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googol

DEFINITION

A googol is the large number 10^100, that is, the digit 1 followed by one hundred zeros (in decimal representation). The term was coined in 1920 by nine-year-old Milton Sirotta, nephew of American mathematician Edward Kasner. Kasner popularized the concept in his book Mathematics and the Imagination.

A googol is of the same order of magnitude as the factorial of 70 (70! being approximately 1.198 googol, or 10 to the power 100.0784), and its only prime factors are 2 and 5 (100 of each). In binary it would take up 333 bits.

The googol is of no particular significance in mathematics, but is useful when comparing with other incredibly large quantities such as the number of subatomic particles in the visible universe or the number of possible chess games. Kasner created it to illustrate the difference between an unimaginably large number and infinity, and in this role it is sometimes used in teaching mathematics. Indeed, it is not even a round figure. Its formal name is ten duotrigintillion.

The Internet search engine Google was named after this number. Larry Page, one of the founders, was fascinated with mathematics and "Googol," even during high school. They ended up with "Google" due to a spelling mistake.12

The word "google" or "googol," regardless of spelling, suggests the wide-eyed look of a baby, and the comic strip character Barney Google who began appearing in the 1910s.

A googol can be written in conventional notation as follows:

1 googol =
10100 =
10,00 0,000,000,000,00 0,000,000,00 0,000,000,000,
000,00 0,000,00 0,000,00 0,000,000,00 0,000,000,
000,00 0,000,000,0 00,000,0 00,000,0 00,000,000
Its official English number name is ten duotrigintillion on the short scale, ten thousand sexdecillion on the long scale, or ten sexdecilliard on the Peletier long scale.

HISTORY

When it was named in 1920, the googol was undeniably large. However, with the invention of fast computers and fast algorithms, computation with numbers the size of a googol has become routine. For example, even the difficult problem of prime factorization is now fairly accessible for 100-digit numbers. However, computations of a googol steps are still completely out of reach

"Googol was the answer to the million-pound question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? when Major Charles Ingram allegedly attempted to defraud the quiz show on 10 September 2001."

"In one Peanuts strip, Lucy asks Schroeder what the chances are of them getting married, and Schroeder responds "about a googol to one."

"In an episode of the animated series "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fast Forward," the "Gaminator" video games system is said to have a "3 googolhertz processor."

"A googol is precisely as far from infinity as is the number one."

by Clinton B April 27, 2007

93๐Ÿ‘ 25๐Ÿ‘Ž


googol

1 google = 1.0 x 10 to the 100th power

1, 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, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 = googol, a number with one-hundred zeros after it

by whipernickle April 19, 2005

154๐Ÿ‘ 62๐Ÿ‘Ž


googol

The number 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

This is a googol: 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

by Xx Shinwa xX October 23, 2004

43๐Ÿ‘ 18๐Ÿ‘Ž


googol

A number that wishes it was as cool as Google.

Not a search engine.

by Googler March 28, 2005

94๐Ÿ‘ 61๐Ÿ‘Ž


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, (a number with a 1 and 100 zeros)

dude your mom is 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, (googol) times hotter than Pamela Anderson

by Fat boy large November 4, 2003

83๐Ÿ‘ 40๐Ÿ‘Ž


Googol

Basically 1 followed by 100 zeros.

Coined by E.Kasner who also coined the Googolplexwhich is a googol multiplyed by a googol

Guy1 "I think i'll count from 1 to a googol"

Guy2 "ok guess I'll see you in heaven"

Guy1 "why?"

Guy2 "Because it will take your whole life to even come close to counting to a Googol"

Guy1 "ohhhhh, well how about a million?"

Guy2 " (sighs) cya in about 15 years then"

Guy1 "But i thought..."

Guy2 pulls out a pistol and shoots himself

Guy1 "Was it something i said?"

Guy2's dead body shoots himself again twice.

by Bibbler November 18, 2008

20๐Ÿ‘ 12๐Ÿ‘Ž


Googol

A pack of mallrats, gang members or hoodlums. Any large group of unimpressive people.

Etymology: Googol - coined by Milton Sirotta 1938: A "1", followed by one hundred "0"s.

1. While overweight, pasty and mute, Erica aspired to be more than an extra in movies and hoped her racy clothing would gain her notice over the rest of the googol.

I like this salon because I can park my car right in front and avoid the googols that plague the mall.

by Ruhbee! January 28, 2009

10๐Ÿ‘ 11๐Ÿ‘Ž