Why learn mental arithmetic? Well so you can do #IsThisABigNumber and #IsThisFair in your head *whilst* listening to advertising and propaganda. That gives you power.
September 28, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Why learn mental arithmetic? Well so you can do #IsThisABigNumber and #IsThisFair in your head *whilst* listening to advertising and propaganda. That gives you power.
A reminder that those asking #IsThisABigNumber about populations can often find the answer via our wonderful Office for National Statistics. And everyone should be asking #IsThisABigNumber?
www.ons.gov.uk/census
www.ons.gov.uk/census
Census
- Office for National Statistics
www.ons.gov.uk
April 23, 2025 at 8:34 AM
A reminder that those asking #IsThisABigNumber about populations can often find the answer via our wonderful Office for National Statistics. And everyone should be asking #IsThisABigNumber?
www.ons.gov.uk/census
www.ons.gov.uk/census
#IsThisABigNumber back of envelope estimate adults in UK ~50million so ~£200/adult, less than spent on annual servicing of cars.
June 12, 2026 at 5:39 PM
#IsThisABigNumber back of envelope estimate adults in UK ~50million so ~£200/adult, less than spent on annual servicing of cars.
The border is 5,525 miles long. So that's one trooper for every half-mile.
8-hour shifts means one trooper for every 1½ miles.
Add in vacation time, etc, and... well, you get the picture.
#IsThisABigNumber
#NoItIsnt
8-hour shifts means one trooper for every 1½ miles.
Add in vacation time, etc, and... well, you get the picture.
#IsThisABigNumber
#NoItIsnt
TRUDEAU: NEARLY 10,000 TROOPS TO PROTECT BORDER
February 3, 2025 at 9:49 PM
The border is 5,525 miles long. So that's one trooper for every half-mile.
8-hour shifts means one trooper for every 1½ miles.
Add in vacation time, etc, and... well, you get the picture.
#IsThisABigNumber
#NoItIsnt
8-hour shifts means one trooper for every 1½ miles.
Add in vacation time, etc, and... well, you get the picture.
#IsThisABigNumber
#NoItIsnt
#IsThisABigNumber is always a good response!
October 22, 2025 at 10:09 AM
#IsThisABigNumber is always a good response!
#IsThisABigNumber: 1 bottle a week for 20 years ~ 1000 so that's "several" bottles a week for 20 years.... er probably doesn't need to buy any more. Ever.
January 12, 2025 at 3:57 PM
#IsThisABigNumber: 1 bottle a week for 20 years ~ 1000 so that's "several" bottles a week for 20 years.... er probably doesn't need to buy any more. Ever.
1600sq km. So a bit more than a 1km strip the length of the country, or a 4km x 4km square in every county. Good #IsThisABigNumber question!
December 11, 2024 at 9:43 AM
1600sq km. So a bit more than a 1km strip the length of the country, or a 4km x 4km square in every county. Good #IsThisABigNumber question!
Thanks for answering #IsThisABigNumber .
July 8, 2024 at 4:45 PM
Thanks for answering #IsThisABigNumber .
#IsThisABigNumber
£8billion
over 11 years ... (gov.uk announcement)
33million cars in the uk ... (RAC)
£22 /car/year.
Yawn. Non-story.
£8billion
over 11 years ... (gov.uk announcement)
33million cars in the uk ... (RAC)
£22 /car/year.
Yawn. Non-story.
November 17, 2023 at 1:25 PM
#IsThisABigNumber
£8billion
over 11 years ... (gov.uk announcement)
33million cars in the uk ... (RAC)
£22 /car/year.
Yawn. Non-story.
£8billion
over 11 years ... (gov.uk announcement)
33million cars in the uk ... (RAC)
£22 /car/year.
Yawn. Non-story.
Ah, a classic #IsThisABigNumber? What are the current figures it is increasing from? What is the exponent? For how long? We talking grains of rice on a chess board or "twice as much next year"?
🙄
🙄
Unhelpfully for UK farmers - and the Prime Minister - the USA says at the ongoing press conference that the trade deal will "exponentially increase export of US beef" to the UK.
May 8, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Ah, a classic #IsThisABigNumber? What are the current figures it is increasing from? What is the exponent? For how long? We talking grains of rice on a chess board or "twice as much next year"?
🙄
🙄
8 sites doesn't sound a huge number. What is the usual turnover? #IsThisABigNumber?
August 4, 2025 at 3:51 PM
8 sites doesn't sound a huge number. What is the usual turnover? #IsThisABigNumber?
I do enjoy an instinctive #IsThisABigNumber response to a headline.
August 28, 2024 at 7:28 AM
I do enjoy an instinctive #IsThisABigNumber response to a headline.
#IsThisABigNumber Assume 50 million people in the UK have been to London at least once in the last 20 years, got an Oyster Card with £5 spare and left it in the drawer for next time. That's £0.25 billion.
Bit surprised it's not more tbh.
Bit surprised it's not more tbh.
January 7, 2025 at 11:18 AM
#IsThisABigNumber Assume 50 million people in the UK have been to London at least once in the last 20 years, got an Oyster Card with £5 spare and left it in the drawer for next time. That's £0.25 billion.
Bit surprised it's not more tbh.
Bit surprised it's not more tbh.
Imagine if all the news programmes had someone interrupt every 2 minutes to say "ahem, #IsThisABigNumber? No? Shall we move on?"
August 30, 2025 at 10:11 PM
Imagine if all the news programmes had someone interrupt every 2 minutes to say "ahem, #IsThisABigNumber? No? Shall we move on?"
