really matter because a 'billion' (by either definition) was so big that hardly anyone ever needed to refer to it. In modern times, news reports frequently need to refer to very large amounts of money, so some standardization has become necessary. Unsurprisingly, it's the American definition which has 'won the battle', so when broadcasters refer to a billion pounds they mean �1000,000,000.
A definition of a 'trillion' has also been standardised
When I was a child (1950s/1960s) the difference didn't really matter because a 'billion' (by either definition) was so big that hardly anyone ever needed to refer to it. In modern times, news reports frequently need to refer to very large amounts of money, so some standardization has become necessary. Unsurprisingly, it's the American definition which has 'won the battle', so when broadcasters refer to a billion pounds they mean �1000,000,000.
A definition of a 'trillion' has also been standardised
There used to be a difference between the British and American definitions of a 'billion'. Americans defined a billion as one thousand million (i.e. 1 followed by 9 zeros) while Brits defined it as one million million (i.e. 1 followed by 12 zeros).
When I was a child (1950s/1960s) the difference didn't really matter because a 'billion' (by either definition) was so big that hardly anyone ever needed to refer to it. In modern times, news reports frequently need to refer to very large amounts of money, so some standardization has become necessary. Unsurprisingly, it's the American definition which has 'won the battle', so when broadcasters refer to a billion pounds they mean �1000,000,000.
A definition of a 'trillion' has also been standardised to the US definition, meaning one thousand billion. (i.e. 1000,000,000,000).
Chris
When I was a child (1950s/1960s) the difference didn't really matter because a 'billion' (by either definition) was so big that hardly anyone ever needed to refer to it. In modern times, news reports frequently need to refer to very large amounts of money, so some standardization has become necessary. Unsurprisingly, it's the American definition which has 'won the battle', so when broadcasters refer to a billion pounds they mean �1000,000,000.
A definition of a 'trillion' has also been standardised to the US definition, meaning one thousand billion. (i.e. 1000,000,000,000).
Chris
varies depending on where u are--generally in the uk a million has been regarded as a thousand thousands--1,000,000--so a billion was regarded in the uk as a million millions--1,000,000,000,000--in the usa, and in the computer age especially, a billion is regarded as 1 thousand million--1,000,000,000--in computer speak it is called a giga--a trillion would have been a billion billion in the uk but is now accepted as a thousand billion in the usa and in computers it is called a tera--the old million million and billion billion are not generally used now so when in the uk someone talks of a billion pounds it means 1000 million as in the usa and a trillion is 1000 billion--hope that helps--cheers
Isaac Asimov actually did an essay on this exact question! Decades ago - which proves we're not the only ones to be intrigued by huge numbers.
I agree with the Americans (they'll be relieved to know) on this one. A thousand millions are a pretty high number to have reached and therefore deserving of their own adjective or noun, yet the Brits would happily pass over them until you reached a million. Deary, dreary me.
I agree with the Americans (they'll be relieved to know) on this one. A thousand millions are a pretty high number to have reached and therefore deserving of their own adjective or noun, yet the Brits would happily pass over them until you reached a million. Deary, dreary me.