Dear Jim, Bruce, and All,
The Australian Government 'Style manual: for authors, editors and printers',
6th Edition 2002, contains this entry:
"The terms 'billion', 'trillion' and 'quadrillion'
"The terms billion trillion and quadrillion were originally used (as their
prefixes suggest) to signify a million multiplied by a factor of two, three
and four respectively:
billion = million x million (10^12)
trillion = million x million x million (10^18)
quadrillion = million x million x million x million (10^24)
"This approach has been overtaken internationally by the alternative
approach that was instigated by French mathematicians and then adopted by
the United States, whereby:
billion - thousand x million (10^9)
trillion = million x million (10^12)
quadrillion = thousand x million x million (10^15)
"Australian and international standards (AS ISO 1000:1998) now acknowledge
this as standard usage, affirming what has long been established in
financial writing. However, scientists and statisticians usually avoid
billion, trillion and quadrillion, preferring to express critical amounts
using powers of ten."
Personally, I avoid these words altogether. I believe that terms such as
megadollar (M$), gigadollar (G$), and teradollar (T$) will replace these
terms in the moderately near future.
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin CAMS
Geelong, Australia
> Jim,
>
> Standard IEEE/ASTM SI 10-1997, the primary American National Standard on
> metric practice, contains the following:
>
> "3.5.4.2 Billion -- Because billion means a thousand million (prefix giga)
> in the United States but a million million (prefix tera) in most other
> countries, avoid the term and similar terms for larger numbers in technical
> writing."
>
> According to the Oxford English Dictionary, "Billion" comes from the prefix
> bi- applied to "million", and thus implies the second power of a million
> (year 1690). The OED entry gives, "[Eng. retains the orig. use. Subseq.
> changed in France; see 2 below.] 1. In Great Britain: A million millions.
> (= Fr. trillion.) 2. In U.S. (as in France, where the system of numeration
> is based on groups of threes, not sixes) : a thousand millions."
>
> The above explains what was the predominant usage in the U.K. in the middle
> of the last century. I believe the American financial and business press,
> and perhaps other pernicious American influences, have corrupted the
> British. Now I see British newspapers using billion to mean 10^9.
>
> It's much much easier to become a billionnaire than it used to be, but I
> still haven't made it.
>
> Bruce
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim McCracken" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Monday, June 10, 2002 10:14 AM
> Subject: [USMA:20373] Billion definition
>
>
>> THIS ELICITED NO RESPONSES, SO I'LL ASK AGAIN!
>>
>> This is not specifically metric, but I have received an inquiry that I
> will
>> throw out for all the USMA Listserv subscribers.
>>
>> It is not widely known (and may no longer be factual) but in the UK, some
>> Commonwealth countries, and some other European countries a billion
>> represents (or did represent) a million million. In the United States,
>> Germany and numerous other European countries a billion is a thousand
> million.
>>
>> Does anyone know if this definition difference still exists or has become
>> obsolete, and if there is still this discrepancy whether there are
>> directives or regulations that address, recognize, or limit the
> difference.
>>
>> Thanks,
>>
>> Jim McCracken
>>
>>
>
