What are the long and short scales?
Q: What are the long and short scales?
A: The long scale and short scale are two of several large-number naming systems for integer powers of ten that use the same words with different meanings. The long scale is based on powers of one million (1,000,000), whereas the short scale is based on powers of one thousand (1,000).
Q: How do they differ?
A: For whole numbers less than a thousand million (< 109), the two scales are the same. From a thousand million up (≥ 109), the two scales differ ever more, using the same words for different numbers, which can cause misunderstanding.
Q: What can cause confusion between these two scales?
A: Using the same words for different numbers when referring to large numbers greater than or equal to a thousand million (≥ 109) can cause confusion between these two scales.
Q: What is an example of this confusion?
A: An example would be if someone were to say "billion" in reference to a number greater than or equal to a thousand million (≥ 109). Depending on whether they were using the long or short scale, this could mean either 1 billion or 1 trillion respectively.
Q: What is an integer power of 10?
A: An integer power of 10 refers to any number that is multiplied by itself some number of times; for example 10^2 = 100 and 10^3 = 1000.
Q: How does this relate to large-number naming systems? A: Large-number naming systems use integer powers of 10 as part of their system for labeling and understanding very large numbers.
