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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English, I'm Sam.

And I'm Neil.

Neil, would you describe yourself as a numbers person?

If you mean am I someone who understands numbers and is good at using them and interpreting data,

then no.

Okay, so maybe you're like me, you weren't good at maths at school?

No, I wasn't.

Algebra, geometry, times tables, it was all very confusing.

Yeah, we're not alone, Neil.

But the fear of numbers might just be in our heads and we might have enough

number knowledge to get by with. That's what we'll be exploring in this program while looking

at some relevant vocabulary. But, sorry, Neil, I'm going to start with a maths question.

It's thought the largest number in the world is called a Google.

It's written with a one and how many zeros?

Is it a, 100 zeros, b, 1000 zeros or c, 10,000 zeros?

I'll guess 10,000 zeros.

Okay, I'll reveal the answer later on.

But let's talk more about the fear of numbers now.

Of course, numbers are important in our lives, but one bad experience at school

can put us off them for life.

Put off means make someone dislike something.

...