Stricktley speakin a billion is a million million but as the old addage goes a US rancher could'nt be bothered to write out twelve naughts but I understand that astronomers still use 12 0's maybe they have to respect the exchanges NRICH Mathematics Enrichment Club (693.html): "In England, a billion used to be 1,000,000,000,000
However, it is now 1,000,000,000
Richard "