# 111,111,111 x 111,111,111
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 30, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953 "2003-07-30T18:23:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gerikel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gerikel)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/1 "2003-07-30T18:23:49Z")
If you multiply 111,111,111 by 111,111,111 you get
12,345,678,987,654,321. How exactly would you say that number?
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/2 "2003-07-30T18:25:44Z")
“Twelve quadrillion, three hundred and forty-five trillion, six hundred and seventy-eight billion, nine hundred and eighty-seven million, six hundred and fifty-four thousand, three hundred and twenty-one.”
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### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/3 "2003-07-30T18:28:12Z")
12 quadrillion, 345 trillion, 678 billion, 987 million, 654 thousand, 321.
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### Author:  [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/4 "2003-07-30T18:29:05Z")
Twelve quadrillion, three-hundred and forty-five trillion, six-hundred and seventy-eight billion, nine-hundred and eighty-seven million, six-hundred and fifty-five thousand, three hundred and twenty-one.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/5 "2003-07-30T18:32:20Z")
But if you’re a Brit, it might be pronounced differently.
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### Author:  [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/6 "2003-07-30T18:33:22Z")
Without the “ands”
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/7 "2003-07-30T18:38:08Z")
Well, not just that, but definitions for “billion” and up are different in classic UK and American usage. An American Billion is a thousand million. A British billion is a million million. But it seems usage is slowly changing.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/8 "2003-07-30T18:41:34Z")
So, in British usage, that would be:
12,345 billion 678,987 million 654,321
or
twelve thousand three hundred forty-five billion, six hundred seventy-eight thousand nine hundred eighty-seven million, six hundred fifty-four thousand, three hundred twenty-one.
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### Author:  [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/9 "2003-07-30T19:18:52Z")
The American version doesn’t contain any "and"s:
Twelve quadrillion,
three hundred forty-five trillion,
six hundred seventy-eight billion,
nine hundred eighty-seven million,
six hundred fifty-four thousand,
three hundred twenty-one.
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### Author:  [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/10 "2003-07-30T19:34:34Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Achernar \*
> **The American version doesn’t contain any "and"s:**
Regional differences: some people use “and” in three-digit numbers. (One hundred and one Dalmations, e.g.)
Trinopus
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### Author:  [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/11 "2003-07-30T19:38:53Z")
I would say “one hundred eleven million, one hundred eleven thousand, and one hundred eleven, squared.”
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/12 "2003-07-30T19:56:32Z")
Oh good, we’re getting into the silly answers now?
One point two three four five six seven eight nine eight seven six five four three two one times ten to the power of sixteen.
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### Author:  [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/13 "2003-07-30T20:10:46Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Trinopus \*
> Regional differences: some people use “and” in three-digit numbers. (One hundred and one Dalmations, e.g.)
Okay, it seems you’re right that both ways are commonly practiced, and nobody wants to say that one is right and the other is wrong.
But are you sure it’s regional difference? Can you name a region where people pronounce it one way or the other?
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/14 "2003-07-30T20:29:40Z")
I think the “no ands” style is common to the northeast US. That’s what I and the people I grew up with were taught in school. Some folks I know from the midwest like to sprinkle their numbers with “ands” in the most odd places.
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### Author:  [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/15 "2003-07-30T22:41:22Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Biffy the Elephant Shrew \*
> \*\*Oh good, we’re getting into the silly answers now?
>
> One point two three four five six seven eight nine eight seven six five four three two one times ten to the power of sixteen. \*\*
That sounds like the most sensible way of pronouncing it to me…
There’s just no convenient way of saying very large numbers precisely, probably because no-one ever needs to.
If we’re accepting suggestions, I’d propose “Twelve thousand billion billion [some word] three four five [etc]”
But conventionally I’d say RickJay’s way is right.
For the record I and everyone else I know in england uses billion =10^9.
But afaik no-one bothers to remember what a trillion or quadrillion is (though I’d guess trillion = 1000 billion). I’d say ‘million billion’ or ‘10^15’ for 10^15. though that wouldn’t really work here.
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### Author:  [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/16 "2003-07-30T23:09:15Z")
My science teacher explained that saying “and” as used above is incorrect and misleading, at least if used in science. “And” should only be used to denote the decimal point: 123.45 becomes one-hundred twenty three and forty-five hundredths. Saying “one-hundred and twenty three and forty-five hundredths” would be very confusing.
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### Author:  [@snac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snac)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/17 "2003-07-30T23:10:35Z")
Putting in an “and” is common across the US, in my experience; the numbers, when spoken, seem to flow more easily that way. It’s easily understandable and seems quite natural.
But from a mathematical perspective, it’s wrong. “And” denotes a decimal point. You’d say “six AND three quarters” or “nine AND six tenths”–but there’s no decimal point inside 6,789, say, so a mathematician would call it “six thousand seven hundred eighty-nine.” So would math textbooks; check the one your kids use. In informal use, you can argue about whether it’s ‘right’ or ‘wrong,’ but AND has a very specific mathematical meaning, (and) separating places to the left of the decimal point ain’t it.
–Snac the Friendly Neighborhood Math Guy
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### Author:  [@snac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snac)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/18 "2003-07-30T23:12:48Z")
Or, what SanibelMan said while I was trying to log in.
Of course, mathematicians might prefer to write the OP’s original factors as
111 111 111
rather than mess around w/all those commas, too.
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/19 "2003-07-30T23:15:09Z")
Science teachers can be very good at telling you how their preferred method is the One True Way, what’s wrong with “one-hundred and twenty three point four five” ?
Seriously, does anyone under the age of sixty talk about 'hundredths" (in general mathematical terms, rather than divisions of an inch)?
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### Author:  [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)
#### Post date: [July 30, 2003, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/111-111-111-x-111-111-111/191953/20 "2003-07-30T23:39:27Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Mangetout \*
> Science teachers can be very good at telling you how their preferred method is the One True Way, what’s wrong with “one-hundred and twenty three point four five” ?
Nothing, I guess. Along those same lines, what’s wrong with the following:
one hundred twenty and three point four five
one hundred twenty-three and point four five
one hundred and twenty and three and point four and five
twelvety-three point four five
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