Editing 2283: Exa-Exabyte
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by 10 EXA-EXABYTES OF APPLES. Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
+ | Randall has taken a break from his [[:Category: COVID-19|COVID-19 series]]. | ||
− | This is a comic about the difficulty of picturing or understanding large numbers. As mentioned in the comic, an {{w|exabyte}} is 10 | + | This is a comic about the difficulty of picturing or understanding large numbers. As mentioned in the comic, an {{w|exabyte}} is 10^18 bytes, while an "exa-exabyte" -- not a real word but one that makes sense if you apply the principles of {{w|Metric prefix|metric prefixes}} -- is 10^36 bytes. 10^36 is properly given the name undecillion (in short scale, and sextillion in long scale). According to a 2015 article by ''The New York Times'', researchers estimate that there is [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/science/counting-all-the-dna-on-earth.html 50 trillion trillion trillion] DNA base pairs on Earth -- 5 * 10^37 "bytes" of data. This is a similar number to [[Miss Lenhart]]'s claim of 10 exa-exabytes -- 1 * 10^37 bytes. |
− | According to [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/science/counting-all-the-dna-on-earth.html | ||
− | These numbers are larger than most people can imagine. Even much smaller numbers such as a billion (10 | + | These numbers are larger than most people can imagine. Even much smaller numbers such as a billion (10^9) or a trillion (10^12) are hard to imagine. 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] | + | * [https://medium.com/@alecmuffett/a-billion-grains-of-rice-91202220e10e 1 billion grains of rice] weighs approximately 34,447 lb (15,625 kg) |
− | + | [[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 10^18 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 10^18 as a number by simply visualizing the similar-looking number of 10^13 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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− | + | Randall has previously discussed the difficulty of large numbers in [[2091: Million, Billion, Trillion]] and [[558: 1000 Times]]. | |
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− | Randall has previously discussed the difficulty of large numbers in [[2091: Million, Billion, Trillion]] | ||
[[1605: DNA]] also discusses how "hard" biology is. | [[1605: DNA]] also discusses how "hard" biology is. | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
− | :[Miss Lenhart is | + | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} |
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+ | :[Miss Lenhart is teaching a class, and is speaking to Cueball to her left, who is sitting at a desk. She holds a pointer, and is pointing to a blackboard.] | ||
:Miss Lenhart: Biology is hard because there's so ''much'' of it. Earth hosts about 10 exa-exabytes worth of DNA. | :Miss Lenhart: Biology is hard because there's so ''much'' of it. Earth hosts about 10 exa-exabytes worth of DNA. | ||
− | :[In a | + | :[In a frameless panel, the panel has panned to the left and is now showing Miss Lenhart, Cueball sitting at a desk and Megan also sitting at a desk, behind Cueball. Miss Lenhart holds the pointer to her side.] |
:Cueball: What's an exa-exabyte? | :Cueball: What's an exa-exabyte? | ||
:Miss Lenhart: It's 10<sup>36</sup> bytes. | :Miss Lenhart: It's 10<sup>36</sup> bytes. | ||
− | :Cueball: How do I picture '''' | + | :Cueball: How do I picture ''that''? |
:Miss Lenhart: Imagine you had an exabyte of data, but each byte ''contained'' an exabyte of data. | :Miss Lenhart: Imagine you had an exabyte of data, but each byte ''contained'' an exabyte of data. | ||
− | :[ | + | :[Zoomed in on Cueball] |
:Cueball: I can't even picture what an exabyte is. | :Cueball: I can't even picture what an exabyte is. | ||
− | :Miss Lenhart (off | + | :Miss Lenhart(off screen): It's 10<sup>18</sup> bytes. |
:Cueball: But how do I picture 10<sup>18</sup>? | :Cueball: But how do I picture 10<sup>18</sup>? | ||
− | :[Zoomed out | + | :[Zoomed back out, showing Megan, Cueball, and Miss Lenhart] |
:Megan: Imagine you had 10 apples. | :Megan: Imagine you had 10 apples. | ||
:Megan: Now imagine 18 smaller apples, floating next to them and a little above. | :Megan: Now imagine 18 smaller apples, floating next to them and a little above. | ||
:Cueball: Cool, got it. | :Cueball: Cool, got it. | ||
− | :Miss Lenhart: | + | :Miss Lenhart: ''No!'' |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
− | + | [[Category: Biology]] | |
− | [[Category: | + | [[Category: Comics featuring Cueball]] |
[[Category: Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]] | [[Category: Comics featuring Miss Lenhart]] | ||
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[[Category: Comics featuring Megan]] | [[Category: Comics featuring Megan]] | ||
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