How would I properly punctuate a long number in written form, say:
three million twenty-four thousand five hundred fifty?
three million twenty-four thousand five hundred fifty?
Proper punctuation of long numbers
- Thread starter alaskamatt17
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3,024,550. With commas every third digit, starting at the end. 
Numbers that long are usually given in numeric form, for the simple reason that they are very difficult to read written out in words. Is there some compelling reason you can't use the numeric form?
Numbers that long are usually given in numeric form, for the simple reason that they are very difficult to read written out in words. Is there some compelling reason you can't use the numeric form?
Well, here is the context:
The story Dr. Kaaria Muliro fleshed out for the jury and the gallery was the same story Jack had seen in full-spectrum matter lathes hundreds of times before: in 2102 a bunch of American yahoos who didn't give a damn about the delicate balance of the universe deflected an asteroid of planet-busting size from its collision course with Earth. The asteroid--powered by four pairs of JPL-designed ion drives--then proceeded three million twenty-four thousand five hundred fifty astronomical units off its previous semi-minor axis to smack into the ocean of Nan'katar, wiping out three-quarters of the population of the planet's only intelligent species and killing nine-tenths of all indigenous species. NASA had expected the drives to sputter out after ten to fifteen years. They didn't. The rest, as they say, was history.
The story Dr. Kaaria Muliro fleshed out for the jury and the gallery was the same story Jack had seen in full-spectrum matter lathes hundreds of times before: in 2102 a bunch of American yahoos who didn't give a damn about the delicate balance of the universe deflected an asteroid of planet-busting size from its collision course with Earth. The asteroid--powered by four pairs of JPL-designed ion drives--then proceeded three million twenty-four thousand five hundred fifty astronomical units off its previous semi-minor axis to smack into the ocean of Nan'katar, wiping out three-quarters of the population of the planet's only intelligent species and killing nine-tenths of all indigenous species. NASA had expected the drives to sputter out after ten to fifteen years. They didn't. The rest, as they say, was history.
You would put the commas in the same places that they would go in the numeric form. Thusly: three million, twenty-four thousand, five hundred and fifty.alaskamatt17 said:
alaskamatt17 said:
Possibly not the place to quibble this but - would it matter? Stuff in space keeps moving except when there's a compelling reason to stop. If the drives had burned out as they were supposed to, the asteroid would still keep on going at that speed until some other force acted on it. Like a planet being in the way...
Duncan's correct that the commas go exactly where they would if the number was written in numeric form. Puma
FWIW, I would still use digits rather that writing out the words in that context.
Maryn, whose eyes glaze over at numbers which take up a whole line of text
Maryn, whose eyes glaze over at numbers which take up a whole line of text
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