What is a billion?

[uppi]

Is there any use to numbers larger than a short trillion?

Seriously.

Sure. The frequency of a laser, for example.

Well, sure, but we don't give them _names_. 3.74 x 10^28 is just 3.74 x 10^28. We don't want any words in there causing confusion.

Of course we give them names. But because of this short scale vs long scale mess we stick to SI prefixes instead of English words. And, anyway, they're shorter and have an unambiguous abbreviation.

 

[ParkCungHee]

What's wrong with calling it the Roman Empire?

Because that was taken by Trebizond.

 

[Angst]

What do you know, I thought Trebizond called itself Trebizond. What did Byzantium call herself then? I know the considered themselves Romans.

 

[ParkCungHee]

They called themselves Romans. Along with the Trebizondians, the Germans, The Italians, and the Turks.

Using terms of self-description is rarely the historical standard. No one, for example, has a problem calling it the Republic of Novgorod, rather than His Majesty Lord Novgorod the Great.

 

[Angst]

But it was in its time literally "the Roman Empire". I mean, the Germans called their empire the Holy Roman Empire (let's look to the wayside of whether that was actually an empire and all that), and I understand the historical distinction... But I'm not about to call modern-day Norway "Denmark" or "Kalmar" just because they have been under our flags for so long.

I know it's a purely historical distinction to describe the transition from Latin to Greek and all, but it still irks me. And Trebizond is a backwater trashpool.

 

[ParkCungHee]

But it was in its time literally "the Roman Empire". I mean, the Germans called their empire the Holy Roman Empire

No, it was simply "The Roman Empire".

 

[Angst]

Imperium Romanum Sacrum. Not Imperium Romanum.

 

[Leoreth]

That was a later addition, from the Hohenstaufen era iirc. Before that they called themselves Roman Empire, the German kings were King of the Romans etc.

 

[Angst]

Oh. I see. Then it's kinda messy. Teaches me to shut up huh? Should be sticking to music.

 

[cardgame]

Well, sure, but we don't give them _names_. 3.74 x 10^28 is just 3.74 x 10^28. We don't want any words in there causing confusion.

Exactly, thanks CKS.

 

[Borachio]

What's 3.74 x 10^28? Is it some important constant I should know about?

 

[Leoreth]

Oh. I see. Then it's kinda messy. Teaches me to shut up huh? Should be sticking to music.

But if you had shut up, you wouldn't have learned something, right?

 

[Angst]

He did tell me the fact which I didn't shut up when replying to.

But I guess I learned that distinction of national development.