septillion
/sep'tiljən/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- The cardinal number equal to 10²⁴ (1 followed by 24 zeros): A very large number used primarily in contexts like mathematics, astronomy, and finance, especially in systems using the long scale numbering convention.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The estimated number of stars in the observable universe is in the septillions.
- In the long scale system, a septillion is equivalent to a quadrillion in the short scale system used in the United States.
Advanced Usage
- Scientific Notation: Often expressed as 10²⁴ for clarity in scientific and technical writing.
- The mass of the Earth is approximately 6 septillion kilograms (6 × 10²⁴ kg).
- Comparative Context: Used to illustrate immense quantities.
- The national debt reached a figure in the septillions of the local currency.
Variants and Related Words
- Septillionth (ordinal number & noun): Constituting number septillion in a sequence; one of septillion equal parts.
- He finished in septillionth place in the massive online competition.
- A septillionth of a gram is an almost immeasurably small unit.
Synonyms
- 10²⁴: The expression in scientific notation.
- (In long scale): Quadrillion (This is the short scale U.S. equivalent; the synonym is context-dependent on the numbering system used.)
Notes on Numbering Scales
- Long Scale: Used in most European countries and many others worldwide. In this system, each new term greater than a million is 1,000,000 times the previous term (a billion is 10¹², a trillion is 10¹⁸, a septillion is 10²⁴).
- Short Scale: Used primarily in the United States and modern British English. In this system, each new term greater than a thousand is 1,000 times the previous term (a billion is 10⁹, a trillion is 10¹², a quadrillion is 10¹⁵, and the number 10²⁴ is called a septillion).
Noun
- the number that is represented as a one followed by 24 zeros