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A physics student at UC Davis has proposed that the gigantic and unnamed mathematical quantity of 10 to the exponent of 27 be represented by the term “hella.”  “Hella” is slang term used in northern California to describe a large quantity or replace the word “very,” and is thought to come from the slang word “hellavu,” like “hell of a lot.”

Examples:  “I have hella homework” or “that cheeseburger was hella good.”

The name ocurred to twenty-year-old Austin Sendek while doing an experiment with a fellow classmate, who when asked what the voltage was in an electric field, responded “Oh, man — there’s hella volts.”  To Sendek, the name just clicked.  The petition for “hella” to denote 10 to the 27^th power started as a joke, which logically led to a Facebook group, then drifted to the conversation of the Google Gods (who were quick to incorporate “hella” into Google calculator) and is now headed to the Global Weights and Measurements Committee for formal acceptance as a mathematical term.  There have been many scientific contributions from universities such as UC Berkeley, Standford,and UC Davis – all of whom are located in the northern California region.  Sendek says that although naming 10 to the 27^th may not be a priority among the scientific community, recognition of the “hella” would distinguish northern California in the scientific world.  Plus, as Sendek points out, it´s hella useful. Did you know that the diameter of earth is 1.4 hellameters?

To read more about this story, check out this article in the Los Angeles Times.

Tags: Facebook, Google, physics, UC Davis, University