How Many Zeros in a Billion?
Every number ending in –illion can be expressed as the power of the thousand. A billion in this matter can be expressed as one thousand million.
One billion = 109 = 1,000,000,000
The zero may not have a value of its own, but it can make a huge impact when added or removed after other numbers.
The difference in zeros distinguishes one from ten, ten from hundred, hundred from thousand, thousand from million, million from billion, and so on.
The British version of the billion had 12 zeros at once. The method was called the short scale method. Later, American and British calculations both adapted the short-scale method where a billion has 9 zeros instead of 12.
The series of –Illinois goes like this-
One Thousand = 103 = 1,000
One Million = 106 = 1,000,000
One billion = 109 = 1,000,000,000
One Trillion = 1012 = 1,000,000,000,000
You must have noticed that the zeros are increasing in a pattern. Every time three more zeros are added to the number. It’s easier to remember the names this way.
The numbers in between them have different names. Between a thousand and a million, there are ten thousand (10,000) and a hundred thousand (100,000). Between a million and a billion, there are ten million (10,000,000) and a hundred million (100,000,000). Between one billion and one trillion there are ten billion (10,000,000,000) and a hundred billion (100,000,000,000).
The numbers go on by the same rules, just with different names. Different names and units are discovered for a different amount of things. When the numbers keep getting larger, bigger units are necessary to keep the calculations simpler.
The –illion series keeps getting higher with unique names. After trillion, comes quadrillion. And then quintillion.
According to many, one of the largest numbers in this series is a googol, which is 10100.
