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From Counting to Addition 9
Figure 1-8
Rows, columns,
and layers of 10
items can make a
thousand “box.”
Rows, columns,
and layers of 10
such “boxes” can
make a million
“stack.”
zeros after it). Going onward by multiples of a thousand, you get a quintillion (a one with
eighteen zeros after it), a sextillion (a one and then twenty-one zeros), a septillion (a one
and then twenty-four zeros), an octillion (a one and then twenty-seven zeros), a nonillion
(a one and then thirty zeros), and a decillion (a one and then thirty-three zeros).
WHAT ABOUT INFINITY?
A decillion decillion would be written as a one followed by 66 zeros. A decillion decillion
decillion would go down as a one and then 99 zeros. Multiply that huge number
by 10, and you get a googol, which is written as a one and then 100 zeros. Of course, we
can go on for years with this game, but no matter how long we keep it up, the number
we get will be finite. That means that you could count up to it if you had enough time.
We can never get an infinite number this way.
No matter how big a number is, you can always get a bigger number by adding one. In
that sense, infinity isn’t a number at all. Some people say there isn’t even such a thing
as infinity. But enough about that! Now let’s get back to the practical stuff and see how
addition relates to counting.