Names of Big Numbers ...

Most of us know some of the names of "big" numbers ... although it is questionable whether any of us truly appreciate the real/genuine size of big numbers. We sometimes talk in terms of thousands, sometimes refer to millions and, on rare occasion, even reference trillions (since the government sometimes uses the term trillions to reference costs, debt or programs). Numbers actually have names well beyond trillions.

The following is a listing of big number names. The system used in this listing is the one commonly used in the United States and by the scientific community. Other countries use these terms slightly differently ... in other words, naming large numbers is related to where you are and the context in which you are naming the big numbers.

There are ... as one might expect ... many other big number names as well. A "zillion," for example, has come to mean an extremely large unknown number. Some people use "zillion" as a reference to an infinitely big number ... a number so big that we really can't imagine it. A "googol" is 10 raised to the 100 power ... a "googolplex" is 10 raised to the "googol" power.

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