The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-05
vAsrNsss or NUMBERS
The tnimensity ola nniion shown by som
Interesting Comparisons.

The Immensely efa Dniion shown by Some
Interesting Companions.
Although the words milliari and billion
are known by name to almost every one,
yet the significance az the numbers 30 cy-
pressed Is by far not 30 distinct and "a
miliar 90 many as The meanings Of the
/ smaller number. For example, II the
/ breadth 81 street IS represented 10y
| 1000, 900 units. 1000 u0o. 600 OF such
| units would sivo "a distance equal Co that
| nom Hamburg CO san Francisco. II this
l. not remembered. we are apt Go get very
| erroneous impressions. especially ot sstru-
| numical phenomena. As our earth meas
uras On its greatest circumference only
about IS, 600 miles, while the planets are
/ distant from the earth and from each other
| spaces varying from 90, 200. 900 90 1000
| Ooo. 900 miles, accordingly most of the dis
tances which confront as on the earth are
% De regarded as vanishingly small when
compared with the distances which CON
front us In the planetary system. ON the
other hand. the nearest fixed stars have
distances from the earth. aud consequent
ly from any point In our planetary system,
as great as from 20 200 OOo. 600 90 q ,GOO.-
GOO zoe. OOo miles For example. Sirius is
b3 600 COO. 600 miles distant. Consequent
ly, ns In the consideration II the distances
of fixed stars we have TO deal with bill
lions. while in the case Of planetary dis
tauces we only deal with millions of miles.
Also. an the distances of the planets from
one another must he regarded as vanish
ingly small when compared with the dis
tances which confront as in the realm Of
the fixed stars. In other words. viewed
nom Sirius. rot only he earth or sun. hut
our whole planetary system itself. would
90
light, exactly as Sirius appears 70 us as
luminous point.
The reader viii readily appreciate that
the number billion is generally conceived
too small when we tell him that a billion
seconds have not elapsed since the origin
OF the human species, reckoning the age
Of humanity at go, goo years u viii also
seem hardly credible that billion new
american IS cent pieces. placed ore ON !
top of another, would reach an altitude Of I
over 900, 600 milcs-that IS 90 saw. would I
form a cylindrical pile over four times as 1
high as the moon is from the earth.
The fact that the results of modern exact /
science first required OF language the for
nation OF names for large numbers might /
lead MS TO believe that the people OF early
time never made use OF very large numcr-
teal statements. but this is not the case
MoFe thau ~,Nuu years ago there liNcu q
people who from pure motives Of amusc-
ment, exercised their faculties i'm this do
main In India. where our present nu-
neral system was invented. names exist
ed, even in Buddha's time for numbers
mp TO 100000 600 900, and Buddha him
self. Do is said, prosecuted the formation
~ numeral names up TO the number which
we now denote by / and "a appended ci-
pners and might call nonnillons. This
strange passion of the Hindoos found fresh
for exercise when i'm the fourth
century Of our era the principle of our
present numeral system was invented by
Iindoo Brahman priests and the easy
methods of computation based on this sys-
tenn diffused over all India IL was now
possible TO multiply with facility numbers
n 20 places with one another and to De
sure Of the correctness of the results
Nay, in the seventh century in India arith-
metical tournaments were held ~ which.
rs now in our chess tournaments. the
great masters Of arithmetical computation /
gathered together. and hc was crowned as
victor who outstripped all competitions
Open Court.