The correct answer is: 9 zeros.
Explanation
In the common short-scale system (used in the United States and modern British usage), one billion is written as 1,000,000,000 — which has nine zeros. In mathematical notation that is $10^9$.
Steps:
- Write one billion in digits: 1,000,000,000.
- Count the zeros after the 1: there are 9.
- Express as a power of ten: $$10^9$$.
Note: In the long-scale system (formerly used in the UK and still in some countries), a “billion” can mean $10^{12}$ (1,000,000,000,000) which has 12 zeros. To avoid confusion, many authors use powers of ten ($10^9$ vs $10^{12}$) or the word “thousand million” for $10^9$.