Thousand Million Billion Trillion (classroom activity)

Comparing Thousand, Million, Billion, and Trillion

Worksheet

Time-based Comparisons

Thousand

If you started counting 1, 2, 3, every second, it would take:

  • ~16.6 minutes to count to 1 thousand

Million

Counting to 1 million seconds would take:

  • 12 days from now, nearly two weeks

Billion

Counting to 1 billion seconds would take:

  • Almost 32 years from now

Trillion

Counting to 1 trillion seconds would take:

  • 31,688 years, 8 months, 25 days, 3 hours, 58 minutes, and 25 seconds

How to say the year 33712:

  • Thirty-Three Thousand Seven Hundred Twelve

Distance-based Comparisons (Using Steps)

Assuming each step is about 2.5 feet long.

Thousand

Walking 1,000 steps at the assumed step length would be approximately:

  • 0.25 feet, or 3 inches (use a ruler or a sheet of paper (short side) for visualization)

Million

Walking 1 million steps at the assumed step length would be approximately:

  • 250 feet

Billion

Walking 1 billion steps at the assumed step length would be approximately:

  • 47.35 miles (like walking to Nebraska City, NE)

It would take approximately 15.67 hours to walk 47 miles at an average walking pace of 3 miles per hour (not accounting for rest periods or children's slower pace).

If we started now, what time would we arrive?

Trillion

Walking 1 trillion steps at the assumed step length would be approximately:

  • 47,350 miles (enough to walk around the Earth almost two times)

It would take approximately 1.8 years to walk non-stop for this distance.