Scale of numbers, deci, deca, centi, hecto etc..


Numbers

In the Metric system unwieldy small and large numbers can be represented using words. ie rather than saying 1000 metres or 1000 grammes you can say 1kilometre (kilo can be abbreviated to k and metre to m giving 1km) or 1kilogram (gram can be abbreviated to g giving 1kg).


Scales of numbers

Large Numbers

Number....................NameSymbolDescription (Short Scale)Description (Long Scale)
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 yotta Y Septillion Quadrillion
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 zetta Z Sextillion Thousand Trillion/Trilliard
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 exa E Quintillion Trillion
1,000,000,000,000,000 peta P Quadrillion Thousand Billion/Billiard
1,000,000,000,000 tera T Trillion Billion
1,000,000,000 giga G Billion Thousand Million/Milliard
1,000,000 mega M Million Million
1,000 kilo k Thousand Thousand
100 hecto h Hundred Hundred
10 deca da Ten Ten>

Small Numbers

Number....................NameSymbolDescription (Short Scale)Description (Long Scale)
0.1 deci d Tenth Tenth
0.01 centi c Hundredth Hundredth
0.001 milli m Thousandth Thousandth
0.000 001 micro u Millionth Millionth
0.000 000 001 nanon Billionth Thousand Millionth
0.000 000 000 001 pico p Trillionth Billionth
0.000 000 000 000 001 femtof Quadrillionth Thousand Billionth
0.000 000 000 000 000 001 attoa Quitillionth Trillionth
0.000 000 000 000 000 000 001 zeptoz Sextillionth Thousand Trillionth
0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 yoctoy Septillionth Quadrillionth

Long and short scales idea suggested by Rob Riley (2012)