Millions vs Billions

We humans have a big big problem when it comes to big big numbers.

In our modern world, we are constantly confronted with big numbers. These can relate to money, to time, to weight, to size, to age, whatever.

Most of us ignore big numbers because we don’t understand what they really mean.

Another trillion just got added to the national debt, oh wow.

In one ear, out the other.

Then again, for millennia, our brains only needed to understand small quantities, units and numbers. Our brains instantly recognize three, five or at the most seven beans, bananas or buffalo. More than that quickly becomes a challenge.

So for ages, humans counted to 5 and after that there were just, well, “lots” or ”lots and lots”.

Billion was not actually a word before the 15th or 16th century (depending on which source you refer to).

The good news is that understanding big numbers does not have to be hard, you just need to find the right way to reframe them.

Let me give you an example: The old incandescent lightbulb had a lifespan of maybe 750 hours. a modern LED lightbulb has a lifespan of easily 25,000 hours. Big deal? Well yes, if you really understand what that means.