Room For All

[paradox3]

One billion used to have a different definition in Britain and the United States. They might be synchronized now but I am not sure.

 

[jimkenney12]

Back in the 1970s when billions came to be a thing was when I discovered a difference between America and the UK. In the UK our billion is a thousand million. This makes our trillion their billion (a million million). Out quadrillion is their thousand billion.

From the European view, increases come in six figure steps, a million, a million million, a million million million. It makes sense in terms of consistency.

 

[Carolla]

Good grief - no wonder we get confused!! As if metric system isn't challenging enough

 

[jimkenney12]

It has always complicated communication between America and Europe.

 

[Mendalla]

I noticed something yesterday. Usually, I don’t think about numbers greater than millions, but then There was the news about “the ring of fire” being worth trillions. So my colleague and I had to look up how much trillions actually are( still can’t wrap my head around it, though). That made me think why it is called “trillion”- since it isn’t three times a million..?
So I looked up the word for those numbers in German, and here is even more confusion:

English word. German word
one million. Eine million. 1 000 000
one billion. Eine Milliarde. 1 000 000 000
one trillion. Eine Billion. 1 000 000 000 000
one quadrillion. Eine Billiarde. 1 000 000 000 000 000

so , who can explain why in english, they go with one, two, three ,four? And why is a billion in english smaller than eine Billion in German?

It's not English, really, it's how they are using Latin. I believe they are counting powers of 1000. So 1000 squared, written 1000^2 or 1000^(1+1), is a million, 1000^3 is a billion (1+2 powers of a 1000, where bi in "Billion" is the 2) and so on. Or something like that.

 

[Mendalla]

It has always complicated communication between America and Europe.

And why scientists generally stick to powers of 10 when expressing these kinds of numbers. If you write 10^9, then it doesn't matter if you call it a "billion" and the German reading your paper calls it "Eine milliarde". 10^9 is a universal mathematical expression that works for anyone, anywhere.

 

[jimkenney12]

In the past, the confusion most often centered on dollar amounts.

 

[Mendalla]

In the past, the confusion most often centered on dollar amounts.

Which should be done the same way, really. Just do it all in numbers and avoid the confusion.

 

[ChemGal]

Which should be done the same way, really. Just do it all in numbers and avoid the confusion.

But then there's the , and . that end up used differently. In science the , are rarely used (English based). I'm not really sure why the French use a comma for decimals and how widespread they use it ie. is it mostly just for money.

 

[Redbaron]

German does that too. The value of pi is 3,141593, for example, and what North Americans call one million would be 1.000.000. I think that's pretty standard all over Europe.

 

[ChemGal]

German does that too. The value of pi is 3,141593, for example, and what North Americans call one million would be 1.000.000. I think that's pretty standard all over Europe.

I don't know why, but the numerical issue never popped up for me with other cultures, or maybe I just falsely assumed it was French when it did (quite possible!)

 

[ninj]

But then there's the , and . that end up used differently. In science the , are rarely used (English based). I'm not really sure why the French use a comma for decimals and how widespread they use it ie. is it mostly just for money.

From what I can tell, yes, but it may also be used for other technical purposes that I'm unfamiliar with. It sometimes still takes me a bit by surprise -- dollar sign at the end too.

 

[Redbaron]

Good Morning! Snowy and blustery here this morning, hope it's better where you are. As we ponder millions, billions and trillions, and all the other words to describe big numbers, continue to ponder blister packs and other medical aids, let us gather round the Coffee Cart, for conversation and community. Stay warm and safe, those who are going through one more winter blast.

C(_)/ c(_) c\_/ c[_]

 

[Mrs.Anteater]

+5 here and sunshine. It’s +19 in Germany/ Berlin! But they are looking at a lack of water again for this year, so I am not envious.

 

[Luce NDs]

Accept it due to diversity there are degrees of magnitude of bifurcation and they are expanding as some domains do in exponential nature ... generates networks many of them subtle as sacred egos ... questionably superior? Depends not upon the determined ...

It goes on when you don't know ...

 

[jimkenney12]

It makes sense for the currency sign to come after the number. I do not know why we put the doliar sign in front.

 

[paradox3]

We have very little use now for the cents sign but it used to go after the number. Like this for two cents.
2¢

Although I think this was more common:
$.02

 

[Luce NDs]

We have very little use now for the cents sign but it used to go after the number. Like this for two cents.
2¢

Although I think this was more common:
$.02

Thus currently out????? Stuff does change ...

Can you abstract a thought of what happens if the entire internet shuts down as some destructive sorts would like in their deficient states of appreciating the consequence? Let us just identify the word ... destructive!

Some declare there are reasons ... basic unknowns?

A member of our group recently said psychopaths should be contained and studied so the administration could learn something of the problem with psychotic trends towards knowing nothing! Execution is out and there will be need for no more executioners ... just cultivators! Abstracts ....????

 

[Mendalla]

It makes sense for the currency sign to come after the number. I do not know why we put the doliar sign in front.

Pounds are written that way, too, so I imagine we picked it up from them. Or did the Brits used to do it the other way and then adopted the North American standard? And the Euro symbol is definitely written before in places but, again, is that under North American influence given that the Euro didn't even exist until the end of the 20th century.

We have very little use now for the cents sign but it used to go after the number. Like this for two cents.
2¢

Although I think this was more common:
$.02

Yeah, I haven't seen the cents sign used much anymore. I think it was more useful when more things were priced in cents. Nowadays, most of what we buy is $1 or more or else priced at cents/unit that mean we are generally buying more than a dollar worth, making it more sensible to use fractions of a dollar ($.25).

 

[Northwind]

I think today is supposed to be dreary. Yesterday was spectacular. It apparently got up to 15. We enjoyed a sunny fire with a beautiful view at a friend's site. I finished the second sleeve yesterday and attached the sleeves to the body. Today I'll figure out how to proceed with the collar/neckline.