A billion is one million million in most of the world, but one thousand million in the USA.
On Google.com a search for 1 billion / 1 million gives "one thousand". On Google.co.uk a search for 1 billion / 1 million also gives "one thousand", which is wrong. Bad Google, no cookie!
Edit: I wasn't awake, ignore
Re: Google doesn't know a billion
acme on 2007-03-29T09:10:15
That's terrible!Re: Google doesn't know a billion
jdavidb on 2007-03-29T21:28:53
It could be worse. In the U.S., it's terribel.
Re: Google doesn't know a billion
drhyde on 2007-03-30T13:06:04
Is that the decibel's bigger brother?Re: Google doesn't know a billion
ajt on 2007-03-29T11:41:59
I've seen books written within the last decade avoid using a "billion" because it's meaning is ambiguous. Some people think of it as a thousand million (milliard) and some as it's more correct million million.
Most people don't know what they mean, a few mean a billion and a few mean a milliard. Therefore you can't 100% sure what's going on, so I also avoid the word...
Re: Google doesn't know a billion
pudge on 2007-04-05T23:41:54
I've seen books written within the last decade avoid using a "billion" because it's meaning is ambiguous. Some people think of it as a thousand million (milliard) and some as it's more correct million million."Thousand million" is not more correct than "million million." They are different conventions, neither with any more basis than the other, except in the number of people who have one meaning than the other.
However, "it's" is, in fact, less correct in this context than "its.":-)
Re: Google doesn't know a billion
Aristotle on 2007-03-29T13:35:37
Or in Germany.
I know I found it strange. I didn't know or did not remember a billion could be anything but 10^9. Brazil (unlike Portugal) also adopt this meaning (see Bilhão).
