2319: Large Number Formats - Revision history

FaviFake at 18:13, 7 March 2025

2025-03-07T18:13:53Z

172.70.90.223: Undo revision 288855 by TheBlueRiolu (talk) Doesn't make things clearer (if a "zillion" means anything, it's already beyond million/billion/trillion, so the nth is 3+ more illions beyond).

2022-07-15T17:39:12Z

Undo revision 288855 by TheBlueRiolu (talk) Doesn't make things clearer (if a "zillion" means anything, it's already beyond million/billion/trillion, so the nth is 3+ more illions beyond).

TheBlueRiolu at 16:04, 15 July 2022

2022-07-15T16:04:20Z

162.158.159.109: /* Transcript */ Found one that was updated (the "never round up" error corrected)

2022-05-07T20:34:46Z

‎Transcript: Found one that was updated (the "never round up" error corrected)

Jacky720: rv

2022-05-04T21:31:22Z

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Ex Kay Cee Dee at 21:31, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T21:31:21Z

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Jacky720: rv

2022-05-04T21:03:37Z

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Ex Kay Cee Dee at 21:01, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T21:01:04Z

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Davidy22: Reverted edits by X. K. C. D. (talk) to last revision by Galaktos

2022-05-04T01:58:07Z

Reverted edits by X. K. C. D. (talk) to last revision by Galaktos

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X. K. C. D. at 01:00, 4 May 2022

2022-05-04T01:00:36Z

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@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 ==Explanation==
-This comic shows what the way you write large numbers says about you. Different people use different methods to express large numbers. And this comic claims it can tell something about you based on the way you format large numbers. In this way, the comic is similar in idea to [[977: Map Projections]], where it was your choice of map projections that could tell something about you.
+This comic shows what the way you write large numbers says about you. Different people use different methods to express large numbers. And this comic claims it can tell something about you based on the way you format large numbers. In this way, the comic is similar in idea to [[977: Map Projections]], where it was your choice of map projections that could tell something about you. See the [[#Table of types|table below]] for each of the 10 different ways to express large numbers, plus the 11th mentioned in the title text.
 The number used as an example is the [https://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=Distance+to+Jupiter+in+inches approximate distance] from the planet {{w|Earth}} to the planet {{w|Jupiter}} as of the release day of the comic on June 12th 2020, in {{w|inch|inches}} (1 inch = 2.54 cm).
@@ Line 23: / Line 21: @@
 The used number 25,259,974,097,204 is equivalent to 641.6 million km. On June 13th the distance is given as 641.7 million km in the graph on The Sky Live, very close to the number used. As this was the day after the release of this comic, it seems like [[Randall]] used a different distance than the exact one for the release day. He may have also used an average for June which would be 642 million km based on the average of the distance on June and July 1st.
-==Table of types==
+===Table of types===
 {| class="wikitable"
 |-
@@ Line 52: / Line 50: @@
 | 2.525997×10<sup>13</sup>
 | Scientist trying to avoid rounding up
-| Using as many decimal places as necessary until hitting a digit (0-4) that results in rounding down, even if it goes against the common scientific practice of reporting the correct amount of "significant figures". [[:File:large number formats.png|A previous version of the comic]] had a typo (the number was ''2.5997x10<sup>13</sup>''), but Randall updated the comic.
+| Using as many decimal places as necessary until hitting a digit (0-4) that results in rounding down, even if it goes against the common scientific practice of reporting the correct amount of "significant figures".
 |-
 | 2.526e13 or
@@ Line 119: / Line 117: @@
 :<span style="color:#ba0000">1,262,998,704,860 score and four</span>
 :Abraham Lincoln
 {{comic discussion}}

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 | 25 Billion
 | Old British Person
-| In current English usage, across the Anglophonic world with some hold-outs, the nth zillion means 10^(3n+3) as per the {{w|short scale}} system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, older British English use had the nth zillion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the {{w|long scale}} (previously often described as the British system) to the short one for all official purposes.
+| In current English usage, across the Anglophonic world with some hold-outs, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3) as per the {{w|short scale}} system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, older British English use had an n-illion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the {{w|long scale}} (previously often described as the British system) to the short one for all official purposes.
 Though not instantly widely adopted for common usage, the mid-'70s could therefore be considered the key turning point between when an older or younger British person learns (as the change filters through the system at various stages of education) what their "Billion"s and "Trillion"s are supposed to represent.

@@ Line 40: / Line 40: @@
 | 25 Billion
 | Old British Person
-| In current English usage, across the Anglophonic world with some hold-outs, an n-illion means 10^(3n+3) as per the {{w|short scale}} system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, older British English use had an n-illion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the {{w|long scale}} (previously often described as the British system) to the short one for all official purposes.
+| In current English usage, across the Anglophonic world with some hold-outs, the nth zillion means 10^(3n+3) as per the {{w|short scale}} system popularised by American influence in international trade, so a trillion means 10^12, as above. However, older British English use had the nth zillion meaning 10^(6n) (i.e. the simpler calculation of ''million^n''), so a billion meant 10^12. The change stems from a 1974 commitment by Harold Wilson, the Prime Minister of the UK at the time, to change from the {{w|long scale}} (previously often described as the British system) to the short one for all official purposes.
 Though not instantly widely adopted for common usage, the mid-'70s could therefore be considered the key turning point between when an older or younger British person learns (as the change filters through the system at various stages of education) what their "Billion"s and "Trillion"s are supposed to represent.

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