Date:	Sun, 08 Apr 2001 05:58:38 -0700
From:	"Alan S." <as173 AT cornell DOT edu>
Subject:	Re: [off-topic] shutting down
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"bil·lion noun
Abbr. b.

1.The cardinal number equal to 10^9. 
2.Chiefly British. The cardinal number equal to 10^12. 
3.An indefinitely large number. 

[French, a million million : blend of bi-, second power. See bi-
million.]"

    Excerpted from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English 
    Language, Third Edition Copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin 
    Company. Electronic version licensed from Lernout & Hauspie 
    Speech Products N.V., further reproduction and distribution 
    restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United 
    States. All rights reserved.


So, if the term billion -- as used to represent 10^12 -- is a French
contraction of "bi-million", how did this usage end up as "Chiefly
British"...?!

Alan S.
4-8-2001


Matthias Paul wrote:
> 
> On 2001-04-07, Arkady V. Belousov wrote:
> 
> >non-SI naming - USA
> >        10^9, billion
> 
> According to an old (ex-East-)German math book
> (from 1965) this somewhat odd notation is (or was?)
> also used in France and in the ex-Sovietunion, but not
> in (most?) other countries.
> 
> >non-SI naming - German, Britany, France
> >        10^12, billion
> 
> this one apparently not for France...
> 
> >        10^18, trillion
> >        10^24, quadrillion
> >        10^30, quintillion
> >        10^36, sextillion
> 
> 10^42, septillion
> 10^48, octillion ("Oktillion")
> 10^54, nonillion
> 10^60, decillion ("Dezillion")
> 
> Sometimes 10^15 is called a "Billiarde" (not to mix up with "Billion").
> 
> DP>    What Americans (and the media, god-bless their exaggerating
> DP> hearts) call a billion is actually one thousand million.

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