Difference between revisions of "384: The Drake Equation"
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The {{w|Drake equation}} is a model for estimating the number of communicating life forms in our galaxy. | The {{w|Drake equation}} is a model for estimating the number of communicating life forms in our galaxy. | ||
| − | + | Even in the unlikely event that there is life on other planets most life forms will not establish civilizations but if there are any communicating civilizations their messages would have to travel for hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of years to reach us and then our response would take an equivalent amount of time, leaving them waiting for potentially thousands of years for a response. | |
That's the reason why Randall also did add the factor for the "Amount of bullshit you're willing to buy from Frank Drake". All the factors are difficult to measure or estimate, no number is determined by an sufficient accuracy, so that equation is just "bullshit". | That's the reason why Randall also did add the factor for the "Amount of bullshit you're willing to buy from Frank Drake". All the factors are difficult to measure or estimate, no number is determined by an sufficient accuracy, so that equation is just "bullshit". | ||
Revision as of 22:41, 6 November 2013
| 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
The Drake equation is a model for estimating the number of communicating life forms in our galaxy.
Even in the unlikely event that there is life on other planets most life forms will not establish civilizations but if there are any communicating civilizations their messages would have to travel for hundreds, thousands, or hundreds of thousands of years to reach us and then our response would take an equivalent amount of time, leaving them waiting for potentially thousands of years for a response.
That's the reason why Randall also did add the factor for the "Amount of bullshit you're willing to buy from Frank Drake". All the factors are difficult to measure or estimate, no number is determined by an sufficient accuracy, so that equation is just "bullshit".
The title text is a joke on the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence project, the scientists just searching at the wrong frequencies.
Transcript
- The Drake Equation:
- N = R * fp ne fl fi fc L Bs
- N: Number of communicating civilizations in our galaxy
- ne: Number of life-supporting planets per solar system
- fi: Probability that life on a planet becomes intelligent
- Bs: Amount of bullshit you're willing to buy from Frank Drake
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Looks like someone mixed up Frank Drake and Francis Drake --Btx40 (talk) 14:32, 19 February 2013 (UTC)
Bs looks more like B6 162.158.79.185 17:03, 13 March 2019 (UTC)
The title text shows a lack of imagination about how aliens could communicate. It need not be that they're using narrow direction and different bands. First, they could be using radio in a way that wouldn't be detected, much as how no WWII radio expert would recognize modern, digital, encoded cell tower transmissions. Second, there may be other means of communicating over distance, like entangled particles. —Kazvorpal (talk) 07:50, 10 November 2019 (UTC)
Alternate solution factor: N= [stuff already mentioned]^["probability" that there is not a God who, if He exists, perhaps made this universe so that there would be no process where beings like us could come from the dust of a planet by natural means.] Yeah, it does depend on one's bias and worldview. 172.70.130.91 (talk) (please sign your comments with ~~~~)
