What is a Googol?
Find out how big the number known as a googol really is.
Jason Marshall, PhD
Almost everybody has heard of Google, but have you ever heard of a googol? If you’re like most people, the answer will be “no!” Perhaps you might even think that the word sounds crazy and made up. But it’s not. In fact, the founders of Google derived the name of their company from the name of the humongous number known as a googol.
So, how big is one googol? Well, here’s a rundown of some big numbers:
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1 million = 1,000,000 = 10^6
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1 billion = 1,000,000,000 = 10^9
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1 trillion = 1,000,000,000,000 = 10^12
and on and on until, eventually (after a really long time), we get to
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1 googol = 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = 10^100
Yes, that’s a 1 with 100 zeros after it—which means that one googol is a gigantic number! In case you’re wondering, the name googol was coined in 1938 by the 9 year old nephew of a mathematician. This mathematician later popularized the name when he used it in a book, and the rest is history.
About the Author
Jason Marshall is the author of The Math Dude’s Quick and Dirty Guide to Algebra. He provides clear explanations of math terms and principles, and his simple tricks for solving basic algebra problems will have even the most math-phobic person looking forward to working out whatever math problem comes their way.