Why a billion in the US (1 with 9 zeros) is different than from the rest of the countries (1 with 12 zeros)?

Answer 1

Theres a long and short scale. Short scale is where every new prefix (million, billion, trillion) is 1000 times more than the previous. 1,000 millions is a billion.

Long scale is when theres 1,000,000 times more than the previous. So 1 billion = 1,000,000 millions.

Different scales, the 10^12 version is fading out of use.

Answer 2

If you look to the past you'll see that, not only do some countries use one method and some the other, but also that they have changed which one they use over time! Until the 1800s even the US used 10^12 as a billion.

To me it makes slightly more sense to use the "long-scale" where million=10^6, billion=10^12, trillion=10^18, quadrillion=10^24, etc. as the prefixes bi, tri, and quad mean 2, 3, 4 respectively. I.e. trilion=million million million.

In the "short scale" a trillion=10^12= thousand thousand million, a quadrillion=10^15=thousand thousand thousand million etc. which doesn't seem quite so consistent.

The UK until recently used the "long-scale" but because of our strong ties with the US we have gradually switched over. Some traditionalists still insist on using the "long-scale" but even they realize the ambiguity and will always clarify if there is chance of being misunderstood.

Answer 3

Other countries consider a billion to be 10^12 = a million million. The USA decided that they would change that to a billion = 10^9 some time ago as they fekt it made more sense. Some countries followed the USA: others did not.

No problem. You just need to know what other countries mean by a billion. What if they called it a dillion? Who cares?

Answer 4

It's because the French (and some others) have always used 10^12 rather than 10^9 and have remained insistent on the point. It's a ridiculous situation. This is why international standards for terminology are developed.

Example: In geology, we no longer use "millions of years ago" or "billions of years ago"; instead, we use MA and GA. MA = Mega Annum (million years); and GA = Giga Annum (billion years) = 10^9 years.


Silly, isn't it?

Answer 5

Maybe they added 3 more zeros after a dot making the additional 3 as decimal, i.e.:
1,000,000,000.000

Answer 6

Who said that?!! Of course it's not, or else all economy, the science and math world, and everything would be messed up.

Answer 7

maybe because its a different currency or number style.