🚀 go-pugleaf

				Duncan A Knowles
		   Studying BSc Mathematics at Durham University

                "Opportunity knocks. Temptation kicks the door in!"


On 15 Jan 1996, Mick wrote:

> In article <4dc4c6$15k@falcon.ccs.uwo.ca>, michaelg@julian.uwo.ca (Michael Glenn) says:
> >
> >What is the largest digit with a name? 
> >
> >eg: million, billion, quadrillion, etc...
> >
> >Can you also include the numerical value
> >
> >eg: 1000 or 100 000  or 1 X 10^4 etc...
> >---------------------------------
> >Michael Glenn
> >The University of Western Ontario
> >michaelg@julian.uwo.ca
> >
> googol - a number that is equal to 1 followed by 100 zeros.
> googolplex - a number that is equal to 1 followed by a googol of zeros,
> expressed as (10)^(10^(100))
> 
> This according to Webster.
> 
> 
I read somewhere about a number called "Graham's number" that is so big 
it would take many lifetimes to write it down in standard notation. It 
apparently is the biggest number with a use (in combinatorics I believe). 
It was defined something like this;

	3@3 = 3^3
	3@@3 = 3@3@3
	3@@@3 = 3@@3@@3@@3
	.....	.......
	3@@@.....@@@3 = "Graham's number"

In the last stage, I can't remember how many "@"s there were, but for no 
reason at all, 28 sounds familiar! Can anyone give a better definition?

Duncan