Question

with the current US national debt being $21 trillion dollars, if it was all paid of at once in $100 dollar bills, how many $100 dollars bills would it take and how much would those $100 dollar bills weigh in tons? this is the equvilant to how many loaded tractor trailer rigs (80000 # each) if the $100 bills were laid on the ground like a carpet how big of an area would it cover (square miles) assume that someone can count 5 bills per second and never stop. if everyone in Atlanta Georgia started counting the bills how long would it take to count all of the $100 bills?

Answer 1

$21,000,000,000,000

1. No. of $100 bills = 210,000,000,000

2. Weight of one $100 bill = 1 Gram

Total weight = 210,000,000,000 Gram

In International terms, 1 Tonne = 1,000,000 grams. therefor Total weight = 210,000 Tonne

In American terms, 1 Tons = 907185 grams. therefor Total weight = 231,485.30895 Tons.

3. Equivalent loaded tractor tailer rigs

If capacity is in Tonne (80000 Tonne)

In International terms = 210,000/80,000 = 2.625 loaded tractor tailer rigs

  In American terms = 231,485.30895/80000 = 2.8936 loaded tractor tailer rigs

4. Total area covered

Size of $100 bill = 2.61 inches wide and 6.14 inches long

Area of 1 $100 bill = 2.61 * 6.14 = 16.0254 square inches

Area of 210,000,000,000 bills = 16.0254 * 210,000,000,000 = 3,365,334,000,000 square inches

1,000,000,000,000 square inches = 249.097668605244 square miles

3,365,334,000,000 square inches = 249.097668605244 * 3.365334 = 838.2968534779615 Square miles

5. Time to count

Time required to count 1 $100 bill = 5 Seconds

Total time required to count 210,000,000,000 bills = 210,000,000,000 * 5 = 1,050,000,000,000 Seconds

= 17,500,000,000 Minutes = 291,666,666.67 Hours

If population of Atlanta Georgia = 473,000

  Total time required to count 210,000,000,000 bills = 1,050,000,000,000 / 473,000 = 2,219,873.15 Seconds