Can you solve it? Bigger! Faster! Heavier! – quiz

10 problems about big numbers

Hi guzzlers

We use numbers every day to describe the world – distances, weights, speeds, debts, populations, and so on. Yet most of us struggle to have an intuitive sense of what these numbers mean. How big is big? How fast is fast?

Today I’ve set a different challenge to my usual mathematical puzzle. The 10 questions below are a test of estimation skills, common sense and general knowledge – but also of our feel for numbers.

Often the best way to get a deeper sense of a what a number means is to make meaningful comparisons. Or even quite random comparisons. Let’s start with a big number from Wimbledon, which starts today.

The examples in these questions were chosen by Andrew C A Elliott, who runs IsThatABigNumber.com, the most numbers-tastic site on the web. Andrew’s mission is to promote numeracy and rationality by putting ‘big’ numbers into context. His excellent, fact-packed book Is That A Big Number?, which presents strategies for improving our understanding of numbers, is out this month.

What’s your favourite big number? Please leave your suggestions below!

I set a puzzle here every two weeks on a Monday. I’m always on the look-out for great puzzles. If you would like to suggest one, email me.

I’m the author of several books of popular maths, including the puzzle books Can You Solve My Problems? and Puzzle Ninja, which is out in paperback this week.

I also co-write the children’s book series Football School.

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