What is the highest number?

Question

This is a question asked by my 6 year old daughter, she was asking about million, billion, trillion...and then she said, "What is the highest number?".

Answer 1

I found many anwers on this blog: http://surveycentral.org/survey/14805.html
Scroll down a little bit!

Answer 2

Actually, there is no highest number, because for any large number one might name, another could simply add 1 to it to make a larger one. Mathematicians, for the sake of convenience in doing calculations, usually assign this arbitrary number to have the value of infinity and represent it using this symbol: ∞. Notice this however, if we assign ∞ as being the highest number, then what is ∞ + 1, ∞ + 2, or ∞ + ∞ for that matter? Is the last value equal to 2 (∞), or do we now assign this value to be the new infinity, say ∞'? If so, then we can start the process all over again and begin adding more numbers to ∞' to reach a new value for infinity, say 3 (∞) = ∞'', and this could go on endlessly. For that reason we can never actually assign any numerical value to be equal to infinity, apparently not even the symbol ∞ itself. Therefore, there is no highest number.

Answer 3

There is no highest number.
This is how it goes : you tell me any number , and I will give you another in return that is higher. As a mum you should
understand how to do that : just add one ;)

there exist different kinds of infinity in math, where one kind of infinity is a more in some sense than the other, but i wont tell this your daughter until she is about 12 years, that is a safe age for this information .

Answer 4

well, numbers never end so there's no "highest" number but infinity could be the "highest" number.

infinity goes on forever. the infinity sign is a sideways 8. (look at the 8 sideways and that's the infinity sign.)

otherwise the next highest number besides infinity is googolplex. it can be written as 10 to the 10th power to the 100th power. or it can be written as 10 to the googol power.

hope this helps!

Answer 5

The largest number with any kind of a name is the "googolplex". It cannot be written down in ordinary notation 1000...000.

The largest number with the traditional style of name is the "centillion". It can be written as 1000...000 where there are either 303 zeroes (US centillion) or 600 zeroes (British centillion).

Other larger numbers have been named in many ways, and used at many times, but they are not popularly known about.

Answer 6

I do not think there is a "Highest Number" it just keeps going on and on.

Answer 7

Tell your little girl that the highest number is what ever she wants it to be. (since there is so highest number, it goes on forever)

Answer 8

Infinite

Answer 9

There is none....Numbers are infinite, for your child to understand tell her "numbers never end"

Answer 10

There is no
numbers are infinate