What Is a Googol?

Sounds like some strange animal or a creature from outer space, doesn’t it? But it’s neither of them. A googol is a number, a very large number. You are probably familiar with numbers such as:

1 + 6 zeroes = 1,000,000, one million

1 + 9 zeroes = 1,000,000,000, one billion

1 + 12 zeroes = 1,000,000,000,000, one trillion

1 + 15 zeroes = 1,000,000,000,000,000, one quadrillion.

But did you know that there are names for numbers larger than these?

1 + 18 zeroes = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000, one quintillion

1 + 21 zeroes = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, one sextillion

1 + 24 zeroes = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, one septillion

1 + 27 zeroes = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, one octillion

1 + 30 zeroes = 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, one nonillion.

The largest number with a name, however, is a 1 followed by 100 zeroes. That is a googol. It was named by the 9-year old nephew of a mathematician, who was explaining to the boy what that 1 with 100 zeroes after it looked like. When he asked the boy what that number should be called, the boy answered, a “googol.” And that name stuck!

This is what a googol looks like.

100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

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5 Comments

  1. Anonymous
    Posted 2007/11/14 at 12:32 pm | Permalink

    This is what a googol looks like.

    10,0,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,
    000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

    Amazing Fact for you: There’s an extra comma at the start. Better fix that.

  2. Joaquim
    Posted 2007/11/15 at 9:20 am | Permalink

    There is a larger named number – a googolplex is a 1 with a googol zeros after it. This number is so large there isnt enough paper in the world to write it out!

  3. Anonymous
    Posted 2008/07/08 at 7:49 pm | Permalink

    OMG this is nice and interesting~

  4. Anonymous
    Posted 2008/12/18 at 5:24 pm | Permalink

    never mind enough paper in the world! there isn’t enough room in the entire universe no matter how small you tried to write it!

  5. Anonymous
    Posted 2009/11/13 at 8:22 am | Permalink

    The largest number in the world is dos.
    (dos is a variable)

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