How much is a Trillion?

David Schwartz's is a math whiz and writer. He wrote a children's book to help kids wrap their heads around big numbers; the best seller: How Much Is a Million? 20th Anniversary Edition (Reading Rainbow Book

One of the way he teaches is in exchanging dollars for time. This one, that my husband shared with me, blew me away! With a recent 3.5 Trillion dollar approval by the house and senate yesterday, it is TIME we started thinking about what the ramifications are and David's way of teaching provides the insight.

One million seconds = 11½ days
One billion seconds = 32 years

Now for the whopper...Guess how many years one trillion seconds translates to?

One trillion seconds = 32,000 years

We are getting somewhat used to the "Trillion dollar" figure. As responsible citizens it would be good for all of us to make sure we know what the exponential consequences are to each trillion that gets thrown around!

As always, I look forward to your thoughts and reactions!