sextillion

/sek'siljən/ Cách viết khác : (sextillion) /seks'tiljən/

Definition

Noun:
- A specific large number: A sextillion is the cardinal number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 21 zeros (10²¹). In the long scale numbering system, it has a different value.

Usage

Numerical Value: In the United States and modern British English (short scale), a sextillion equals 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 (10²¹). It follows a quintillion (10¹⁸) and precedes a septillion (10²⁴).
Scale Systems: The meaning of "sextillion" depends on the numbering scale used. The definition above (10²¹) is for the short scale. In the long scale system used in some European countries, a sextillion is 10³⁶.

Examples

Noun:
- Scientists estimate the number of stars in the observable universe to be in the hundreds of sextillions.
- A sextillion is written as a one with twenty-one zeros after it.

Advanced Usage

In Scientific Notation: The value of a sextillion is most concisely expressed as 10²¹.
- The mass of the Earth is approximately 6 sextillion kilograms (6 x 10²⁴ kg).
Context for Scale: It is used in contexts involving astronomy, cosmology, or theoretical physics to describe quantities of an almost unimaginably large magnitude.
- The probability was less than one in a sextillion.

Variants and Related Words

Sextillionth (ordinal number, adjective, noun): Constituting number sextillion in a sequence; one of a sextillion equal parts.
- He calculated the answer to the sextillionth decimal place.

Synonyms

10²¹ (Ten to the twenty-first power): The mathematical expression.
(Informal) A hell of a lot: A very informal and imprecise synonym for an extremely large quantity.

Notes on Different Meanings

Short Scale (10²¹): This is the predominant meaning in American English and in most modern international scientific and financial contexts. The sequence is: thousand (10³), million (10⁶), billion (10⁹), trillion (10¹²), quadrillion (10¹⁵), quintillion (10¹⁸), sextillion (10²¹), etc.
Long Scale (10³⁶): This is an older system where each new term is one million times the previous. Here, a billion is a million millions (10¹²), a trillion is 10¹⁸, and a sextillion is 10³⁶. This usage is now rare in English.

Noun