Editing 2283: Exa-Exabyte
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | This | + | {{incomplete|Created by 10 EXA-EXABYTES OF APPLES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
+ | This is Randall's first comic in over a week not overtly part of his [[:Category: COVID-19|COVID-19 series]]. It could still be a deliberate allusion to the biology and complexity behind the Corona outbreak, or, if not a deliberate allusion, its theme of biological complexity could have been inspired thereby. | ||
− | This is a comic about the difficulty of picturing or understanding large numbers. As mentioned in the comic, an {{w|exabyte}} is 10<sup>18</sup> bytes, while an "exa-exabyte"—not a common word, but one that | + | This is a comic about the difficulty of picturing or understanding large numbers. As mentioned in the comic, an {{w|exabyte}} is 10<sup>18</sup> bytes, while an "exa-exabyte"—not a common word, but one that makes sense if you apply the principles of {{w|metric prefix}}es—is 10<sup>36</sup> bytes. 10<sup>36</sup> is properly given the name undecillion (in short scale, and sextillion in long scale). |
According to [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/science/counting-all-the-dna-on-earth.html a 2015 article] by ''The New York Times'', researchers estimate that there are about 5 * 10<sup>37</sup> DNA {{w|base pair}}s on Earth (50 trillion trillion trillion). So [[Miss Lenhart]]'s claim of 10 exa-exabytes—1 * 10<sup>37</sup> bytes is a reasonable approximation ({{w|Fermi estimation}}). (The estimate was 5 plus or minus 4 * 10<sup>37</sup>. There are 4 possible base pairs, or 2 bits per pair, a byte is 8 bits.) | According to [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/science/counting-all-the-dna-on-earth.html a 2015 article] by ''The New York Times'', researchers estimate that there are about 5 * 10<sup>37</sup> DNA {{w|base pair}}s on Earth (50 trillion trillion trillion). So [[Miss Lenhart]]'s claim of 10 exa-exabytes—1 * 10<sup>37</sup> bytes is a reasonable approximation ({{w|Fermi estimation}}). (The estimate was 5 plus or minus 4 * 10<sup>37</sup>. There are 4 possible base pairs, or 2 bits per pair, a byte is 8 bits.) | ||
− | These numbers are larger than most people can imagine. Even much smaller numbers such as a billion (10<sup>9</sup>) or a trillion (10<sup>12</sup>) are | + | These numbers are larger than most people can imagine. Even much smaller numbers such as a billion (10<sup>9</sup>) or a trillion (10<sup>12</sup>) are hard to imagine.{{Citation needed}} For instance: |
* 1 billion seconds is equal to 31.7 years; 1 trillion seconds is equal to 31,688.74 years. | * 1 billion seconds is equal to 31.7 years; 1 trillion seconds is equal to 31,688.74 years. | ||
* [https://medium.com/@alecmuffett/a-billion-grains-of-rice-91202220e10e 1 billion grains of rice] weigh approximately 34,447 lb (15,625 kg). | * [https://medium.com/@alecmuffett/a-billion-grains-of-rice-91202220e10e 1 billion grains of rice] weigh approximately 34,447 lb (15,625 kg). | ||
− | Wikipedia has an article on the {{w|exabyte}} and one on large numbers which describes {{w|Orders of magnitude (numbers)#1018|various things close to 10<sup>18</sup>}}. | + | Wikipedia has an article on the {{w|exabyte}} and one on large numbers which describes {{w|Orders of magnitude (numbers)#1018|various things close to 10<sup>18</sup>}}. |
− | + | [https://abc7news.com/science/possibly-habitable-planet-found-100-light-years-away/5821548/ TOI 700 d], a potentially habitable Earth-like {{w|exoplanet}} is 100 light years away, which is about 10<sup>18</sup> meters. | |
− | + | [[Megan]] trivializes the problem away by describing an exabyte as 10 apples, with "18 smaller apples, floating next to them and a little above", representing the notation 10<sup>18</sup> using apples for digits. This is entirely unhelpful, as apples, whatever their position, don't represent exponents, and this causes Miss Lenhart to yell out "No!" in frustration. The title text further trivializes the problem of visualizing large numbers by suggesting that you can visualize 10<sup>18</sup> as a number by simply visualizing the similar-looking number of 10<sup>13</sup> with some extra lines drawn to turn the 3 into an 8. Changes in exponents can cause huge changes in the value shown, and this is no exception: Changing that 3 into an 8 changes the value by a factor of 100,000. | |
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− | [[Megan]] trivializes the problem away by describing an exabyte as 10 apples, with "18 smaller apples, floating next to them and a little above", representing the notation 10<sup>18</sup> using apples for digits. This is entirely unhelpful, as | ||
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− | The title text further trivializes the problem of visualizing large numbers by suggesting that you can visualize 10<sup>18</sup> as a number by simply visualizing the similar-looking number of 10<sup>13</sup> with some extra lines drawn to turn the 3 into an 8. Changes in exponents can cause huge changes in the value shown, and this is no exception: Changing that 3 into an 8 changes the value by a factor of 100,000. | ||
Randall has previously discussed the difficulty of large numbers in [[2091: Million, Billion, Trillion]], [[1894: Real Estate]], and [[558: 1000 Times]]. | Randall has previously discussed the difficulty of large numbers in [[2091: Million, Billion, Trillion]], [[1894: Real Estate]], and [[558: 1000 Times]]. | ||
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:Miss Lenhart: '''''No!''''' | :Miss Lenhart: '''''No!''''' | ||
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category: Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]] | [[Category: Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]] | ||
[[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]] | [[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]] | ||
[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category: Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
[[Category: Biology]] | [[Category: Biology]] |