The best visual description of the size of one billion?

[Idle Mind]

Interesting. However example 'd' is not correct. 1 billion days ago, in all likelyhood, there were animals that walked on 2 feet.

Yeah, 1 billion days is only ~2.7 million years, so there were likely even early hominids at that time. So you're correct, and the list in the OP is not accurate.

*edit. Somehow miscalculated a billion hours. That's 114,155 years, so I guess we were in the stone age. Haha. Don't know how I was off by 2 decimal places... :-\

 

[RJBeery]

I've not read much of this thread but I see comments about the OP list being in error. I just wanted to remind folks to verify that we're all talking about the same number when we say "billion". 1 Billion = 1,000,000,000

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52579.html

 

[Wexler]

I've not read much of this thread but I see comments about the OP list being in error. I just wanted to remind folks to verify that we're all talking about the same number when we say "billion". 1 Billion = 1,000,000,000

http://mathforum.org/library/drmath/view/52579.html

Yes...we are talking the American version.

In the 3.5 years since I originally asked the question, the Mega Penny Project by far has been the best answer.

 

[Emil]

That isn't so much.

 

[AlexG]

A pail of sand .7 feet high has one billion grains of sand.

 

[Fudge Muffin]

the number of nanoseconds you have wasted reading this.

 

[Dywyddyr]

the number of nanoseconds you have wasted reading this.

Fail.
Not a visual description.

 

[Wexler]

So, why I asked in the first place...

Today, especially in America, we throw around the word "billion", well, a billion times a day. In reality, there is an incredibly small percentage of the population that actually understands the size.

This is where it gets fun...

Ask a person what is "a billion". They will throw around the grains of sand and what have you...but really, there is nothing specific to measure against.

But, if you say "visualize a penny", they can do that.

Then, "visualize a Grey Hound bus", and they can do that.

Then "now imagine that the bus, front to back, from the street to the roof line is filled with pennies." They can do that...and usually, that's where they think they have arrived at "one billion"...and that's where the scope of one billion starts to resonate...

Then "imagine 5 busses full of pennies"..."that's one billion"...

This is usually where they are stunned...and, it usually helps if you have one penny...

Then, based on their social position you have something to frame either the scope of economics or time against something.

In my case, I say something like this...

"...now, put the 5 busses full of pennies on a football field (American)...and then imagine side line to side line, from the 50 yard line to the goal line full of busses and pennies...that's the age of the earth..."

...and then based on the type of discussion...in most cases, it's an argument against common thought...I then say...

"Ok, you now have a general grasp of how old the earth is...now, reduce that down to one of the back tires...that's how long there has been civilization...and, then reduce down to a turn signal...that's the equivalent of the Abrahamic faiths..."

 

[Motor Daddy]

You are not imagining how many pennies one billion pennies is by equating how many buses one billion pennies would fill. All you are doing is imagining 5 full buses of pennies, which is no more imaging a billion then before you started.

What you've done in this thread is show that a "billion" doesn't have a specific "size."

Imagine a billion seconds, no, I mean minutes, no, I mean hours, no days..weeks, years, lbs, kilograms, light years, inches, HP (oh, that's a good one, can you imagine a billion HP? Heck no you can't!!)

A billion is a quantity, and quantities don't have sizes.

A billion what? There are an infinite amount of objects, all of different size, and each one of them could be multiplied by a billion.

Give me a break...

 

[Wexler]

You are not imagining how many pennies one billion pennies is by equating how many buses one billion pennies would fill. All you are doing is imagining 5 full buses of pennies, which is no more imaging a billion then before you started.

What you've done in this thread is show that a "billion" doesn't have a specific "size."

Imagine a billion seconds, no, I mean minutes, no, I mean hours, no days..weeks, years, lbs, kilograms, light years, inches, HP (oh, that's a good one, can you imagine a billion HP? Heck no you can't!!)

A billion is a quantity, and quantities don't have sizes.

A billion what? There are an infinite amount of objects, all of different size, and each one of them could be multiplied by a billion.

Give me a break...

We've never met at a party before, have we?

 

[Motor Daddy]

We've never met at a party before, have we?

Yeah, hey Fred, how's it going? Long time no see. Where you been hanging out lately?

 

[Fudge Muffin]

Fail.
Not a visual description.

dayum :L

 

[scheherazade]

Originally posted by Motor Daddy

A billion is a quantity, and quantities don't have sizes.

Agreed.

It is only when the quantity is attached to an object that we can determine a measurement of size.

Nice distinction.

 

[786]

X = a billion.. See its not so big its only X

 

[Big Chiller]

Agreed.

It is only when the quantity is attached to an object that we can determine a measurement of size.

Nice distinction.

Where can you find a quantity that isn't attached to the physical e.g. wavelength of electromagnetic radiation also have "size" in a sense. In this case MD missed.
It's the units that do not represent size. Units are abstractions that reference quantity.

 

[Emil]

A number doesn't exist in reality.
In reality a number must be followed by an unit of measurement.

 

[scheherazade]

Where can you find a quantity that isn't attached to the physical e.g. wavelength of electromagnetic radiation also have "size" in a sense. In this case MD missed.
It's the units that do not represent size. Units are abstractions that reference quantity.

Understood.

In your own words, units are abstractions that reference quantity.

The number remains abstract until it is attached to a reference.

Word salad in it's many variations.

 

[scheherazade]

X = a billion.. See its not so big its only X

An abstract referencing another abstract.

Still, X is a visual, so it does meet the minimum criteria, IMO, unless three dimensions are specified instead of two.

Even then, I expect we could get Me-Ki-Gal to construct a prototype for us.

 

[Big Chiller]

Understood.

In your own words, units are abstractions that reference quantity.

The number remains abstract until it is attached to a reference.

Word salad in it's many variations.

That's what I said not the quantity, the units.
Strawman I'm afraid.

 

[scheherazade]

Did you know that over 1 billion people are now overweight? I couldn't get them all together for a group photo op, but here is what they all have in common.

I submit this as my entry for a visual reference of not one, but 99 billion.

Note to Mods: Request your indulgence of a commercial image for the purpose of numerical visual reference. This is not an endorsement.