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Human intuition is poor at huge scales
We understand differences like ten versus twenty, but struggle to feel the gap between a million and a billion.
The idea
A million is 1,000 thousands. A billion is 1,000 millions—three extra zeros that create a thousandfold difference.
An example
One million seconds is about 11.6 days. One billion seconds is about 31.7 years.
Put it into practice
Translate very large numbers into time, distance, or per-person amounts before judging their meaning.
Test yourself: A billion is how many millions?
1,000
Correct. Those three extra zeros make a billion one thousand times a million.
Explanation and illustrative examples by One Card Wiser. Source linked for further reading.
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