On Thursday 2001-11-22 at 14:38:22 +1100, Helen Borrie wrote:

> At 10:09 PM 21-11-01 -0500, you wrote:
> > > (just like when someone is talkin' of billions. What's a billion? In
> > > Germany it's 10^12 in America it's 10^9...)
> >
> > What are you talking about 10^12 is 1,000 billion?
>
> Only in the USA. Out here in the globe, it is a million millions or 10^12. That's why most of the billionaires in the world live in the USA. :))

A billion is 10^9 and that's final! ;-) That's one of the few things the
Americans got right! <ducking and running>

If 1 million is 10^6 and 1 billion is 10^12, then 1 trillion is 10^24 and
1 quadrillion is 10^48. Sorry, it doesn't make any sense!

Go metric, young man! (err, you know what I mean):

10^6 million
10^9 billion
10^12 trillion
10^15 quadrillion
10^18 quintillion
10^21 sextillion
10^24 septillion
10^27 octillion

I leave the remainder as an exercise to the reader...

;-)

David Trudgett