Large Numbers Around Us
Getting a feel for a large number
Get a feel for large numbers using real facts, like the height of the Statue of Unity.
Some facts: the Statue of Unity in Gujarat (Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel) is about 180 m tall. The Kunchikal waterfall in Karnataka drops about 450 m. Hard to picture! It gets easier when you compare with something you know: start with yourself, then a floor, then a building.
Somu is 1 m tall. Each floor of his building is about four times his height, so about 4 m. A 10-floor building is about 40 m.
| Height | Compared with Somu's building | |
|---|---|---|
| Somu's building | 40 m | — |
| Statue of Unity | 180 m | about 140 m taller; close to 4 such buildings stacked |
| Kunchikal waterfall | 450 m | about 410 m taller; it would need about 113 floors |
Standing at its foot, you would look like a tiny dot.
Eshwarappa asks his children: Is a lakh big or small? They disagree, and both have good reasons.
Roxie says big. A lakh varieties of rice is a lot. Living 1 lakh days means living about 274 years. A lakh people standing shoulder to shoulder would make a line about 38 km long.
Estu says not so big. The cricket stadium in Ahmedabad seats more than a lakh people in one small area. Most people have 80,000 to 1,20,000 hairs on their heads, in a space that small. Some female fish lay almost a lakh eggs at once, and some lay tens of lakhs.
So a number feels big or small depending on what you compare it with. What do you think: is a lakh big or small?
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