# One billion billions = one Sagan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-billion-billions-one-sagan/285663 "2005-01-20T03:31:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-billion-billions-one-sagan/285663/21 "2005-01-21T17:44:44Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#): > > I always thought this was kind of dopey on the part of the British. Sounds like you only looked at part of the naming system. If you’re thinking of the prefix as showing how many groups of three zeros, then million is two (in the U.S.), not one, and billion is three. The Brits, on the other hand, are counting blocks of six zeros. Million is one, billion is two, trillion is three… > [@Ellis Dee](#): > > Speaking of which, I used to know my -illions up to nonillion, but I’m a bit hazy in the middle. Could somebody help me out? Sure, here you go… ```auto # of 0s American Name British Name ------- ------------------ -------------------- 3 thousand thousand 6 million million 9 billion milliard 12 trillion billion 15 quadrillion thousand billion 18 quintillion trillion 21 sextillion thousand trillion 24 septillion quadrillion 27 octillion thousand quadrillion 30 nonillion quintillion 33 decillion thousand quintillion 36 undecillion sextillion 39 duodecillion thousand sextillion 42 tredecillion septillion 45 quattuordecillion thousand septillion 48 quindecillion octillion 51 sexdecillion thousand octillion 54 septendecillion nonillion 57 octodecillion thousand nonillion 60 novemdecillion decillion 63 vigintillion thousand decillion 100 googol googol 303 centillion 600 centillion 1 googol googolplex googolplex ``` ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-billion-billions-one-sagan/285663/22 "2005-01-21T18:10:46Z")
For about the billionth time, British billions are the same as US billions, 10[sup]9[/sup]. True, decades ago the word did mean 10[sup]12[/sup] here, but that usage is obsolete. Whether we ever used “milliard”, I’m not old enough to know. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-billion-billions-one-sagan/285663/23 "2005-01-22T02:59:24Z")
> [@naita](#): > > “Original” system: million = 10^6, billion 10^2_6, trillion 10^3_6 > > There you have your 1,2,3. Sweet, thank you. Obviously there had to be a nice logical reason for the naming, and it was clearly beyond me to suss out. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-billion-billions-one-sagan/285663/24 "2005-01-29T16:09:25Z")
I believe that the idea of a billion billion = a sagan came from [this list](http://www.theprices.net/humor/science/quirkyconversions.html) (or another of the many variations on it which have been making the rounds) which includes such gems as: 2.4 statute miles of surgical tubing at Yale U. = 1 I.V.League 2000 pounds of chinese soup = 1 Won Ton 16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone = 1 Rod Serling 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-billion-billions-one-sagan/285663.md?page=1)