Why do we have the number "googol" (not google)? (1 with 100 zeros...)

[Michael Hill]

It does not seem we need to even use the number googol, petition to eliminate it.now (Lol). It is impossible to practically use the number since there aren't even close to a googol atoms in the universe, it does not make since to even have the number. By the way, I will pay $100 to any (1) person who can write every integer from 1 to a googol

[Timothy D. Ginn]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

It does not seem we need to even use the number googol, petition to eliminate it.now (Lol). It is impossible to practically use the number since there aren't even close to a googol atoms in the universe, it does not make since to even have the number. By the way, I will pay $100 to any (1) person who can write every integer from 1 to a googol

If we get rid of the term googol we can't have alliterations like a googol gaggles of geese. Plus it's always good to have a number that's not infinity but qualifies as a generic "really really big number".

[Not2B]

It has some uses. Maybe not regular uses (like how many tacos I want for lunch), but uses non-the-less.

Check this out -
googol

Now a googolplex is even bigger: 1 followed by a googol of zeros.

[sciguy125]

Someone invented it for a reason. If they didn't needed, the wouldn't have invented it.

[KenWittlief]

for the same reason we have words for million, billion, trillion, gazillion

its easier to say than One E to the one hundreth

now a googolplex on the other hand, thats just getting absurd!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googol

[miketwalker]

I take you up on your challenge Michael:
"every integer from 1 to a googol"

I wrote it, just like you said. PM me so I can give you my address so you can send me the $100. Thanks! Lol.

[Timothy D. Ginn]

Originally Posted by miketwalker

I take you up on your challenge Michael:
"every integer from 1 to a googol"

I wrote it, just like you said. PM me so I can give you my address so you can send me the $100. Thanks! Lol.

Write != write a program/script/what not to write it for you.

Nice try though

[Greg Marra]

Originally Posted by Timothy D. Ginn

Write != write a program/script/what not to write it for you.

Nice try though

He means that he wrote the string "Every number from 1 to googol", and not a list of all those numbers.

Besides, all the numbers between one and a googol are more than the estimated number of particles in the universe.

[Timothy D. Ginn]

Originally Posted by Greg Marra

He means that he wrote the string "Every number from 1 to googol", and not a list of all those numbers.

Besides, all the numbers between one and a googol are more than the estimated number of particles in the universe.

Ah, that's even better... wow, it's all together too obvious that I've been staring at (and writing) code all day.

[Jeremiah Johnson]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, oh look a bird, 7, 8, 9, 10... Sorry... I have ADHD. ^_^

[Denman]

it would therefore not be possible to write down or store the digits of a googolplex in decimal notation, even if all the matter in the known universe were converted into paper and ink or disk drives.

i dare you to write a script and try to fill your hard drives with lots of 0's in a text file

[anna~marie]

haha so since I am bored... presenting "1 with 100 zeros..."

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0 00,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

[Dan Zollman]

Originally Posted by anna~marie

haha so since I am bored... presenting "1 with 100 zeros..."

10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 ,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,0 00,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Haha...you messed up; you only have 97 zeros there! (I'm sure you just knew that someone would take the time to count)

[Mike]

Originally Posted by Denman

i dare you to write a script and try to fill your hard drives with lots of 0's in a text file

When I read "Since a googol plus 1 is the number of digits in a googolplex, it would therefore not be possible to write down or store the digits of a googolplex in decimal notation, even if all the matter in the known universe were converted into paper and ink or disk drives." I doubted that was true. So I broke out calc.exe and went to work.

1E1000 / 8 = 1.25E999 bytes
1.25E999 / 1024= 1.220703125E996 megabytes
1.220703125E996 / 1024 = 1.1920928955078125E993 gigabytes
1.1920928955078125E993 / 1024 = 1.16415321826934814453125E990 terabytes
1.16415321826934814453125E990 / 1024 = 1.136868377216160297393798828125E987 petabytes
1.136868377216160297393798828125E987 / 1024 = 1.1102230246251565404236316680908E984 exabytes
1.1102230246251565404236316680908E984 / 1024 = 1.0842021724855044340074528008699E981 zettabytes
1.0842021724855044340074528008699E981 / 1024 = 1.0587911840678754238354031258496E978 yottabytes

Assuming 1 out of every 6 people in this world has a hard drive, with an average of 40GiB space... that means altogether there is 2,684,354,560,000,000,000 bits of space. That is 298.023223876953125 exabytes.

So I've come to the conclusion that Wikipedia was right, and I just wasted about 20 minutes of my life. Why must I question the all-knowing Wikipedia?

[KenWittlief]

Originally Posted by Michael Hill

By the way, I will pay $100 to any (1) person who can write every integer from 1 to a googol

I wouldnt know what to say to them all, but Ill try

Dear Integer,

How have you been? How is Mrs Integer?
I am in the process of writing to every integer from 1 to a googol and I was wondering if you could help me out. Please make ten copies of this letter and mail it to the next ten integers higher than you....