Read scientific notation and distinguish millions, billions and trillions without confusing magnitude with precision.
Scientific notation writes a number as a × 10^n, usually with 1 ≤ |a| < 10. Thus 6,200,000 = 6.2 × 10^6 and 0.00045 = 4.5 × 10^−4. Moving the decimal point changes the exponent in the opposite direction.
In contemporary English short-scale usage, a million is 10^6, a billion is 10^9 and a trillion is 10^12. Other languages and historical sources may use another scale. State the digits or exponent when translating financial or population data.
10^9 is one thousand times 10^6. A billion seconds is therefore one thousand times a million seconds, even though the names sound similar. Ratios are often easier to interpret than a string of zeros.
An estimate of 1.2 million does not establish that the exact count is 1,200,000. Multiplying rounded inputs cannot create new measurement accuracy. Display significant digits that reflect the quality of the underlying figures.
English edition: 16 September 2026.