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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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 Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 1:39 pm Post subject: How Many Millions in a Trillion? |
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With fiscal responsibility comes a basic responsibility to understand math
| Ezra Klein wrote: |
To dramatize the importance of their mission, they put a poll into the field asking people how many millions are in a trillion. The results:
Q: How many times larger is a trillion than a million? Would you say�
One Thousand Times- 18%
Ten Thousand Times- 12%
One Hundred Thousand Times- 21%
One Million Times- 21%
Ten Million Times- 17%
Don�t Know- 12% |
Democracy broken. |
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Trevor
Joined: 16 Nov 2005
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: How Many Millions in a Trillion? |
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Most people don't understand basic physics, either.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3898962504721899003
| Kuros wrote: |
With fiscal responsibility comes a basic responsibility to understand math
| Ezra Klein wrote: |
To dramatize the importance of their mission, they put a poll into the field asking people how many millions are in a trillion. The results:
Q: How many times larger is a trillion than a million? Would you say�
One Thousand Times- 18%
Ten Thousand Times- 12%
One Hundred Thousand Times- 21%
One Million Times- 21%
Ten Million Times- 17%
Don�t Know- 12% |
Democracy broken. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 6:18 pm Post subject: Re: How Many Millions in a Trillion? |
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| Trevor wrote: |
| Most people don't understand basic physics, either. |
Those stickies on top of the Current Events forum are for conspiracy discussions.
Do you know why they're there? So you guys will confine your nonsense in places the rest of us can easily avoid. And before you give me some free speech nonsense, wiki Time/Place/Manner restrictions. |
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Fox
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
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| Posted: Mon May 04, 2009 6:38 pm Post subject: Re: How Many Millions in a Trillion? |
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| Kuros wrote: |
With fiscal responsibility comes a basic responsibility to understand math
| Ezra Klein wrote: |
To dramatize the importance of their mission, they put a poll into the field asking people how many millions are in a trillion. The results:
Q: How many times larger is a trillion than a million? Would you say�
One Thousand Times- 18%
Ten Thousand Times- 12%
One Hundred Thousand Times- 21%
One Million Times- 21%
Ten Million Times- 17%
Don�t Know- 12% |
Democracy broken. |
The thing is, this isn't even something one can really blame on education; this is basic math, we are all taught it sufficiently that any failure to take it in is upon us, not upon the system.
So what causes a massive 79% of the population to not know what a trillion is? Perhaps if it was something a bit more arcane like a septillion it would be excusable, but a trillion? |
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jajdude
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:22 am Post subject: |
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"The Econ4u folks are dedicated to education Americans about all matters financial."
(funny) |
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blade
Joined: 30 Jun 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 12:59 am Post subject: Re: How Many Millions in a Trillion? |
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| Kuros wrote: |
With fiscal responsibility comes a basic responsibility to understand math
| Ezra Klein wrote: |
To dramatize the importance of their mission, they put a poll into the field asking people how many millions are in a trillion. The results:
Q: How many times larger is a trillion than a million? Would you say�
One Thousand Times- 18%
Ten Thousand Times- 12%
One Hundred Thousand Times- 21%
One Million Times- 21%
Ten Million Times- 17%
Don�t Know- 12% |
Democracy broken. |
What about 1 million million million or 10^18? |
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mole
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
Location: Act III
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 5:09 am Post subject: Re: How Many Millions in a Trillion? |
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| Kuros wrote: |
| Trevor wrote: |
| Most people don't understand basic physics, either. |
Those stickies on top of the Current Events forum are for conspiracy discussions.
Do you know why they're there? So you guys will confine your nonsense in places the rest of us can easily avoid. And before you give me some free speech nonsense, wiki Time/Place/Manner restrictions. |
Kudos to Kuros~! Intensely righteous response. .. D00d.
Hopefully some graphics will help with any ZERO to PAPER conversion discrepancy. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 5:20 am Post subject: |
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It is impossible, I think, for all except the most gifted of human minds to properly conceptualize what a trillion is. I try to think of it in terms of GDP's but even then it is just a broad estimate. I had to pause and think about the OP's question.
A two trillion dollar deficit. That is quite amazing. Most of it is being wasted on bailouts, pork (sorry, stimulus) etc. If the 2T was really utilized, think of what could be accomplished. But it will be wasted, and it will have to be either 1) paid back or 2) defaulted on. I pick "2" as the most likely. |
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Robot_Teacher
Joined: 18 Feb 2009
Location: Robotting Around the World
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 5:33 am Post subject: |
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My best guess is 1,000,000. $1 trillion is enough for 1,000,000 people to be millionaires. It's 1 million X 1 million. Good gawd that's a lot of money to wrap your brain around.
Am I correct? If not, please correct me demonstrating your math skills. |
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Cheonmunka
Joined: 04 Jun 2004
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 7:41 am Post subject: |
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Well, 1T is a thousand billion. 1000 million is a billion.
So, 1000 million times 1000. It's a heck of a lot.
But, divide 1T by 100 000 000 working Americans comes to about 10k each additionally for the year.
So, tighten the belts, give a little more to Unca Sammy, no problem there.
Problem is that figure of 2T is just this year's debt payment. Can the total principle of some 50+ trillion dollars? debt ever reduce or ever be repaid?
I think you guys had better sell a mountain, state or national park or something. |
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Pluto
Joined: 19 Dec 2006
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 8:38 am Post subject: |
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| Cheonmunka wrote: |
| I think you guys had better sell a mountain, state or national park or something. |
Yes, yes and yes! The only silver lining from this government spending binge is that it will have to give up some of its property to pay off its extraordinary amount of debt. We've recently been seeing at the municiple level; cities have been selling off everything from parking meters to airports(or trying to anyway). The Feds are going to make some decisions the pols may not like. Selling off public property is the best solution. |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 8:59 am Post subject: Re: How Many Millions in a Trillion? |
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| Kuros wrote: |
| Trevor wrote: |
| Most people don't understand basic physics, either. |
Those stickies on top of the Current Events forum are for conspiracy discussions.
Do you know why they're there? So you guys will confine your nonsense in places the rest of us can easily avoid. And before you give me some free speech nonsense, wiki Time/Place/Manner restrictions. |
Isn't it incredible how many people still believe that Oswald killed JFK (the 19% of the populace who believe the Warren Report is still a lot of people), and that a guy living in a cave on the other side of the world pulled off 9/11? |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:01 am Post subject: |
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| I know right? And that chem trails are a plot to (insert theory here). Or that lizards are among us. Or the earthquake in China was a Yankee plot against the CCP. |
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bacasper
Joined: 26 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:09 am Post subject: |
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Seen one conspiracy theory, you've seen 'em all, is that the idea?
It is sad if one is unable to dsitnguish the validity of facts in all those wildly varying circumstances. |
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mises
Joined: 05 Nov 2007
Location: retired
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| Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:11 am Post subject: |
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Something like that.
But really, anytime something odd happens these people jump up and down about how it is a conspiracy. |
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