Numbers that are larger than one million are usually either represented using scientific notation, or by words.[1]
There are two main ways of using words to write large numbers. The American way or "Short form" for naming large numbers is different from the European way or "Long form" of naming large numbers. This is mainly because of American finance. Short form numbering is based on thousands and Long form is based on millions. Because of this, in Short form a billion is one thousand millions (109) while in Long form it is one million millions (1012). The change in the United Kingdom to Short form numbering happened in 1974. Today, Short form is most commonly used in most English speaking countries.
| Number | Scientific notation | Grouping |
|---|---|---|
| 6 000 000 000 000 000 | 6 × 1015 | 6 quadrillion |
| 765 476 250 000 000 | 7.6547625 × 1014 | 765 trillion, 476 billion, 250 million |
| 123 456 789 | 1.23456789 × 108 | 123 million, 456 thousand, 789 |
| 145 000 | 1.45 × 105 | 145 thousand |
| Scientific notation | American name
(Short Form) |
Old European name
(Long Form) |
Old-British name | SI Symbol | Metric prefix |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | One | One | One | ||
| 10 | Ten | Ten | Ten | da | Deca- |
| 100 | Hundred | Hundred | Hundred | c | Cent- |
| 1,000 | Thousand | Thousand | Thousand | k | Kilo- |
| 10,000 | Ten thousand | Ten thousand | Ten thousand | ||
| 100,000 | Hundred thousand | Hundred thousand | Hundred thousand | ||
| 1,000,000 | Million | Million | Million | M | Mega- |
| 109 | Billion | Milliard | Thousand million | G | Giga- |
| 1012 | Trillion | Billion | Billion | T | Tera- |
| 1015 | Quadrillion | Billiard | Thousand billion | P | Peta- |
| 1018 | Quintillion | Trillion | Trillion | E | Exa- |
| 1021 | Sextillion | Trilliard | Thousand trillion | Z | Zetta- |
| 1024 | Septillion | Quadrillion | Quadrillion | Y | Yotta- |
| 1027 | Octillion | Quadrilliard | Thousand quadrillion | R | Ronna- |
| 1030 | Nonillion | Quintillion | Quintillion | Q | Quetta- |
| 1033 | Decillion | Quintilliard | Thousand quintillion | ||
| 1036 | Undecillion | Sextillion | Sextillion | ||
| 1039 | Duodecillion | Sextilliard | Thousand sextillion | ||
| 1042 | Tredecillion | Septillion | Septillion | ||
| 1045 | Quattuordecillion | Septilliard | Thousand septillion | ||
| 1048 | Quindecillion | Octillion | Octillion | ||
| 1051 | Sexdecillion | Octilliard | Thousand octillion | ||
| 1054 | Septendecillion | Nonillion | Nonillion | ||
| 1057 | Octodecillion | Nonilliard | Thousand nonillion | ||
| 1060 | Novemdecillion | Decillion | Decillion | ||
| 1063 | Vigintillion | Decilliard | Thousand decillion | ||
| 1066 | Unvigintillion | Undecillion | Undecillion | ||
| 1069 | Duovigintillion | Undecilliard | Thousand undecillion | ||
| 1072 | Trevigintillion | Duodecillion | Duodecillion | ||
| 1075 | Quattuorvigintillion | Duodecilliard | Thousand duodecillion | ||
| 1078 | Quinvigintillion | Tredecillion | Tredecillion | ||
| 1081 | Sexvigintillion | Tredecilliard | Thousand tredecillion | ||
| 1084 | Septenvigintillion | Quattuordecillion | Quattuordecillion | ||
| 1087 | Octovigintillion | Quattuordecilliard | Thousand quattuordecillion | ||
| 1090 | Novemvigintillion | Quindecillion | Quindecillion | ||
| 1093 | Trigintillion | Quindecilliard | Thousand quindecillion | ||
| 1096 | Untrigintillion | Sexdecillion | Sexdecillion | ||
| 1099 | Duotrigintillion | Sexdecilliard | Thousand sexdecillion | ||
| 10100 | Googol | Googol | Googol | ||
| 10102 | Tretrigintillion | Septendecillion | Septendecillion | ||
| 10105 | Quattuortrigintillion | Septendecilliard | Thousand septendecillion | ||
| 10108 | Quintrigintillion | Octodecillion | Octodecillion | ||
| 10111 | Sextrigintillion | Octodecilliard | Thousand octodecillion | ||
| 10114 | Septentrigintillion | Novemdecillion | Novemdecillion | ||
| 10117 | Octotrigintillion | Novemdecilliard | Thousand novemdecillion | ||
| 10120 | Novemtrigintillion | Vigintillion | Vigintillion | ||
| 10123 | Quadragintillion | Vigintilliard | Thousand vigintillion | ||
| 10126 | Unquadragintillion | Unvigintillion | Unvigintillion | ||
| 10153 | Quinquagintillion | Quinvigintilliard | |||
| 10183 | Sexagintillion | Trigintilliard | |||
| 10213 | Septuagintillion | Quintrigintilliard | |||
| 10243 | Octogintillion | Quadragintilliard | |||
| 10273 | Nonagintillion | Quinquadragintilliard | |||
| 10303 | Centillion | Quinquagintilliard | |||
| 10306 | Cenuntillion | Quinquagintilliard | Unquinquagintillion | ||
| 10603 | Ducentillion | ||||
| 10903 | Trecentillion | ||||
| 101203 | Quadringentillion | ||||
| 101503 | Quingentillion | ||||
| 101803 | Sescentillion | ||||
| 102103 | Septingentillion | ||||
| 102403 | Octingentillion | ||||
| 102703 | Nongentillion | ||||
| 103003 | Millinillion | ||||
| 1010100 | Googolplex | ||||
| 10101034 | Skewes' Number | ||||
| 10googolplex | Googolplexplex |
There is also the number googol, which is a 1 with 100 zeros behind it (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), and the number googolplex, which is a 1 with a googol of zeros behind it, (1010,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) (1010100). The number googolplexplex, is a 1 with a googolplex number of zeros behind it.
The name centillion was devised in the 19th century for the 100th "illion", being 10303 in short form and 10600 in long form, and is much bigger than googol.
Numbers were first used by prehistoric tribes. Those prehistoric tribes invented numbers as a way to measure and calculate items, something which required counting. More advanced prehistoric tribes would later invented mathematics and they started adding, subtracting, multiplying, as a way to measure and calculate more advanced and complex items and certain fields. Large numbers were first used by ancient civilizations such as Sumer, Ancient Egypt, Akkad, Babylonia, the Hittite Empire, Rome, and Greece, for measuring and calculating items. As civilizations grew more complex, numbers did as well. The words bymillion and trimillion, and millions were first written to describe extremely large numbers in 1475 by Jehan Adam. In 1484, Nicolas Chuquet used the words million, byllion, trillion, and even further to write and describe way much larger numbers.[2] Adam and Chuquet both used long scale. For example, Adam's bymillion (Chuquet's byllion) was used to write 1012.[3] While these were the first writings that used these words, Adam and Chuquet were probably not the creators of the words. The word million comes from the Old Italian millione.[2][4] These words were also probably commonly used before the books were written.[2]
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