A milliard is one millionth of a billiard. Or a billionth of a trilliard. Looking at it from the other direction, a milliard is a thousand, thousand of thousands.Tszabeau wrote:[
I'm not a mathematician so excuse my ignorance but, does one milliard equal one million mallards?
Mallards are canards which I do not tell.
I would not drake politics into it but I disagree with the pusillanimous UKlander government, I find "-ard's" to be far more convenient than not having and using them. Still, it is "-ard" to drag seven milliard others with me especially when the BBC, among many defeatists, has basically given in and insists on using "-illions" exclusively; to the great detriment of our magical and beautiful language.
We have the words, we should use them. Besides, the "-ard" counting scheme is easy to follow, it isn't... and the "-illion" scheme is less powerful.
Yes, I realise I've lost this battle but there is no glory in fighting a war against unsurmountable odds when it could be won. Lost causes are the bestest causes and I do not duck my responsibility to the Mother Tongue.
To be helpful, a million mallards would be birds of a feather flocking together. A flocking hugeness and rather a cacophony if they were startled.
Water fowl description.
I still suggest that Brigid's Ring, also yclept M57, would be a beautiful thing to orbit some probes around for the purposes of making 4D, Ultra-HD movies. (Length, breadth, width and time, 4 not "3" as is wrongly insisted upon by TV makers.) Though getting there, even in robotic proxy, would take so long that the glorious clouds we observe today from Earth would have dissipated. Still, there is always Betelgeuse. Should we send a fleet of high-tech robots to swallow around that star it is likely that there would be a lovely, glowing, growing cloud of gorgeousness by the time they fall into their orbits.
Now there's a project our children may appreciate, certainly more than building a pointy palace for the jerked remains of a boob less deserving of it than a cat. I wonder if any of the long-term Foundations would be interested?
Earth to Alpha Orionis at Voyager speeds would take about half a million years or so. Imminently doable with 21st Century technologies. Even building RTG's that would power the beasts for a mega-year or more would be feasible. And, tree-huggers and GreenPeacer's take note, all nasty, evil nook-joose sent to Orion would never be here harming the bunnies. Truly a project beneficial to *everyone*.
