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I would like to discourage the use of the word "billion". It means different things to different people. For reference, this title uses it to mean 10^9, but it

I would like to discourage the use of the word "billion". It means different things to different people. For reference, this title uses it to mean 10^9, but it can also mean 10^12. The official word for 10^9 is milliard, but hardly anyone knows what you mean when you say that, so I'd encourage the phrase "thousand million" - everyone will know what you mean when you say that and it's unambiguous. Or use scientific notation.

Workaccount2 3y ago
Generally if it is written in English, it's safe to assume it's short scale.
globular-toast 3y ago
It's off topic, but worth knowing about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-52AI_ojyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-52AI_ojyQ
tourist2d 3y ago
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Xeamek 3y ago
Dunno if either system other can be called the official one, but it (as usual) comes down to Americans creating solutions for non-existing problems :P https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales
Sanzig 3y ago
Essentially the entirety of the anglophone world uses short scale numbering. I highly doubt anyone would interpret "billion" as anything other than 10^9 in English text.
abhinavk 3y ago
Nobody in a casual English (and Asian too from my experience) conversation will mean billion to be 10^12. English sphere predominantly uses the short scale. That being said, there is no official word but two globally used scales. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales#Current_usage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales#Current_...
Pet_Ant 3y ago
In the English speaking world "billion" only means 10^9. See Wikipedia: > This is now the most common sense of the word in all varieties of English; it has long been established in American English and has since become common in Britain and other English-speaking countries as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billion There is both a long- and short- scale. Neither is more correct: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales And as much as I hate it, when communicating in public what matters is the commonly used definition of the word, even if it's different that what that word meant a few years ago.

Workaccount2 3y ago

Generally if it is written in English, it's safe to assume it's short scale.

globular-toast 3y ago

It's off topic, but worth knowing about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-52AI_ojyQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-52AI_ojyQ

tourist2d 3y ago

[dead]

Xeamek 3y ago

Dunno if either system other can be called the official one, but it (as usual) comes down to Americans creating solutions for non-existing problems :P https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales

Sanzig 3y ago

Essentially the entirety of the anglophone world uses short scale numbering. I highly doubt anyone would interpret "billion" as anything other than 10^9 in English text.

abhinavk 3y ago

Nobody in a casual English (and Asian too from my experience) conversation will mean billion to be 10^12. English sphere predominantly uses the short scale. That being said, there is no official word but two globally used scales. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales#Current_usage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales#Current_...

Pet_Ant 3y ago

In the English speaking world "billion" only means 10^9. See Wikipedia: > This is now the most common sense of the word in all varieties of English; it has long been established in American English and has since become common in Britain and other English-speaking countries as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billion https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billion There is both a long- and short- scale. Neither is more correct: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_and_short_scales And as much as I hate it, when communicating in public what matters is the commonly used definition of the word, even if it's different that what that word meant a few years ago.