Bounce
New Contributor
I have seen several analogies referencing how to make sense of one million, one billion and one trillion. Some are pretty good, but I have what I think is a great way to visualize numbers like this.
When you hear the politicians talking in terms of TRILLIONS, you'll hopefully be able to make some kind of sense of the number. Most people have no clue.
Stick with me, I'll make sense of it.
A dollar bill is 0.0043 inches thick. If you take one million of those (1,000,000 x 0.0043/12) and divide by 12 to convert inches to feet, you get about 358 feet.
A football field is 300 feet long, and each end zone is 30 feet deep. So, if you take a football field and add both end zones, you can think of that as one million and the thickness of a dollar bill is ONE PART PER MILLION. That helps put parts per million in perspective as well. Any time you hear someone talking about so many parts per million, just think of the thickness of a dollar bill in comparison to a football field with both end zones. So one million is a football field.
One BILLION is 1,000 million. So, one billion is 1000 x 358 = 358,000 feet or about 68 statute miles. When you hear someone say "billion" just compare the thickness of a dollar bill to a town that's 68 miles away!
One TRILLION is 1,000 billion. So one trillion is dollar bills stacked 68,000 miles. Now, the earth is approximately 24,000 miles around at the equator. So, one trillion dollar bills would make a stack that would wrap itself around the planet nearly three times!
I don't know if you've seen this or not U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time but they show a total of UNFUNDED liabilities in this country to be nearly 108 TRILLION. I don't know if it's totally accurate.
So, since each trillion is a stack of dollar bills 68,000 miles long, the money it would take to pay off our UNFUNDED liabilities would make approximately 30 stacks of one dollar bills TO THE MOON! (assuming the moon is 240,000 miles - average distance)
Our government has promised 108 trillion to date. AND, "unfunded" means they have no clue where the money will come from to pay it.
Am I making any sense here??? What does this mean to you? I'd like to know what you think this means and how you think it will affect your life. Seriously, think about this.
From the movie Animal House: My advice for YOU is to drink heavily! lol :smx6:
When you hear the politicians talking in terms of TRILLIONS, you'll hopefully be able to make some kind of sense of the number. Most people have no clue.
Stick with me, I'll make sense of it.
A dollar bill is 0.0043 inches thick. If you take one million of those (1,000,000 x 0.0043/12) and divide by 12 to convert inches to feet, you get about 358 feet.
A football field is 300 feet long, and each end zone is 30 feet deep. So, if you take a football field and add both end zones, you can think of that as one million and the thickness of a dollar bill is ONE PART PER MILLION. That helps put parts per million in perspective as well. Any time you hear someone talking about so many parts per million, just think of the thickness of a dollar bill in comparison to a football field with both end zones. So one million is a football field.
One BILLION is 1,000 million. So, one billion is 1000 x 358 = 358,000 feet or about 68 statute miles. When you hear someone say "billion" just compare the thickness of a dollar bill to a town that's 68 miles away!
One TRILLION is 1,000 billion. So one trillion is dollar bills stacked 68,000 miles. Now, the earth is approximately 24,000 miles around at the equator. So, one trillion dollar bills would make a stack that would wrap itself around the planet nearly three times!
I don't know if you've seen this or not U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time but they show a total of UNFUNDED liabilities in this country to be nearly 108 TRILLION. I don't know if it's totally accurate.
So, since each trillion is a stack of dollar bills 68,000 miles long, the money it would take to pay off our UNFUNDED liabilities would make approximately 30 stacks of one dollar bills TO THE MOON! (assuming the moon is 240,000 miles - average distance)
Our government has promised 108 trillion to date. AND, "unfunded" means they have no clue where the money will come from to pay it.
Am I making any sense here??? What does this mean to you? I'd like to know what you think this means and how you think it will affect your life. Seriously, think about this.
From the movie Animal House: My advice for YOU is to drink heavily! lol :smx6:
Dislike ads? Become a Fastlane member:
Subscribe today and surround yourself with winners and millionaire mentors, not those broke friends who only want to drink beer and play video games. :-)
Membership Required: Upgrade to Expose Nearly 1,000,000 Posts
Ready to Unleash the Millionaire Entrepreneur in You?
Become a member of the Fastlane Forum, the private community founded by best-selling author and multi-millionaire entrepreneur MJ DeMarco. Since 2007, MJ DeMarco has poured his heart and soul into the Fastlane Forum, helping entrepreneurs reclaim their time, win their financial freedom, and live their best life.
With more than 39,000 posts packed with insights, strategies, and advice, you’re not just a member—you’re stepping into MJ’s inner-circle, a place where you’ll never be left alone.
Become a member and gain immediate access to...
- Active Community: Ever join a community only to find it DEAD? Not at Fastlane! As you can see from our home page, life-changing content is posted dozens of times daily.
- Exclusive Insights: Direct access to MJ DeMarco’s daily contributions and wisdom.
- Powerful Networking Opportunities: Connect with a diverse group of successful entrepreneurs who can offer mentorship, collaboration, and opportunities.
- Proven Strategies: Learn from the best in the business, with actionable advice and strategies that can accelerate your success.
"You are the average of the five people you surround yourself with the most..."
Who are you surrounding yourself with? Surround yourself with millionaire success. Join Fastlane today!
Join Today
)-- tu O'mm gopotj ov mevis. 
