How many zeros does one billion have; 9 or 12?

jonnowales

One billion (American) is 1,000 million --> 1,000,000,000 - It is 9. Aug 18 07, 7:59 AM

zbeckabee

Both. Common "English" form has nine. Rarely used form has twelve -- Increasingly rare meaning in English-language usage; standard meaning in many other languages. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billion Aug 18 07, 8:17 AM

queproblema

This question is very pertinent in our global community and generates a good deal of confusion. See "Billion" in Wiki in any other language you know how to read for a discussion of this. About half the world considers 10^12 to be a billion. I checked all of them, most of which are stubs, and they all give both 10^9 and 10^12. Most mention "milliard." Longest discussions are in German, Spanish, and Russian. (Go to Zbeck's link and then on the far left-hand column click the language of your choice.) The best explanation of this confusion is in Wiki's "Long and Short Scales" article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milliard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales Aug 18 07, 10:04 AM