Fuzzy numbers etc.

Posted on November 17, 2009, 8:00 am, by Craig Silverman, under Newspapers.

advertiserLAST week’s NIE resource on Science questions answered by CSIRO incorrectly stated that there are 12 zeros in one billion billion. There are 24 zeros if a million times a million is doubled. Many now regard a billion as a thousand times a million. This would be 18 zeros when doubled.

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  • http://www.LicensableBearTM.co/ Nat Gertler

    And they still get the math wrong.
    If a million times a million is doubled, you don't get a billion billion. You get either two billion or two thousand billion, depending on which definition of “billion” you're using. The concept they're looking for is if a million times a million is squared. That will give you your number with 24 zeroes, which is either a billion billion (under the larger definition of “billion”) or a million billion billion (under the smaller definition.)

  • http://www.LicensableBearTM.co/ Nat Gertler

    And they still get the math wrong.
    If a million times a million is doubled, you don't get a billion billion. You get either two billion or two thousand billion, depending on which definition of “billion” you're using. The concept they're looking for is if a million times a million is squared. That will give you your number with 24 zeroes, which is either a billion billion (under the larger definition of “billion”) or a million billion billion (under the smaller definition.)

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