Billion facts for kids
A billion is a very big number! It's often used to talk about huge amounts of money, people, or things. Imagine counting to a billion – it would take a very, very long time!
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What is a Billion?
A billion is usually understood as the number 1,000,000,000. That's a 1 followed by nine zeros. You can also think of it as one thousand million. This is the most common meaning today in many countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
Different Ways to Count Big Numbers
For a long time, different countries had different ways to define a billion. These were called the "short scale" and the "long scale."
The Short Scale
The short scale is the way most people use it now. In this system, a billion means one thousand million (1,000,000,000). This is the definition used in English-speaking countries and many others. It's like saying a thousand thousands is a million, and a thousand millions is a billion.
The Long Scale
The long scale was used in Britain in the past and is still used in some other languages. In this system, a billion meant one million million (1,000,000,000,000). This is a much bigger number than the short scale billion. To avoid confusion, most countries now use the short scale for "billion."
Other Uses of the Word "Billion"
Sometimes, the word "billion" is used in other ways, not just as a number.
"Billions" in Entertainment
- Billions is a TV show about powerful people in the world of finance.
- Billions was a silent comedy movie made way back in 1920.
- Mr. Billion is another movie from 1977.
- "Billions" is also the name of a song by Russell Dickerson.
Images for kids
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A 1000 million Mark banknote from Frankfurt, Germany, in 1923. This shows how big numbers were used even a long time ago.
See also
In Spanish: Billón para niños
