Star survey reaches 70 sextillion

[oleg]

Originally posted by Narf'scompatshop:
not all the atoms in the universe are hydrogen. most, i guess but not all.

Number of all other atoms is completely negligeable. Less than a tiny fraction of percent.

[Erax]

Here's how it goes, AFAIK : million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, decillion. This sequence uses the Latin roots for numbers, not the Greek roots (tetra-, penta-, hexa-, hepta-).

Speaking a Latin language can be handy once in a very great while.

And 'milliard' is actually a French term which was borrowed by British English.

[ July 26, 2003, 14:08: Message edited by: Erax ]

[Arkcon]

Right. So. For American English at least, and for the truly pedantic nerds among us -- (The applicant for your consideration as the biggest nerd speaking here, ahem) -- the list would go like this:
(Wish I knew how to set the small font like everyone else does)

10^3 thousand
10^6 million,
10^9 billion,
10^12 trillion,
10^15 quadrillion,
10^18 quintillion,
10^21 sextillion,
10^24 septillion,
10^27 octillion,
10^30 nonillion,
10^33 decillion
10^36 undecillion
10^39 dodecillion
Insert - 10^40, number of hydrogen atoms in the universe, we guess (well astrophysicists, not me personally)
10^42 tridecilion
Insert - 10^44, number of seconds in the lifetime of the universe, we guess
10^45 quadecilion
10^48 quintdecillion
10^51 sexdecillion
10^54 septdecillion
10^57 octdecillion
10^60 nondecillion
10^63 eicoillion
Insert - 10^64, energy, in joules, of the Big Bang, we guess, unless someone was there. (anyone?)
10^66 uneicoillion
Insert - Official beginning of numbers that have no meaning to human minds

[Fyron]

Insert - Official beginning of numbers that have no meaning to human minds

Actually, numbers greater than 4 have no meaning to the human mind. Every number beyond that is thought of as sets of 4s (including partial 4s). Of course, this is at the most basic level of thinking, and we are obviously quite capable of fooling ourselves into thinking we can comprehend big numbers.

[Arkcon]

Originally posted by Imperator Fyron:

quote:

---

Insert - Official beginning of numbers that have no meaning to human minds

Actually, numbers greater than 4 have no meaning to the human mind. Every number beyond that is thought of as sets of 4s (including partial 4s). Of course, this is at the most basic level of thinking, and we are obviously quite capable of fooling ourselves into thinking we can comprehend big numbers.

---

Huh

I mean to say, ... huh?

Wait, I'm fascinated now. Where does 4 come as the basic unit of human math capacity.

I saw on t.v. that tacky movie Darryl Hannah and the clan of the cave bear, and she could count higher than the head geek neandertal, but seriously who came up with the 4 thing?

[Kamog]

Only 4? Surely humans can comprehend numbers bigger than 4 ??

If we're talking about numbers we can visualize in our minds, I think it's bigger than 4 but probably less than 100. I can visualize geometric shapes like triangle, square, pentagon, hexagon, and octagon, so I know I can visualize at least up to 8. I can visualize the image of two hands, with 10 fingers, so I know I can visualize 10. Or a dozen eggs for 12.

Then in my mind I can picture a group of, say 5 octagons arranged in a pentagon pattern, which make 40 sides, and so on. But it does get more difficult when the number gets much bigger than that.

[Fyron]

I did not mean pictures, I meant the numerical concept of 4 itself.