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I'm pretty sure a just a few months ago, someone published a small book 
on big numbers. The author might have been on Science Friday. I'll see 
if I can find it or the NPR story.
 
The book The Phantom Tollbooth has an amusing story about how fractions 
were created. As I recall it may have had some other humor about 
numbers. In fact, I think I used a couple of them on a display at our 
museum. Let me see if I can dig-it up.

Consider too how large quantities can be represented by using multiple 
dimensions. For example,  if you give everyone in the world a 10x10x10'  
cube to live in, they could all comfortably fit into the Grand Canyon 
with room to spare. One real whopper of a comparison is a cube that 
represents the amount of oil taken out of the earth each year, decade, 
since we started pumping it??

Don't forget some human calculators like Brian Greene, Arthur Benjamin, 
and the fellow from Britain (Peter ??) would can calculate large numbers 
in their heads.

Roger Sonntag wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related 
> institutions.
> ***************************************************************************** 
>
>
>    With all of the news about large numbers in the millions, billions 
> and trillions I thought it was time to develop an exhibit for children 
> to visualize and play with very large numbers all the way up to 99 
> quadrillions. I am using a dual 3 inch led counting module that came 
> from a TAKE A NUMBER product. A push button input controls the 
> counting from 1 to 99. By stacking 10 of these units side by side any 
> number can easily be displayed from 1 to 99,999,999,999,999,999,999. 
> The ten push buttons are placed below each 2 digit display allowing 
> the operator quick access to any number combination. Most children 
> might just push the buttons to see the numbers change, but if parents 
> had a list of questions to ask there children the child might 
> experience the immense scale of the numbering system.
>    So what are some interesting questions for the parents to ask? Here 
> are a few I am considering:
>
> 1. Who named these large numbers?
> 2. What are large numbers used for?
> 3. What is the largest number you have ever used?
> 4. Is there better method to express these larger numbers?
> 5. Can you construct the national debt?
> 6. What is the largest number you can think of?
> 7. How many people are there in the USA?
> 8. How many people are there in the world?
> 9. How old is the universe in years?
> 10. How many stars are in the universe?
> 11. Do YOU have any questions about very large numbers?
> 12. How many minutes are there in a school year?
> 13. How many minutes in a average life span?
> 14. How many gallons of blood does your heart pump in a year
> 15. How many times does it beat in a life time?
>
>    I hope to compile a small book of questions with different 
> categories that will be attracted to the exhibit.   Roger Sonntag  GS&E
>
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-- 

           Wayne Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)

             (121.01 Deg. W, 39.26 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
            
           "Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing wrong
            with this, except that it ain't so."   -- Mark Twain
            
                    Web Page: <www.speckledwithstars.net/>

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