OK, it seems appropriate to ask #IsThisABigNumber ? Pop Scotland 5.5 million, say <1/55 per year group for ease, so <100,000 per year, so >5% extra people learning to ask #IsThisABigNumber ...that sounds like a useful contribution. Or say, 2k in Glasgow and 2k in Edinburgh + a few more. Good job👏
August 5, 2025 at 8:54 AM
OK, it seems appropriate to ask #IsThisABigNumber ? Pop Scotland 5.5 million, say <1/55 per year group for ease, so <100,000 per year, so >5% extra people learning to ask #IsThisABigNumber ...that sounds like a useful contribution. Or say, 2k in Glasgow and 2k in Edinburgh + a few more. Good job👏
That's handy for #IsThisABigNumber though. Assuming this missing number is a million, that's a solar panel for every Year 7. That sounds a useful amount!
March 21, 2025 at 8:21 AM
That's handy for #IsThisABigNumber though. Assuming this missing number is a million, that's a solar panel for every Year 7. That sounds a useful amount!
Inevitably, this being social media, eventually someone says you should make your own yoghurt. 🤦♀️ What with the #IsThisABigNumber stories, reposts of racism on X (You Must See the stuff you came here to avoid!!!) and the people who don't know their AI from their elbow it's all a bit much.
Important time saving recipe for everyone, whether a Londoner or not, from @hamishthompson.bsky.social
September 10, 2024 at 7:57 AM
Inevitably, this being social media, eventually someone says you should make your own yoghurt. 🤦♀️ What with the #IsThisABigNumber stories, reposts of racism on X (You Must See the stuff you came here to avoid!!!) and the people who don't know their AI from their elbow it's all a bit much.
#IsThisABigNumber?
The current number of asylum seekers in hotels (~30k, BBC news) is less than the number of students at Manchester University alone.
Too many, for those individuals living in limbo. But nationally, not a lot.
The current number of asylum seekers in hotels (~30k, BBC news) is less than the number of students at Manchester University alone.
Too many, for those individuals living in limbo. But nationally, not a lot.
August 21, 2025 at 9:52 PM
#IsThisABigNumber?
The current number of asylum seekers in hotels (~30k, BBC news) is less than the number of students at Manchester University alone.
Too many, for those individuals living in limbo. But nationally, not a lot.
The current number of asylum seekers in hotels (~30k, BBC news) is less than the number of students at Manchester University alone.
Too many, for those individuals living in limbo. But nationally, not a lot.
Also (self-motivated here), anyone know about £2.4billion for flood infrastructure #isthisabignumber? It sounds pretty big, especially over 2 years (£200/adult/year) but how does it compare to normal?
October 30, 2024 at 5:05 PM
Also (self-motivated here), anyone know about £2.4billion for flood infrastructure #isthisabignumber? It sounds pretty big, especially over 2 years (£200/adult/year) but how does it compare to normal?
And this is not the least reason I'm loving the portrayal of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. She asks "What's the scale?" 😍
But #IsThisABigNumber? Let's help them out with the answer...
But #IsThisABigNumber? Let's help them out with the answer...
December 21, 2025 at 11:23 PM
And this is not the least reason I'm loving the portrayal of Kate Lethbridge-Stewart. She asks "What's the scale?" 😍
But #IsThisABigNumber? Let's help them out with the answer...
But #IsThisABigNumber? Let's help them out with the answer...
A mistake that big should have triggered his #IsThisABigNumber intuition. At 20% of payroll it is so *obviously* wrong he should have thought to check, or if just a typo correct as soon as pointed out. Not everyone is capable of that, but nether is everyone is capable of doing the job.
June 8, 2025 at 9:26 AM
A mistake that big should have triggered his #IsThisABigNumber intuition. At 20% of payroll it is so *obviously* wrong he should have thought to check, or if just a typo correct as soon as pointed out. Not everyone is capable of that, but nether is everyone is capable of doing the job.
A lot of news stories are "2000 people did this!!!!" or "$$$ spent on!!!" and the first question to ask is #IsThisABigNumber? Usually when you divide by population it looks far less exciting.
September 10, 2024 at 10:02 AM
A lot of news stories are "2000 people did this!!!!" or "$$$ spent on!!!" and the first question to ask is #IsThisABigNumber? Usually when you divide by population it looks far less exciting.
#IsThisABigNumber? There are a lot of small shops. In the UK almost all have bollards outside to stop them being deliberately rammed by vehicles, which became a fashionable way to break in about 20 years ago.
September 9, 2024 at 6:37 AM
#IsThisABigNumber? There are a lot of small shops. In the UK almost all have bollards outside to stop them being deliberately rammed by vehicles, which became a fashionable way to break in about 20 years ago.
September 7, 2024 at 9:35 AM
#IsThisABigNumber... about 1 in 500 people in the UK are injured on the roads in a year (gov.uk, below). Presumably there are more crashes that don't result in injuries, including minor ones that aren't recorded. So 1 in 2000 vehicles sounds right order of magnitude?
www.gov.uk/government/s...
www.gov.uk/government/s...
Reported road casualties Great Britain, provisional results: 2022
www.gov.uk
December 13, 2023 at 4:03 PM
#IsThisABigNumber... about 1 in 500 people in the UK are injured on the roads in a year (gov.uk, below). Presumably there are more crashes that don't result in injuries, including minor ones that aren't recorded. So 1 in 2000 vehicles sounds right order of magnitude?
www.gov.uk/government/s...
www.gov.uk/government/s...