Making big numbers real

Millions, billions and trillions.

The gap

A million seconds is eleven and a half days. A billion is about 32 years. A trillion is 32,000 years. Treating them as similar-sized words is how budgets get misjudged.

Divide a national figure by the population to make it personal.
Per person, per day is the most readable form of almost any large total.

Comparisons

Convert an unfamiliar quantity into a familiar one: football pitches, buses, years of salary. The comparison is what makes the number mean something.