Google doesn't know a billion

acme on 2007-03-29T07:01:51

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


Probably a realistic situation

mjwilson on 2007-03-29T07:50:11

The UK usage of a billion is pretty much obsolete, even in the UK. I think Google is just reflecting reality here.

Re: Google doesn't know a billion

davorg on 2007-03-29T08:05:19

The battle was lost long ago.

Since 1974 the British government has used "billion" to mean 10^9 in all official statistics. And common usage seems to follow this.

Of course, it may be different in France...

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.

one trillion dollars

2shortplanks on 2007-03-29T08:45:22

Adaptable language, innit? We've nicked the mercan meaning, like.

Forsooth, the lingo yousa reaching for is "trillion".

Sayeth Google:

one million * one million = one trillion

Morning

acme on 2007-03-29T09:12:50

Drat, I wrote this in the morning just after getting out of bed. The post doesn't mean what I thought it meant: ooops, sorry. Ignore this one!

10^9 in Brazil as well

ferreira on 2007-03-29T19:29:14

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).

Doesn't really matter ...

drhyde on 2007-03-30T11:32:54

... because most people have no idea what a million or a billion (or a milliard) look like anyway. If you're actually dealing with those quantities, then you'll be working with 1,000,000,000 or 1e9 and not words.