BBC News story
French bank Societe Generale, has uncovered a fraud by a Paris-based trader which resulted in a loss of 4.9bn euros. Meaning that their profit this year is going to be a meager 800mn euros.
How the fuck do you let nearly 5bn euros vanish from under your nose?
Smells worse than a very ripe French cheese if you ask me.
Losing €5billion
Can I have that number in Double Decker buses please? I believe that's the official unit of length for the media industry.rts wrote:Did you know if you had €5bn in €1 coins, you could rebuild the Eiffel Tower to the same height.Alexia wrote:€5bn in €1 coins is it Mark?
Knight knight
- Andrew Wood
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And if it was being built in Britain, the final cost would be twice the original estimate.nodnirG kraM wrote:Neither - you could pay a contractor to build you a new one.
Well let's work it out.
A €1 coin is 1.38mm wide.
5,000,000,000 x 1.38 = 6,900,000,000mm which is
69,000,000cm which is
690,000m which is
690KM which is
428.746123 miles which is
The same distance that the Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft is above earth in orbit, or the same distance as it is from Moscow to Minsk. Or the same distance as from my house to the Shetland Islands.

A €1 coin is 1.38mm wide.
5,000,000,000 x 1.38 = 6,900,000,000mm which is
69,000,000cm which is
690,000m which is
690KM which is
428.746123 miles which is
The same distance that the Galaxy Evolution Explorer spacecraft is above earth in orbit, or the same distance as it is from Moscow to Minsk. Or the same distance as from my house to the Shetland Islands.
- DVB Cornwall
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The Eiffel Tower is 325m tall.
A Euro Coin is
23.25 mm in diameter
2.33 in thickness.
Therefore you need 325/0.02325 = 13978.49 Euros on edge to complete
the height of the Eiffel Tower or
325/0.00233 = 139484.97 Euros on their head or tail to complete the height.
Therefore 5,000,000,000 Euros will make 357704.96 Eiffel Towers on their edge or
35846.40 Eiffel Towers on their head or tail.
A Euro Coin is
23.25 mm in diameter
2.33 in thickness.
Therefore you need 325/0.02325 = 13978.49 Euros on edge to complete
the height of the Eiffel Tower or
325/0.00233 = 139484.97 Euros on their head or tail to complete the height.
Therefore 5,000,000,000 Euros will make 357704.96 Eiffel Towers on their edge or
35846.40 Eiffel Towers on their head or tail.

In that case, I'll confess that I wasn't actually planning to try.rts wrote:I confess Chris, that I did entirely make that up.cdd wrote:Stacking the coins on top of each other, or on their sides?rts wrote:Did you know if you had €5bn in €1 coins, you could rebuild the Eiffel Tower to the same height.