How big is the $16.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling?
In August, 2011, Congress passed along with President Obama signed into law a $16.4 trillion debt ceiling, the largest in U.S. in history. Most Americans see this as just another number; they don’t really appreciate the enormity of the following figure. Below are a few comparisons to put that figure into perspective, and to make it more interesting.
The Popular Example
The $16.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling divided by the country’s 115.9 million households is certainly equal to $141,501 in debt per family.
Interesting Comparisons
Earth to Sun
If someone were to line up $16.4 trillion in one-dollar bills, end-to-end, the chain would stretch 1.589 billion miles: 17 times the distance between the Earth and also the Sun.
Note: length of an one dollar bill is certainly 6.14 inches; the average distance between the Earth as well as the Sun is actually 93 million miles
Great Pyramid of Egypt
The weight of $16.4 trillion in nickels is actually equal to the weight of 301 Great Pyramids of Egypt, the world’s largest man-made structure.
Note: 90.718 nickels per pound; Great Pyramid of Egypt is definitely estimated to weigh 6 million tons
Height of Stacked Dollar Bills
If you were to divide $16.4 trillion by the 312 million people in the U.S., each person would have a stack of one-dollar bills that is definitely 18.8 feet high.
Note: thickness of an one dollar bill is certainly 0.0043 inches
Value of Gold in the World
The sum of the world’s gold is actually worth $9.5 trillion, considerably less than $16.4 trillion.
Note: all the gold mined in the history of mankind is actually estimated to be 5.3 billion troy ounces; the historical high meant for gold (August, 2011) was about $1,800 per troy ounce
Boeing 747’s
You would need 1,221 Boeing 747-8 jumbo jets to transport $16.4 trillion in $100 dollar bills.
Note: $1 million in $100 bills (largest U.S. legal tender note) weighs 22.05 pounds; Boeing 747-8 maximum cargo capacity is definitely 148 tons
http://eiptrading.com/16-4-trillion/ and Larry Ng
Processing your request, Please wait....
