Students often use numbers that they really cannot visualize what they are talking about.  One day in class I heard a child tell another that he did not have one chance in a centillion to get a 100%.  Where did that come from?  Where did they ever even hear this word?  Many children have heard the word googol because of the internet, but not centillion.  When I tried to explain how much a centillion was the child just gave me a blank stare.  That child does not really realize how many zeros that is.  The problem with this is that even adults have no idea how to visualize this number.  Just to write the number takes a lot of space and time.  You have probably never written this number because it is a waste of your time. This article is to just give you an idea of how large that number really is on the written page.  So here is a little visualizing on some of the numbers that we use.  The national debt may seem large, but just be glad that it is not running in the centillion arena.

Sometimes saying the name of a number is not very impressive, but when you look at it, it seems overwhelming.  Here is a look at some of those numbers.

Such as one million--------1,000,000

One billion------------------1,000,000,000

One trillion------------------1,000,000,000,000

One quadrillion-------------1,000,000,000,000,000

One quintillion--------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000

One sextillion---------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One septillion---------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One octillion----------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One nonillion---------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One decillion---------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One undecillion------------           1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One duodecillion----------

            1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One tredecillion-----------

            1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One quattuordecillion----

            1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One quindecillion--------

          1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One sexdecillion---------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One septendecillion---1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000

One octodecillion-----1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One novemdecillion—1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One vigintillion--------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

One googol-------------10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                             000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

                             000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

One centillion----------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

                          000

            Now, next time your teenager asks to take the car to take all his friends to the mall and you say “Not one chance in a centillion” you will be able to visualize what you are really saying.  Or maybe better yet let him see it and he’ll realize what you are really saying.  “No!”

,

C. Mackay

Powered by SiteSounder.com