'Hella' Proposed as Official Big Number

[n2doc]

By Clara Moskowitz, LiveScience Senior Writer
posted: 05 March 2010 02:25 pm ET


Soon the word "hella" may not be associated with California surfers as much as with scientists in lab coats. A physics student is petitioning to add "hella" to the International System of Units (SI) as the official designation of 10 to the 27th power, or a trillion trillions.

Austin Sendek, a University of California, Davis undergraduate, has gathered almost 40,000 fans on the Facebook page devoted to his "movement."

Many numbers have such prefixes, such as "centi" for 0.01 (or 10 to the minus 2nd power), or "micro" for 10 to the minus 6th power. On the larger side of things, "giga," for example, represents 10 to the 9th power, or 1 billion. But so far, the largest official designation is "yotta," for 10 to the 24th power.

"In our world of increasing physical awareness and experimental precision, this number is no longer a satisfactory 'upper bound' in scientific nomenclature," Sendek wrote in his earnest petition.

more

http://www.livescience.com/culture/hella-official-big-number-100305.html

[liberal N proud]

1. That would make it a Hella of big number

:rofl:

[krispos42]

2. Wouldn't it be a trillion quadrillions?

10¹² * 10¹⁵ = 10²⁷, yes?

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Yep. A trillion trillions = 10^24

Maybe that's one US trllion of UK trillions ...

[krispos42]

5. No, they use a different system

Or used, at least. I'm reading Master and Commander and the term "milliard" was used in there.

1 million = 10⁶
1 milliard = 1 billion = 10⁹
1 billion = 1 trillion = 10¹²
1 billiard = 1 quadrillion = 10¹⁵
1 trillion = 1 quintillion = 10¹⁸
1 trilliard = 1 sextillion = 10²¹ = National debt under a hypothetical President McCain

[eppur_se_muova]

11. Knew about milliards, never heard of billiards or trilliards.

Thought there was just that one difference, so a UK trillion would be US quadrillion. Interesting.

[Orrex]

4. Here's a little known but relevant piece of Star Wars trivia

It's well-known that the algorithms used to coordinate the lifts in conventional skyscrapers are quite intricate and impressive. Imagine how much more complicated they would be on a moon-sized installation.

The Death Star engineer in charge of coordinating the thousands of lifts moving between the thousands of levels was a genius and was granted a lesser apprenticeship under The Emperor himself, years before the battlestation was completed. His true name is long forgotten.

It is said that his algorithm mastery was due, in part, to his Force-sensitivity, and in time his prowess grew so great that he was afforded a Sith title of his very own.

Thus, for making inter-level transit possible aboard the myriad lifts, he was rechristened Hella Vader.








And, in case you were wondering, there is no such thing as going "too far" for a joke.

[mochajava666]

9. Maybe the joke isn't as long in Klingon

No such thing as going "too far", but can a joke be too nerdy? For me, personally, no. But then again, I do know some Klingon...

[krispos42]

13. *groan*

And of course, not a single word about all the independent contractors that made the construction of the Death Star's elevator system possible.

Once again, they get the shaft.


























:P

[bananas]

6. There's gonna be a hella argument over this,..

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. I think "hekuva-" should come first

and then, after 'hella-', 'boatloada'. Or, since they're basing the names on powers of a thousand, for 10^27 = 1000^9 something based on 9. How about 'nerfa-'?

And for 10^-27, 'teeni-'.

[Ian David]

8. Don't forget shitload. n/t

[Codeine]

10. What about a metric fuckload? nt

[phantom power]

12. pantload?

[damyank913]

16. That would be infinity-any amount is too much...

[Mistwell]

14. Love it

I love the idea of Hella as an official number!

[damyank913]

15. Wasn't "googleplex" a number?

[lazarus]

17. googolplex

a googol equals a one followed by a thousand zeroes.

A googolplex is a one followed by a googol of zeroes.

But these are actual numbers, not prefixes.

[damyank913]

18. Thanks for the clarification.

[eridani]

19. LA Times catching up on this now

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/06/local/la-me-hella-20100706