What should really be called a Billion???

Question

From a Mathematical point of view, 1E6= 1 Million; 1E9 = One Thousand Millions; 1E12= 1 Billion...
All European and Latinamerican people know it, but why is it that only in the USA people says a Billion is 1E9 ????

Answer 1

Because 'Americans'(from the U.S) like to claim everything. They refuse to adopt the SI units, even though it really does make more sense, their ego's are incomparable. Sometime I think that he eiffel tower shoub be in the states, what better Iconic structure fot the U.S than an enormous Phallus?

Answer 2

I run into this often and it is truly confusing.

In order to keep things straight I often have
to stop and check with the people around me
to make sure we are all using the correct
powers of ten in references like this.

Yet, Websters dictionary calls Billion
"10^9" or "a thousand million." = US
and "10^12" or "million million" = British

and the same source

calls Trillion
"10^12" or " a million million" = US
and "10^18" a million million million" = British

There is no telling what astronomers are saying when
they say some star is a billion miles away from
the Earth. Were they raised in the UK or the US?

Regards,
Zahbudar
"10^

Answer 3

In the UK at least, billion meaning 10^12 has passed out of common usage. The BBC and government bodies now always use the 10^9 meaning.

Much as I hate Americanisation of English, in this one case I approve. The 10^12 billion would rarely come up in common usage and 10 billion is much easier to visualise than 10,000 million.

Answer 4

" Because 'Americans'(from the U.S) like to claim everything. They refuse to adopt the SI units, even though it really does make more sense, their ego's are incomparable. Sometime I think that he eiffel tower shoub be in the states, what better Iconic structure fot the U.S than an enormous Phallus?"

Looks like some non - American has a piss poor atitude.... Imagine

Answer 5

Both scales have been used for a long time. I like the short scale better, it makes more sense.