Thursday 28 November 2013

"Larger" Numbers: My Own System, Continied

In my last post, I stopped at 10001001 with "Millillion", citing a lack of Latin numbers as my reason for stoppage. However, I've realised that there is an extended Latin system, already in existence! It starts at "bille" (=2000) and ends at "novemonaginongentille" (=999,000). This system is the extended -illions, highlighted in my previous post.

That means, of course, that we can continue counting up to the moderately-sized 1000999001. Let's go, with a fun table:


1000x+1
Name
1000
Millillion
2000
Billillion
3000
Trillillion
4000
Quadrillillion
5000
Pentillillion
6000
Sextillillion
7000
Septillillion
8000
Octillillion
9000
Nonillillion
10000
Decillillion
20000
Vigintillillion
30000
Trigintillillion
40000
Quadragintillillion
50000
Quinquagintillillion
60000
Sexagintillillion
70000
Septuagintillillion
80000
Octogintillillion
90000
Nonagintillillion
100000
Centillillion
200000
Duocentillillion
300000
Trecentillillion
400000
Quadringentillillion
500000
Quingentillillion
600000
Sescentillillion
700000
Septingentillillion
800000
Octigentillillion
900000
Nongentillillion

That leaves one major issue though: how do I construct intermediate values? The previous method may not work - novemnonagintnongentillillion could be either 1000999001 or 1000990010, if the old method is used. The solution is simple - add in a separator to distinguish the "x times 1000" values (the "-illillion"s) from the additive values. "illi" serves this function well. Hence, novemnonagintnongentillillion is 1000999001 and novemillinonagintnongentillillion is 1000990010.

The highest number expressible thus far is 100010002, which is named the beautiful novemnonagintnongentillinovemnonagintnongentillillion.

But now what? We are out of -illions, and can only express tiny numbers (a novemnonagintnongentillinovemnonagintnongentillillion written out in full digital form would be a mere 14 km long, on the order of the length of the Strait of Gibraltar. This is too tiny!

There's a beacon of hope though. Remember that table I put at the end of my last post? I'll show it:
1000x+1
-illion Name
1/x
SI Prefix
10
decillion
10
deci-
100
centillion
100
centi-
1000
millillion
1000
milli-
106
???
106
micro-

It just so happens to be that our notation ends at 100010002+1. How convinient that this table offers the solution to our conundrum. MEET THE MICRILLION!

1000x+1
Name
10002
Micrillion

As with the millillion, this can be modified to give numbers up to 100010003. I'll give some examples to demonstrate how:
1000x+1
Name
E6
Micrillion
2E6
Bicrillion
5E6
Penticrillion
E7
Decicrillion
E8
Centicrillion
999E6
Novemnonagintnongenticrillion

Fun, easy, and surprisingly effective. Intermediates are constructed by putting whatever you're adding the the power of a thousand before it. An example would be best, showing the largest number possible thus far. This number is a novemnonagintnongentillinovemnonagintnongentillillinovemnonagintnongenticrillion. Glorious. It's equal to a small 10001000(14 Mm when written as digits, on the order of a terrestrial planet's diameter). Next time, we will define yet larger numbers, on my quest to name ever larger "-illion"s.

--Thomas