So, with all the talk of "stimulus packages" and
"bailouts"...
A billion dollars here, a
hundred billion there, for a grand total of over 1 trillion...
What does that look like?
I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many
doggie treats, so someone took Google Sketchup out for
a test drive and try to get a sense of what exactly a
trillion dollars looks like.
We'll start with a $100
dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in
general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slightly
fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever
they go.
A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2"
thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and
is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent
fun.
Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1
million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff
that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.
While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive,
$100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on
a standard pallet...
And $1 BILLION dollars... now we're really getting
somewhere...
Next we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that
number we've been hearing about so much. What is a trillion
dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand
billion. It's a one followed by 12 zeros.
You ready
for this?
It's pretty surprising.
Go ahead...
Scroll down...
Scroll down...
Ladies and
gentlemen... I give you $1 trillion dollars...
(And notice those pallets are double stacked.)
So
the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase
"trillion dollars"... that's what they're talking about.
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