Large Number
There are a wide variety of large numbers which crop up in mathematics. Some are contrived, but some actually arise inproofs. Often, it is possible to prove existence theorems by deriving some potentially huge upper limit which isfrequently greatly reduced in subsequent versions (e.g., Graham's Number, Kolmogorov-Arnold-Moser Theorem,Mertens Conjecture, Skewes Number, Wang's Conjecture).
Large decimal numbers beginning with 
are named according to two mutually conflicting nomenclatures: the Americansystem (in which the prefix stands for 
in 
) and the British system (in which the prefix stands for in
). The following table gives the names assigned to various Powers of 10 (Woolf 1982).
| American | British | Power of 10 |
| Million | Million | 10 |
| Billion | Milliard | 10 |
| Trillion | Billion | 10 |
| Quadrillion | 10 | |
| Quintillion | Trillion | 10 |
| Sextillion | 10 | |
| Septillion | Quadrillion | 10 |
| Octillion | 10 | |
| Nonillion | Quintillion | 10 |
| Decillion | 10 | |
| Undecillion | Sexillion | 10 |
| Duodecillion | 10 | |
| Tredecillion | Septillion | 10 |
| Quattuordecillion | 10 | |
| Quindecillion | Octillion | 10 |
| Sexdecillion | 10 | |
| Septendecillion | Nonillion | 10 |
| Octodecillion | 10 | |
| Novemdecillion | Decillion | 10 |
| Vigintillion | 10 | |
| Undecillion | 10 | |
| Duodecillion | 10 | |
| Tredecillion | 10 | |
| Quattuordecillion | 10 | |
| Quindecillion | 10 | |
| Sexdecillion | 10 | |
| Septendecillion | 10 | |
| Octodecillion | 10 | |
| Novemdecillion | 10 | |
| Vigintillion | 10 | |
| Centillion | 10 | |
| Centillion | 10 |
References
Conway, J. H. and Guy, R. K. The Book of Numbers. New York: Springer-Verlag, pp. 59-62, 1996. Crandall, R. E. ``The Challenge of Large Numbers.'' Sci. Amer. 276, 74-79, Feb. 1997. Davis, P. J. The Lore of Large Numbers. New York: Random House, 1961. Knuth, D. E. ``Mathematics and Computer Science: Coping with Finiteness. Advances in Our Ability to Compute Are Bringing Us Substantially Closer to Ultimate Limitations.'' Science 194, 1235-1242, 1976. Munafo, R. ``Large Numbers.'' http://home.earthlink.net/~mrob/largenum. Spencer, J. ``Large Numbers and Unprovable Theorems.'' Amer. Math. Monthly 90, 669-675, 1983. Woolf, H. B. (Ed. in Chief). Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam, p. 782, 1980.
- Proper Cover
- Proper Divisor
- Proper Fraction
- Proper Integral
- Proper k-Coloring
- Proper Subset
- Proper Superset
- Proportional
- Proposition
- Propositional Calculus
- Prosthaphaeresis Formulas
- Proth's Theorem
- Protractor
- Prouhet's Problem
- Prussian Hat
- Prüfer Ring
- p-Series
- Pseudoanalytic Function
- Pseudocrosscap
- Pseudocylindrical Projection
- Pseudogroup
- Pseudolemniscate Case
- Pseudoperfect Number
- Pseudoprime
- Pseudorandom Number