OT - Is the universe finite in size?

Cyrien · #1 October 10th, 2003, 08:48 PM

My favorite has always been the number of atoms in the universe. Recently I have started to see it used as a fact by various periodicals. I think what it was stated to be was something around 10^78 to just under 10^81. I don't even want to know what would cause a person to decide that they could guess at the number of atoms in the universe, because a guess is all it is going to be. A rather wild one at that.

Phoenix-D · #2 October 10th, 2003, 08:54 PM

Only 10^78? Twelve grams of carbon have 10^23 atoms all by themselves..

Cyrien · #3 October 10th, 2003, 09:12 PM

Don't know about the carbon but I do know the number was less than 10^100 as that was used as a comparison number for something else in another article. (The number of calculation a 333 Qbit processor would be capable of perhaps). Of course I am just working from memory here soooo. On the other hand I am also pretty confident in the numbers I gave as being the ones "they" gave. So take it up with "them".

narf poit chez BOOM · #4 October 10th, 2003, 09:33 PM

Quote:

(Take three points "almost" along the equator of your sphere - Three points form a triangle, but the internal angles are all "almost" 180 degrees!)
One point at the pole, and two others on the equator "east" and "west" will make 90+90+180 = 360 (!)

[IMG=http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/newuploads/1065817971.bmp[/IMG]

not exactly sure if this is what your thinking about, but it is 180. unless your talking pyramids?

[ October 10, 2003, 20:56: Message edited by: narf poit chez BOOM ]

Parasite · #5 October 10th, 2003, 10:00 PM

What's a few orders of magnitude between friends

(

old physics joke

)

The triangle is drawn on the outside of a sphere. you can make a triangle with 3 90degree angles. One at the pole and two at the equator. Equalateral trangle 270 degrees total from the corners.

[ October 10, 2003, 21:01: Message edited by: Parasite ]

Suicide Junkie · #6 October 10th, 2003, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Phoenix-D:
Only 10^78? Twelve grams of carbon have 10^23 atoms all by themselves..

Sure, but Twelve tons of carbon have only 10^29 atoms.

Twelve million tons has only 10^35...

And we've still got 43 orders of magnitude to go...

Alpha Kodiak · #7 October 10th, 2003, 11:29 PM

43 orders of magnitude to go, 43 orders of.... oops, wrong thread (wrong forum?), wrong something anyway.