In mathematics, we use a system of naming large numbers that allows us to express numbers that are too big to count or imagine. The standard system we use is based on the power of 10, with every increase of one power representing ten times the value of the previous power. The largest named number in the English language is a googol, which is 1 followed by 100 zeros. But what comes after a googol? In this article, we will explore what comes after zillion and the ways that mathematicians have approached this problem.
The first thing to note is that zillion is not a real number in the same way that a million or billion is. It is a placeholder term used to represent an extremely large number, much like the word “umpteen.” It is often used colloquially to express a large but indefinite quantity, such as “there were zillions of people at the concert.”
There is no consensus among mathematicians about what comes after zillion. Some have proposed using names based on the power of 1000, similar to the system used for the metric prefixes (e.g., kilo-, mega-, giga-, etc.). Under this system, a zillion would be equivalent to 10^100, and the next named number would be 10^103, which could be called a “millizillion.” The next number after that would be 10^106, which could be called a “billizillion,” and so on.
When it comes to numbers, there are an infinite amount of them. However, when it comes to naming large numbers, things start to become a bit more complex. The term “zillion” is often used colloquially to refer to a very large, indefinite number. But what comes after zillion?
To answer this question, we first need to understand how numbers are named. The system of naming numbers is based on the use of prefixes and suffixes to indicate the quantity being described. The prefixes are based on powers of 10, and the suffixes are based on a system of “-illion” names that repeat every six orders of magnitude.
For example, the prefix “kilo-” means one thousand, so one kilometer is one thousand meters. The prefix “mega-” means one million, so one megabyte is one million bytes. The suffix “-illion” is used to represent numbers that are one thousand raised to some multiple of six. Thus, a “million” is one thousand raised to the power of two, a “billion” is one thousand raised to the power of three, and so on.
Using this system, we can generate a list of “-illion” names that correspond to increasingly large numbers:
- Million: 1,000,000 (10^6)
- Billion: 1,000,000,000 (10^9)
- Trillion: 1,000,000,000,000 (10^12)
- Quadrillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000 (10^15)
- Quintillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^18)
- Sextillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^21)
- Septillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^24)
- Octillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^27)
- Nonillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^30)
- Decillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^33)
As you can see, each “-illion” name represents a number that is one thousand times larger than the previous one. But what comes after decillion?
After decillion, the next “-illion” name is “undecillion,” which represents a number that is one thousand raised to the power of 36. That’s a one followed by 36 zeroes, or 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Here is a list of the “-illion” names that come after decillion:
- Undecillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^36)
- Duodecillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^39)
- Tredecillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10^42)
- Quattuordecillion: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
Others have suggested using names based on the power of 10,000. Under this system, a zillion would be equivalent to 10^40,000, and the next named number would be 10^44,000, which could be called a “myriadzillion.” The next number after that would be 10^48,000, which could be called a “legionzillion,” and so on.
There are some practical problems with using either of these systems. First, the numbers they represent are so large that they are virtually meaningless. For example, a millizillion is a 1 followed by 103 zeroes, which is an unimaginable quantity. Second, these systems can quickly become confusing and unwieldy. If we used the power of 1000 system, for example, we would have to remember names like “nonimillizillion” (10^309), “duomillizillion” (10^312), and “tremillizillion” (10^333).
Because of these problems, mathematicians have largely given up on the idea of naming numbers beyond a certain point. Instead, they use scientific notation to express extremely large or small numbers. Scientific notation expresses numbers in the form of a coefficient multiplied by a power of 10. For example, the number 1,000,000,000 can be written as 1 x 10^9. This system is much more practical and concise than using names for extremely large numbers.
In summary, there is no agreed-upon name for the number that comes after zillion. Some mathematicians have proposed using names based on the power of 1000 or 10,000, but these systems quickly become impractical and confusing. Instead, mathematicians rely on scientific notation to express extremely large or small numbers. While it may be fun to speculate about what comes after zillion, the truth is that numbers beyond a certain point become so large that they are effectively meaningless to us.
