Large Numbers Around Us
How big is one lakh?
Join Eshwarappa at the market and find out just how big one lakh really is.
Eshwarappa is a farmer in Chintamani, a town in Karnataka. At the seed market he hears Ramanna say: *Earlier our country had about a lakh varieties of rice. Farmers saved their own seeds. Now we have only a handful.* Lakshmamma adds that a seed bank near her house has collected about a hundred old local varieties.
At home, his son Estu is amazed. I have only tasted 3 varieties! If we tried a new one every day, could we taste them all in 100 years? Guess first, then work it out.
But how much is one lakh? Climb up the place values:
| Largest number with ... | add 1 | Smallest number with ... |
|---|---|---|
| 3 digits: 999 | → | 4 digits: 1000 |
| 4 digits: 9999 | → | 5 digits: 10,000 |
| 5 digits: 99,999 | → | 6 digits: 1,00,000 |
1,00,000 is read one lakh: a 1 followed by five zeroes.
Now Estu's question. A year has 365 days (ignoring leap years), so y years have 365 × y days.
| Varieties a day | In 100 years |
|---|---|
| 1 | 36,500 — nowhere near a lakh |
| 2 | 73,000 — still short |
| 3 | 1,09,500 — only now past a lakh! |
That is how big a lakh is.
It also helps to compare nearby numbers with a lakh. In the 2011 Census, Chintamani had about 75,000 people: 25,000 less than a lakh. By 2024 it is estimated at 1,06,000: 6,000 more than a lakh. So the town grew by 25,000 + 6,000 = 31,000 people.
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