In Europe and America, the billion is 1,000,000,000--a thousand
millions--but in Great Britain and her Colonies, a billion is
reckoned 1,000,000,000,000--a million millions: a difference which
should perhaps be worth remembering in the case of francs and dollars.
One billion sovereigns placed side by side would extend to a distance
of over 18,000,000 miles, and make a band which would pass 736 times
round the globe, or, if lying side by side, would form a golden belt
around it over 26 ft. wide; if the sovereigns were placed on top of
each other flatways, the golden column would be more than a million
miles in height.
Supposing you could count at the rate of 200 a minute; then, in
one hour, you could count 12,000--if you were not interrupted. Well,
12,000 an hour would be 288,000 a day; and a year, or 365 days,
would produce 105,120,000. But this would not allow you a single
moment for sleep, or for any other business whatever. If Adam at
the beginning of his existence, had begun to count, had continued to
count, and were counting still, he would not even now, according to
the usually supposed age of man, have counted nearly enough. To
count a billion, he would require 9,512 years, 342 days, 5 hours and 20
minutes, according to the above reckoning. But suppose we were to
allow the poor counter twelve hours daily for rest, eating and sleeping,
he would need 19,025 years, 319 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes to
count one billion.
A comparison--
One million seconds = less than 12 days
" billion " = over 31,000 years