Our planet is 4.55 billion (4,550,000,000) years old!
Compared with other animals, humans have long lives. Relative to the 4.55 billion-year history of our planet, however, our 80-year life spans pass in an instant of time. Because we tend to think in terms of months and years, time periods that affect our daily lives, it’s sometimes difficult to comprehend the immense amount of time that geologists refer to as 'geologic time'.
So, how much is a billion? The answer depends on who you ask! Americans do not agree with the British on names for numbers over a million! The American system is shown here.
|
|
1 Thousand
|
1,000
|
103
|
|
1 Million
|
1,000,000
|
106
|
|
1 Billion
|
1,000,000,000
|
109
|
|
1 Trillion
|
1,000,000,000,000
|
1012
|
|
1 Quadrillion
|
1,000,000,000,000,000
|
1015
|
|
1 Quintillion
|
1,000,000,000,000,000,000
|
1018
|
|
