Why indexing is important for good performance

[Galaxiom]

1.6 billion!?! US billion (10^9) or UK billion (10^12)

Bit behind the times there Colin. UK adopted the US terminology in 1975.

 

[isladogs]

I'd honestly never realised the UK government had swopped over back in the 1970s.
Must have been at the same time the Heath government imposed a three day week.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/campaigning/past-campaigns/budget/how-much-is-a-billion.html

However, I think a GAZILLION of people in the UK still think of a billion meaning 10^12

 

[The_Doc_Man]

How many zeroes follow the 1 for that "gazillion" again? Is it bigger than a googleplex?

 

[isladogs]

How many zeroes follow the 1 for that "gazillion" again? Is it bigger than a googleplex?

There are a scintillion of zeroes or one less than in a googleplex

 

[The_Doc_Man]

A truly scintillating answer, Colin!

 

[isladogs]

When Galaxiom first pointed out that the UK had changed to the US billion a mere 44 years ago without me noticing, I had 2 immediate thoughts:
1. The UK national debt had just got 1000 times smaller! (in my feeble mind)
2. Why did we have to change our perfectly good billion to the inferior US version... but then I realised I risked sounding exactly like my US bashing namesake from Essex so kept quiet (at the time)
Hopefully he won't read a thread like this and then wreck it in his usual way!

Anyway I've got a sesquillion of things to do so will sign off now.
However some may find this thread about the vigintillion (no, me neither) interesting:
http://mathforum.org/kb/message.jspa?messageID=496171

 

[Galaxiom]

There are a scintillion of zeroes or one less than in a googleplex

Actually it is a googolplex. (1 followed by a googol of zeros.)

A googol is 10 ^100.

Neither of them are useful numbers as even the googol exceeds the number of quarks in the observable Universe.

 

[isladogs]

Actually it is a googolplex. (1 followed by a googol of zeros.)

A googol is 10 ^100.

Neither of them are useful numbers as even the googol exceeds the number of quarks in the observable Universe.

Right - that's the last time I trust the Doc with anything!

How many zeroes follow the 1 for that "gazillion" again? Is it bigger than a googleplex?

P.S. Do they spell zeroes without the second 'e' in Oz?
P.P.S. And of course, before anyone else joins in, I deliberately used a scintillion. There's no such number.

 

[Galaxiom]

An old joke from the days of GW Bush as President (and maybe older).
---------
The President was informed that two Brazilian soldiers were killed in a joint operation.

Dubya was beside himself and the advisor asked why he so disturbed.

"Why? How many is a brazillion?.

 

[Galaxiom]

P.S. Do they spell zeroes without the second 'e' in Oz?

Yes. I believe zeros is normal usage in Australia. My browser and Word spell checker accept both.

There is quite a dispute about correct usage on this page and one poster claims that both are used and accepted in UK.

Another claims that "zeroes" is not the plural usage but a tense of the verb "to zero" as in "zeroes in on a target". Anyone know the what that tense would be called?

P.P.S. And of course, before anyone else joins in, I deliberately used a scintillion. There's no such number.

But it is a French word, being both the first-person plural imperfect indicative and first-person plural present subjunctive of scintiller.

 

[isladogs]

Yes. I believe zeros is normal usage in Australia. My browser and Word spell checker accept both.

...and one poster claims that both are used and accepted in UK.

Interesting that the OED says zeroes is the only correct spelling in the UK even though other sources disagree

Another claims that "zeroes" is not the plural usage but a tense of the verb "to zero" as in "zeroes in on a target". Anyone know the what that tense would be called?

Its the third-person singular simple present indicative form of zero.

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/verb

It is often said that there is no noun in English that can't be verbed

Any English noun can be verbed, but some are more resistant than others

Ugh ... 'verbed'

Before I used scintillion as a convincing sounding number, I confess to double checking it wasn't a real but obscure number (like vigintillion)

But it is a French word, being both the first-person plural imperfect indicative and first-person plural present subjunctive of scintiller.

Because I trust you totally I didn't have a scintilla of doubt that this would be true but having also found it on Wikipedia I can authoritatively state that scintillion means 'to sparkle or twinkle' which explains the likely derivation of the common word scintillation

BTW apologies to CJ_London for taking this thread far from its original purpose

 

[CJ_London]

No problem It gives me something to read whilst lying on top of scintillion grains of sand under a heat source a few million plus miles away - or perhaps that should be googolplex of mm. I’m not however lying under a Brazilian of any kind

 

[isladogs]

No problem It gives me something to read whilst lying on top of scintillion grains of sand under a heat source a few million plus miles away - or perhaps that should be googolplex of mm. I’m not however lying under a Brazilian of any kind

What ... ANOTHER holiday?
And to think you used 'work commitments' as an excuse to drop out of a lengthy thread suffering from mission creep at another forum. Ha!
Of course you haven't said whether you're lying on top of a Brazilian

Perhaps the Sun is more like a googolplex of attometres from Earth but even then only a small fraction of one. I'm sure Greg can give us the answer to that.

 

[CJ_London]

I didn’t say when I would be reading the thread!! But as it happens I depart Saturday and I’m frantically trying to clear my desk -clients have suddenly cottoned on I’m not around for a week or so and some things must be in and tested before I go....

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Back when I was knee-high to a short duck, we learned in school that any word ending in a single "O" was made plural by adding "ES." So that's why I used it. I have become aware of many of those old school rules becoming obsolete. And yes, I am an "old school" kind of guy, in case anyone doubted. Given my age, it's hard for me to be anything else.

But at least I learned a little bit about Access over 20 years ago. I might have been an old dog, but I learned a few new tricks. It was only after I got married that I started to learn basic tricks, though. Tricks like "Fetch" and "Beg" and "Roll over."

 

[isladogs]

I didn’t say when I would be reading the thread!! But as it happens I depart Saturday and I’m frantically trying to clear my desk -clients have suddenly cottoned on I’m not around for a week or so and some things must be in and tested before I go....

Have a great holiday CJL wherever you're off to.

 

[Mark_]

I’m not however lying under a Brazilian of any kind

At least your not talking about GETTING a Brazilian...

 

[gemma-the-husky]

Are you sure about "es"

potatos, tomatos, zeros.

I would add just "s", rather than "es"

 

[Mark_]

@ Dave,

Take it as the difference between "Zee" and "Zed", "Color" and "Colour", or "Rebel Scum" and "Patriot".

 

[NauticalGent]

A video for those of us who don’t like to read!

https://youtu.be/wLKd24QMwTI