Summarize this article:
350 LearnersLast updated on October 14, 2025
Quintillion
A quintillion is a big number! It's what you get when you write the number 10 with 18 zeros after it. It is written as 1,000,000,000,000,000,000.
What is Quintillion
A quintillion is a larger number equal to 1 raised to 18 or \({10^{18}}\). It is written as \(1,000,000,000,000,000,000\). The short scale system is commonly used in the United States. In short scale system, a quintillion is defined as \({10^{18}}\). Whereas the long scale is commonly used in European countries, where quintillion is defined as \({10^{30}}\). It is used to describe large quantities, like numbers of molecules in a drop of water or massive data amounts in computing.
How Much Is a Quintillion?
A quintillion is a massive number: 1,000,000,000,000,000,000
That’s a 1 followed by 18 zeros.
If you had 1 quintillion dollars, you could give $100,000 to every person on Earth (about 8 billion people) and still have most of your money left.
Place Value Chart Beyond Billion
| Period | Value | Number of zeros |
|
Ones
|
1 | 0 |
|
Thousands
|
1,000 | 3 |
|
Millions
|
1,000,000 | 6 |
|
Billions
|
1,000,000,000 | 9 |
|
Trillions
|
1,000,000,000,000 | 12 |
|
Quadrillions
|
1,000,000,000,000,000 | 15 |
|
Quintillions
|
1,000,000,000,000,000,000 | 18 |
|
Sextillions
|
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | 21 |
|
Septillions
|
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 | 24 |
Tips and Tricks to Master Quintillion
Numbers like quintillion can be challenging for students. To understand and remember them easily, follow the given tips and tricks.
- Always remember the zeros; a quintillion has 18 zeros. Try to remember that a quintillion is a million times a trillion, \({10^{6}} \times {10^{12}} = {10^{18}}\).
- Each larger number, like million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, and quintillion, is 1,000 times bigger than the one before. For example, \({{1,000} \times {1,000} = {1,000,000}}\), \({{1,000,000} \times {1,00} = {1,000,000,000}}\), \({{1,000,000,000} \times {1,00} = {1,000,000,000,000}} \).
- Students can use a place value chart to understand the number of digit in a big number. Always remember that the in the international system, numbers are grouped by three digits. For example, a thousand = \({1,000}\), a million = \({1,000,000}\), a billion = \({1,000,000,000}\).
- Remember that a quintillion always has an exponent of 18 \({(10^{18})}\).
- Remember the mnemonic, "MiB Tri" to recall the order of the big numbers. "MiB Tri" stands for Million → Billion → Trillion → Quadrillion → Quintillion. At each step add three more zeros.
Common Mistakes in Quintillion and How to Avoid Them
It is perfectly alright for students to make mistakes while dealing with a number as big as quintillion. That’s why we have here a list of common mistakes that can be avoided easily:
Mistake 1
Not Knowing When to Use Quintillion
Students should understand that quintillions are not used for everyday counting because the number is way too big. Quintillions are used for things that are almost impossible to count, like atoms, stars, or grains of sand.
Mistake 2
Forgetting its Place Value
Students can forget quintillion’s place value, as it is not required for our day-to-day lives. However, it doesn’t hurt to remember, and an easy way to do that is to think of the number of zeros a quintillion has, which is 18. Given below is a list of other huge numbers along with the number of zeros they have:
A Million \((10^6)\)
A Billion \((10^9)\)
Trillion \((10^{12})\)
Quadrillion \((10^{15})\)
Quintillion \((10^{18})\)
Mistake 3
Forgetting How Big a Quintillion Is
Students think that quintillion is just a big number like a million.
For example, assuming quintillion cents can fit in a piggy bank, but it cannot as it is huge.
To avoid this confusion, compare a quintillion to something familiar, like a quintillion pennies covering a whole city.
Mistake 4
Confusing Quintillion with Other Large Numbers
Students often confuse quintillion with a quadrillion or sextillion. So always remember that a quintillion is \({10^{18}}\).
Mistake 5
Rounding Too Early
Students round the numbers too early, and it results it errors.
For example, rounding 1.7 quintillion cents to 2 quintillion lose accuracy.
So, always round the number at the last step. Use a calculator for big numbers and always double-check the answer.
Real-Life Applications of Quintillion
Quintillion is a large number that is used in modern science, technology, and finance. Quintillion helps to understand and quantify extremely large quantities. Here are a few applications of quintillion.
- In data storage and the internet, quintillion is used to count large amounts of digital data, like all the information on the internet. For example, 1 exabyte = 1 quintillion bytes.
- In chemistry and physics, quintillion is used to describe atoms. A single grain of sand has around 100 quintillion atoms.
- Supercomputers and AI systems perform quintillions of operations per second, allowing rapid computations for simulations, predictions, and research. These computers help make video games smoother, predict the weather, and do many more things.
- In finance, quintillions are used to count large numbers of tiny money transactions. Big markets and online systems can handle quintillions of these transactions over time.
- Quintillions are used in nature to measure huge quantities like water in oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Solved Examples of Quintillion
Problem 1
Write 1 quintillion in Standard Form
The standard form of 1 quintillion is \(1,000,000,000,000,000,000\).
Explanation
A quintillion is defined as \({10^{18}}\), which means a 1 followed by 18 zeros. Writing this out gives us the standard form shown above.
Problem 2
Write 1 quintillion in Scientific Notation
\({{1} \times {10^{18}}} \)
Explanation
Scientific notation expresses a number as a product of a number between 1 and 10 and a power of 10. Since 1 quintillion is 1 followed by 18 zeros, we write it as \({{1} \times {10^{18}}} \).
Problem 3
Convert 5 Quintillion into Trillions
5 quintillion = 5 million trillion.
Explanation
1 trillion = \(1 × {10^{12}}\)
1 quintillion = \(1 × {10^{¹⁸}}\)
So, \({10^{18}} \div {10^{¹²}} = {10^{6}} = 1,000,000 \)
This means there are 1 million trillions in 1 quintillion.
So 5 quintillion = 5 million trillions.
Problem 4
Add a Quadrillion and a Quintillion
1 quintillion + 1 quadrillion = \(\begin{array}{r} 1{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000 \\ + \ \ 1{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000 \\ \hline 1{,}001{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000 \end{array} \)
Explanation
Align the place values of both numbers and add them normally. The quadrillion fits into the last 3 zeros of the quintillion. So you get a slight increase in the number, like adding 1,000 to 1,000,000 becomes 1,001,000.
Problem 5
Subtract a Billion from a Quintillion
1 quintillion - 1 billion = \(\begin{array}{r} 1{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000{,}000 \\ - \ \ \ 1{,}000{,}000{,}000 \\ \hline 999{,}999{,}999{,}000{,}000{,}000 \end{array} \)
Explanation
A billion is a very small number compared to a quintillion, but when subtracted, it changes the last 9 digits.
You're taking away 1,000,000,000 from the very end of the quintillion, which affects only the last 9 digits. Subtracting 1,000,000,000 from 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 affects only the last 9 digits, resulting in 999,999,999,999,000,000.
FAQs of Quintillion
1.How Many Zeros Are in a Quintillion?
2.Is a Quintillion Bigger Than a Trillion?
3.How Many Millions Are in a Quintillion?
4.How Long Would It Take to Count to a Quintillion?
5.What is a Quintillion?
Explore More numbers
![Important Math Links Icon]()
Previous to Quintillion
![Important Math Links Icon]()
Next to Quintillion
