How Many Zeros in a Googolplexian?
A googolplexian has a googolplex of zeros — making it 1 followed by 10(10100) zeros, written mathematically as 10googolplex or 10(10(10100)). A googolplexian is one step above a googolplex on the tower of exponential numbers coined in recreational mathematics. Like the googolplex, a googolplexian cannot be written out, stored, or even meaningfully described using any physical quantity — the number of zeros in a googolplexian is itself a number (googolplex) that already exceeds all countable atoms in the universe by an incomprehensible margin. Learn more about how many zeros in a googolplex.
A googolplexian has
10^(10¹⁰⁰)
zeros
- Written Form
- 1 followed by a googolplex zeros
- Scientific
- 10^(10^(10¹⁰⁰))
How Many Zeros Are in a Googolplexian?
A googolplexian has exactly one googolplex of zeros. A googolplex is already 10100 zeros (a 1 followed by a googol of zeros). So the number of zeros in a googolplexian equals a googolplex — 10googol = 10(10100) zeros. The table below shows the three-step tower:
| Number | Zeros | Notation |
|---|---|---|
| Googol | 100 | 10100 |
| Googolplex | 10100 (a googol) | 10(10100) |
| Googolplexian | 10(10100) (a googolplex) | 10(10(10100)) |
Each step multiplies the zero count by a staggering power — from 100 zeros (googol) to a googol of zeros (googolplex) to a googolplex of zeros (googolplexian). Learn more about zeros in a googol.
What Is 1 Followed by a Googolplex of Zeros?
That is precisely the definition of a googolplexian. Writing "1 followed by a googolplex of zeros" is the most direct plain-English description of the number. Since a googolplex is itself unwritable (it requires more zeros than there are atoms in the universe), the googolplexian is unwritable to an entirely new degree — the amount of unwritable-ness is itself unwritable.
In tower notation (used in advanced mathematics to handle such numbers), googolplexian is sometimes written as 10↑↑3 in a simplified approximation, representing a power tower of three tens: 10^(10^(10^100)).
Is Googolplexian the Biggest Named Number?
No. While googolplexian is far beyond any practical use, mathematicians have defined numbers vastly larger still. Graham's number, for example, requires a special recursive notation (Knuth's up-arrow notation) because standard exponential towers cannot even express it. Skewes' number and TREE(3) are other examples of rigorously defined numbers that dwarf a googolplexian. The googolplexian is large by everyday standards but remains comparatively modest in the landscape of numbers studied in combinatorics and mathematical logic.