Not One Chance in a Centillion

Students often use numbers that they really0,000
cannot visualize what they are talking about. OneOne tredecillion-----------
day in class I heard a child tell another that he did0,000,000
not have one chance in a centillion to get a 100%.One quattuordecillion----
Where did that come from? Where did they ever0,000,000,000
even hear this word? Many children have heardOne quindecillion--------
the word googol because of the internet, but not0,000,000,000,000
centillion. When I tried to explain how much aOne
centillion was the child just gave me a blank stare.0,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
That child does not really realize how many zerosOne
that is. The problem with this is that even adults,000,000,000,000,
have no idea how to visualize this number. Just to000,000,000,000,000,000
write the number takes a lot of space and time.One
You have probably never written this number00,000,000,000,
because it is a waste of your time. This article is000,000,000,000,000,000,000
to just give you an idea of how large thatOne
number really is on the written page. So here is a00,000,000,000,
little visualizing on some of the numbers that we000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
use. The national debt may seem large, but justOne
be glad that it is not running in the centillion arena.00,000,000,000,
Sometimes saying the name of a number is not000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
very impressive, but when you look at it, itOne
seems overwhelming. Here is a look at some of0,000,000,000,
those numbers.000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Such as one million--------1,000,000000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
One billion------------------1,000,000,000One
One trillion------------------1,000,000,000,000000,000,000,000,
One quadrillion-------------1,000,000,000,000,000000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
One quintillion--------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
One000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
sextillion---------------1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
One000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
00000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
One000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
00,000000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
One000
00,000,000Now, next time your teenager asks to take the
Onecar to take all his friends to the mall and you say
00,000,000,000"Not one chance in a centillion" you will be able to
One undecillion------------visualize what you are really saying. Or maybe
0better yet let him see it and he'll realize what you
One duodecillion----------are really saying. "No!