Million

A million is the whole number 1,000,000, equivalent to one thousand thousand (1,000 × 1,000). In the decimal system it has one and six zeros, and equals 10 raised to the sixth power (10⁶). The Somali word "milyan" derives from the same root as the corresponding European terms for this number.

A million plays an important role in population counts, financial calculations, and scientific measurement. When numbers become larger, billion and trillion are used, though their meanings vary across different numbering systems.

Writing and notation

A million is written as 1,000,000 when commas are used to separate groups of three digits, following English convention. Other languages, such as Italian and Turkish, use periods (1.000.000) or spaces (1 000 000). The SI (International System of Units) prefix "mega-" is used for million, as in megawatt, which equals one million watts.

Mathematical properties

1,000,000 is the square of 1,000, so its square root is 1,000. Its only prime factors are 2 and 5, since 1,000,000 = 2⁶ × 5⁶. It is also the sixth power of 10.

Variation across numbering systems

A million has the same value across all standard numbering systems. The variation begins with larger numbers: in the short scale, used in modern English, a billion equals one thousand million (10⁹); in the long scale, still used in some European countries, a billion equals one million million (10¹²).