Gongulus

Big numbers with funny names

Jonathon Bowers' tetrated brainchild ... http://www.polytope.net/hedrondude/scrapers.htm

Gongulus is utterly unspeakably enormous - it is the result of solving a size ten 100 dimensional array of 10's (10^100 & 10 that is) = {10,10 (100) 2} - there will be a googol tens in the form of a hundred dimensional cube, which seems to never come to an end when trying to solve. Just to shake you up a bit, the much much much smaller number {10,10,3 (99) 2} can best be described as follows: 1) start with 10, 2) next get a size ten 99-D array, 3) now get a size X 99-D array where X is the result of stage 2, 4) now get a size Y 99-D array where Y is the result of stage 3,....go to stage ten, call that number T2, keep going - all the way to stage T2 - call that number T3, now keep going to stage T3 - call this number T4 - keep this trend up until you get to stage T10 - that will be {10,10,3 (99) 2} - notice how the 10,10,3 works like linear arrays but acting on expanding a 99-D array's size. Now consider {10^99 & 10 (99) 2} - MUCH larger now, but still NO where near a gongulus which is {10,10 (100) 2} = {10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10 (99) 10^99 & 10}.

there's plenty more biguns where that came from.

Also see: http://www.mrob.com/pub/math/largenum.html

fun to think about this in response to Scott Aaronson's http://www.scottaaronson.com/writings/bignumbers.html

"You have fifteen seconds. Using standard math notation, English words, or both, name a single whole number—not an infinity—on a blank index card. Be precise enough for any reasonable modern mathematician to determine exactly what number you’ve named, by consulting only your card and, if necessary, the published literature."