The age of the universe isestimated to be 13.7 billion years. The United States national debt is currently just over 19 trillion dollars. We hear these HUGE numbers thrown out in daily conversations (yes, I have daily conversations about the age of the universe and so should you…) but does anyone really have a grip on what a BILLION or a TRILLION of anything really looks like?
Just for a refresher on how you get to a Trillion and beyond, recall from grade school the implications of adding three zeros after a “one”.1 = One
1,000 = Thousand
1,000,000 = Million
1,000,000,000 = Billion
1,000,000,000,000 = Trillion
1,000,000,000,000,000 = Quadrillion
OK, so what does a trillion look like? The problem with most answers to questions like this is that they try to it into perspective by relating it to things normal people have no perspective for. For instance, did you know that,
One trillion dollars would stretch nearly from the earth to the sun. It would take a military jet flying at the speed of sound, reeling out a roll of dollar bills behind it, 14 years before it reeled out one trillion dollar bills.
I don’t know when the last time you traveled from the earth to the sun, much less traveled at the speed of sound in a jet, but for me those comparisons are just as mind-boggling as the concept of a trillion of something.
One Million Pennies
See AlsoPro and Con: PenniesLincoln penny celebrates 113th anniversary just before US Mint stops circulationIf You Have A Penny From Before 1982, It's Worth More Than 1 Cent | The Herd NowSacagawea Golden Dollar Coin | U.S. MintThe Megapenny projectuses something a lot more common to most of us, a penny. Most people have a few in their pockets or in a jar on the bookshelf and it provides a much better sense of scale. Round up 16 of them, stack them on top of each other into a little pile and it’s one inch tall. Place them side by side in a line and they stretch out one foot.
So much for what’s in your pockets, now break open your piggy banks and gather up one million pennies, that’s only $10,000 of course. One million pennies creates a wall four feet wide, five feet tall and one foot thick. This wall weighs nearly 6,300 pounds, or just over three tons!
One Billion Pennies
Stepping up to a billion, things start to change as we start imagining stacks of pennies the size of a typical school bus. Five school buses to be exact.
As an interesting side-note, most European countries usea slightly different naming conventionfor large numbers and refer to our trillion, as a “thousand billion” they reserve the word trillion for a million billion or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Add another three zeros and we begin to enter into the realm of the age of the universe (in years) and the national debt (in dollars – not pennies). One trillion pennies would create a mind boggling cube with edges nearly as long as a football field. If only there were that many pennies in existence!
One Trillion Pennies
Of course the final step here is to image fourteen (14) of these cubes of pennies. Each penny representing one dollar of the national debt. The physical representation of large numbers is an interesting way to wrap your head around what it means to say something is in the billions or trillions, and beyond.
Of course, if pennies stacked up are just not doing it for you, head over toGlobal Researcherwhere they use 100 dollar bills in tidy little stacks to make the same point.
I found it interesting how small a package one million dollars turns out to be when made of bundles of $100 bills. It could fit in plastic grocery bag with ease!
Stepping up to a billion, things start to change as we start imagining stacks of pennies the size of a typical school bus. Five school buses to be exact.
Current estimates by the Greetings, I'm an enthusiast deeply immersed in the realm of vast numerical scales and the intricacies of comprehending astronomical figures. My fascination with these colossal numbers extends beyond mere conversations; it's an ongoing exploration of the mind-boggling magnitudes that define our universe and economic landscapes. Let's delve into the concepts underpinning the article, where we grapple with the enormity of numbers, from billions to trillions.
Firstly, the age of the universe, a cornerstone of cosmology, is estimated to be 13.7 billion years. This knowledge stems from a synthesis of various fields, including astrophysics, astronomy, and cosmology, drawing on observations of cosmic microwave background radiation, galaxy redshifts, and the study of cosmic structures.
Now, shifting from the cosmic to the economic, the United States national debt stands at just over 19 trillion dollars. This astronomical figure, intricately linked to fiscal policies, economic theories, and government expenditures, represents the cumulative financial obligations of the U.S. government.
The article introduces the challenge of visualizing these colossal numbers, especially when dealing with billions and trillions. To grasp the scale, it employs a familiar tool from grade school – the notion of adding three zeros after a "one." A progression unfolds: one, thousand, million, billion, trillion, and beyond.
To bring the concept of a trillion into perspective, the article offers a vivid illustration – one trillion dollars would stretch nearly from the Earth to the sun. Further, it adds a dynamic visual element by describing a military jet flying at the speed of sound, trailing a roll of dollar bills. It would take 14 years for this jet to reel out one trillion dollar bills. This metaphorical journey underscores the monumental scale of a trillion.
However, the challenge lies in making these numbers relatable to our daily lives. The article introduces the Megapenny project, which utilizes a common item – a penny – to provide a tangible sense of scale. For instance, stacking one million pennies creates a substantial wall, while a billion pennies conjure mental images of stacks comparable to school buses.
An intriguing side note explores the naming conventions for large numbers in European countries, highlighting the subtle differences in terminology. As we ascend to one trillion pennies, the article paints a picture of a cube with edges nearly as long as a football field – a striking visualization of the vastness associated with these astronomical figures.
In a final analogy, the article connects the national debt to physical representation by envisioning cubes of pennies, each penny symbolizing one dollar of the debt. The tangible nature of these representations, whether in cubes of pennies or stacks of $100 bills, serves as a compelling method to help individuals conceptualize the colossal scale of numbers in the billions and trillions.
