In 1982 Douglas Hofstadter wrote about Number Numbness. We’re still befuddled in the face of millions and billions, let alone trillions or even bigger numbers.
That’s the reason for IsThatABigNumber.com: to help anyone develop their number sense by putting big numbers in context and providing meaningful comparisons.
http://www.andrewcaelliott.com/explorations/2016/1/13/is-that-a-big-number
This is what 1 in a thousand looks like in Lego terms… Is “a thousand” a big number?
We say yes: and more than that, we reckon that “in the region of a thousand” is more or less where the big numbers start, that is, numbers that we have trouble visualising. Somewhere around 1000, we need to shift gears mentally and use new strategies for these bigger numbers.
Interestingly, there is linguistic and cultural support for this idea, too.
Blog article coming soon
https://itabn.tumblr.com/post/144476435912/one-in-a-thousand
Is That a Big Number is now a book, published by Oxford University Press. (Google ISBN 0198821220 to find many online booksellers). Although there is serious purpose behind the book - to explore how we think about numbers and how we can understand big numbers - it’s written in a light and engaging style.
Entertaining, full of practical examples, and memorable concepts, Is That A Big Number? renews our relationship with numeracy. If numbers are the musical notes with which the symphony of the universe is written, and you’re struggling to hear the tune, then this is the book to get you humming again.