Big number

Rubecula

I remember some time ago a discussion of sorts on the TV about what is the biggest number.

Googol and stuff like that.

However the largest number to be named is named after a person I understand.

Does anyone know what I mean and what this number is?

I think it is a crazily large number that is a quadrillion times the number of atoms in the entire universe plus one or something like that.

CJC86

I think you're thinking about Graham's Number. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham%27s_Number

Rubecula

Yes thats the one, thank you for that. I had trouble trying to explain it to my neice.

Fremen

XKCD had a good example of a really big number, but it's a bit obscure...
http://xkcd.com/207/

ray giraffe

Rubecula wrote: »

I remember some time ago a discussion of sorts on the TV about what is the biggest number.

Out of the numbers that have special names, you can find the biggest.

But remember that really there is no largest number - if you think of any number, you can make a bigger number by adding 1 !

Also if you look at all the numbers that are bigger than 0 (including all the decimal numbers - "Real numbers"), there is no smallest one! Why? If you pick a small positive number, you can make a smaller number by dividing by 2 !

Of course extremely small or big numbers are rarely used in practice - in mathematics we have finite time to explore, and in the sciences there are limits to what we can measure in the physical world.

Rubecula

Indeed it is all in the use. For example you can not dig half a hole. Whatever it is it is still a hole ie 1 hole.

But in theory yes there is no smallest or biggest. It all depends what you want the number for.

doc_17

BBC Horizon did a very good documentary on this subject and it's available on youtube. Well worth a watch for anyone who hasn't seen it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBdaumeA254