Equations
Number Prefixes
Interactive Triangle




Number Prefixes

                              

1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
1027
hella 
H
 one octillion times *
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 
1024
yotta
Y
 one septillion times
1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000
1021
zetta
Z
 one sextillion times
1 000 000 000 000 000 000
1018
exa
E
 one quintillion times
1 000 000 000 000 000
1015
peta
P
 one quadrillion times
1 000 000 000 000
1012
tera
T
 one trillion times
1 000 000 000 
109
giga
G
 one billion times
1 000 000
106
mega
M
 one million times
1 000 00
105
quinta
q
 one hundred thousand times *
1 000 0
104
myria
my
 ten thousand times *
1000
103
kilo
k
 one thousand times
100
 102
hecto
h
 one hundred times
10
101
deka
da
 ten times
1
100
one
       
Greek
        Latin
0.1
10-1
deci
d
 one tenth of
0.01
10-2
centi
c
 one hundreth of
0.001 
10-3
milli
m
 one thousandth of
0.000 001
10-6
micro
µ
 one millionth of
0.000 000 001 
10-9
nano
n
 one billionth of
0.000 000 000 001
10-12
pico
p
 one trillionth of
0.000 000 000 000 001  
10-15
femto
f
 one quadrillionth of
0.000 000 000 000 000 001  
10-18
atto
a
 one quintillionth of
0.000 000 000 000 000 000 001 
10-21
zepto
z
 one sextillionth of
0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 
10-24
yocto
y
 one septillionth of
0.000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 001
 10-27
?
?
 one octillionth of

 

Word origins and amounts

hella from the California slang word for ‘large quantity’
yotta from the Greek ‘okto’ for eight (eight groups of a thousand)
zetta from the French ‘sept’ for seven (seven groups of a thousand)
exa from the Greek ‘hex’ for six (six groups of a thousand)
peta from the Greek ‘pente’ for five (five groups of a thousand)
tera from the Greek ‘teras’ for ‘monster’
giga from the Greek ‘gigas’ for ‘giant’
mega from the Greek ‘megas’ for ‘large’
quinta from the Latin ‘centenarius’ for ‘hundred-like’ (for one hundred thousand)
myria from the Greek ‘myrias’ for ‘many’ 
kilo from the Greek ‘chilioi’ for ‘a thousand’
hecto from the Greek ‘hekaton’ for ‘a hundred’
deka from the Greek ‘deka’ for ‘ten’
   
deci from the Latin ‘decimus’ for ‘a tenth’
centi from the Latin ‘centum’ for ‘a hundred’
milli from the Latin ‘mille’ for a’a thousand’
micro from the Latin ‘micro’ and the Greek ‘mikros’ for ‘small’
nano from the Latin ‘nanus’ and the Greek ‘nonos’ for ‘dwarf’
pico from the Spanish ‘pico’ for ‘a bit’
femto from the Danish and Norwegian ‘femten’ for fifteen (10-15)
atto from the Danish and Nowegian ‘atten’ for eighteen (10-18)
zepto from the Latin ‘septem’ and the French ‘sept’ for seven (seven groups of a thousand)
yocto from the Greek ‘okto’ for eight (eight groups of a thousand)

 

*   not currently official

back to top