Billions And Billions

[wolf63]

I am doing a quiz and this is the question

How many stars are there in the Milky Way?

At least 100,000,000,000,000
At least 100,000,000,000
At least 100,000,000
At least 100,000


All the answers in Google show the word billion - but how many 0s are in a billion? Which answer is right?

A. Dimwit

[pixie373]

1,000,000,000,000

[tonyav]

I think it's 100,000,000.

[pixie373]

It's a million times a million

[tonyav]

Is a billion a million million ?, I think the the Americans use a different formula though.

[pixie373]

In America, a thousand times a million

[ichkeria]

Well if you answer "at least 100,000" you can't possibly be wrong!

[wolf63]

That's the two answers that I dithered over. Thanks - will mull it over.

[Frank97]

Used to be 1,000,000,000,000 now it's been downgraded to 1,000,000,000
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/how-many-is-a-billion

[wolf63]

It's a science quiz for the Guardian so they might be petty about me getting the right answer. The prize is only books so it can't be too complicated (hopefully),

[bibblebub]

The American billion 10⁹ is most commonly used these days even thought there is a good old British word - milliard - for that number.

[pixie373]

All the alternatives you've offered are correct. You'll need to take out "at least"

[bibblebub]

(though, not thought)

[ichkeria]

100,000,000,000 - 400,000,000,000 according to wikipedia so I guess the answer they are looking for is the second one, but the third and fourth are also correct.

[tonyav]

wolf, looks like it depends on if the Guardian use the American billion then.

[wolf63]

It looks like the second number is right. At least 100,000,000,000

Thanks all

[jim360]

All of them are correct. Since if there are at least 100 billion it follows that there must also be at least 100,000...

[ichkeria]

...but it doesn't follow that there at least 100 trillion. But certainly the other three are all correct