How much is a trillion dollars?

Well there are 307 million people in the United States.
So, $3200 a head.
Or, the US Gross Domestic Product is $13.4 trillion. So a thirteenth of that.
Or, if instead you are interested in irrelevant figures, just 10 times the number of neurons in your noggin.

So, how much debt do you have personally? I assume at least once your yearly income, if not you're really the spendthrift. So, why let yourself get caught up in the size of numbers, when none but a few amongst us (I am certainly not among them) really understand their magnitude?

2009-08-31T14:28:54Z

For the sake of honesty, the US debt is currently $11.7 trillion. I made the subject a trillion dollars to contrast with a previously asked question.

guru2009-08-31T14:02:20Z

Favorite Answer

Let's say 10 trillion.

$32,000 to ensure your national safety, your roads and highways, drinking water, a food supply, shelter, communication, business, your retirement, your education, your children, etc.

Seems like a pretty good deal.

Peachy Perfect2009-08-31T21:02:06Z

With a trillion dollars, you could buy 1000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies for every person in the entire United States.

One trillion dollars consisting of $1 bills laid end to end would reach almost from the earth to the sun. It would take a military jet flying at the speed of sound, reeling out a roll of dollar bills behind it, 14 years before it reeled out one trillion dollar bills.

One trillion dollars would enable EVERY SINGLE person in the U.S. to go to Harvard University (for an undergraduate degree), free, more than 24 times!!!

Brayden2009-08-31T21:04:59Z

No one expects that the USA will ever pay back all of that money. It's an inane fallacy...I mean, to even infer that that's even remotely close to plausible is laughable. The American economy is declining, over all, the recession was a sign of things to come...

All I can say is, I hope the savings rate moves way past 7%.
Yet, if saves go up, and spending goes down, the consumer based market of the USA will crumble...


Either way, the USA is, sadly, economy screwed. No way out. Pretty deep hole they dug.

So yeah, you're right! Who cares at this stage. Rome wasn't built in a day, and thankfully, it didn't fall apart in one either.

Gus2009-08-31T21:03:51Z

If you take out all the welfare brood mares and others living on government handouts who will never do anything to pay off their $3200 debt (assuming your numbers are right) , then you share goes up or will you be willing to show your liberal compassion and pay thier share for them?...not likely. I'm sure you'll ask me to pay more because I made better choices in my life than drink, smoke and be lazy.

Anonymous2009-08-31T21:00:46Z

One dollar bills stacked 4 miles high = One Trillion

Show more answers (11)