A Google A Day

Math

Math If you stacked $20 bills until you reached $1 million, would the stack be higher than the rim of a basketball hoop?

Hints Things to think about as you get started 1 How thick are $20 bills? Do you think all bills are the same thickness? How high is a basketball hoop? Is there a standard height  for basketball hoops? 2

How to find the answer Answer YesSearch Use Google Calculator to divide 1,000,000/20. Find answer is 50,000. Search [thickness of U.S. currency]. Find answer is .0043 inches. Multiply 50,000 x .0043. Find answer is 215 inches. Use Google Converter to convert 215 inches into 17.916 feet. Search [height of basketball rim]. Find answer is 10 feet. Conclude answer is yes.

Two Parts of the answer Strategy Tactics Consider the right tools to answer your question. Break your answer into parts and decide on your chain. You need to search for information, but also to do some math. You need a calculator and a search engine. Luckily, Google search does both! You can start with searching or calculating, as long as you set up your math problem correctly.

Background

Follow-up questions When and how did the United States get a standard currency, and what has been the process for making changes since then? Are bills from most countries about the same size? Can you find any interesting stories behind the design of the bills from the country of your choice? Since Cricket is a really popular sport in India, if you stacked a hundred dollars in 500 Rupee bills end-to-end the long way, would they be taller or shorter than a Cricket wicket? How about the Brazilian Real bill with a Hawksbill Turtle on it. Would bills worth $1000 US be taller or shorter than a soccer goalpost if stacked end-to-end the short way?