What is a billion ? Is it:
The American billion is 1,000,000,000; this was called, in Britain, until 1974, a thousand million or, more occasionnally, a milliard.
See Numberphile's video:
Yes in some countries a billion is 1 with 9 zeros and in others it is 1 with 12 zeros.
I think the 9 zeros is more common and it is the US one I believe.
MathsGod is British and I think that he is also correct. I think it England it is 1 with 12 zeros.
this is why scientific notation is so much better with very big and very tiny numbers :)
Thanks Melody, MrGenius and MathsGod1;
There are two systems: The short system, or short scale, and the long system, or long scale.
In the short system:
1,000,000,000 is a billion
1,000,000,000,000 is a trillion,
1,000,000,000,000,000 is a quadrillion, et caetera...
In the long system:
1,000,000,000 is a thousand million or, more occasionally, a milliard (I love this word )
1,000,000,000,000 is a billion
1,000,000,000,000,000 is a thousand billion or a billiard
and so on.
The short system has always been used in USA; it was officially adopted by UK in 1974.
But the long system is still used in almost every non-English-speaking countries in the World.