384: The Drake Equation

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The Drake Equation

Title text: But seriously, there's loads of intelligent life. It's just not screaming constantly in all directions on the handful of frequencies we search.

Explanation

This comic explains the Drake equation which is a model for estimating the number of life forms in our galaxy. It adds a factor for the "Amount of bullshit you're willing to buy from Frank Drake." This is most likely due to the factors being difficult to measure or estimate with sufficient accuracy for determining a concrete number.

Transcript

The Drake Equation:

N = R * f_p n_e f_l f_i f_c L B_s

N: Number of communicating civilizations in our galaxy

n_e: Number of life-supporting planets per solar system

f_i: Probability that life on a planet becomes intelligent

B_s: Amount of bullshit you're willing to buy from Frank Drake

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Discussion

Looks like someone mixed up Frank Drake and Francis Drake --Btx40 (talk) 14:32, 19 February 2013 (UTC)