A scale challenge for your brilliant minds.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a calculation challenge involving a googol of atoms, specifically how large a cube of pure lead would need to be to contain that number of atoms. Participants explore the theoretical implications of this scenario without considering gravitational effects, using various temperatures for their calculations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant introduces the challenge of calculating the volume of lead needed to contain a googol of atoms, suggesting the use of mass density, mass per mole, and Avogadro's number.
  • Another participant corrects the spelling of "googol," indicating attention to detail in the terminology used.
  • A participant provides a detailed calculation, arriving at a volume of approximately 1.2x1074 m3 for the cube, and notes that this volume corresponds to a cube with sides of length 4.93x1024 m.
  • Another participant presents an alternative calculation, yielding a volume of approximately 1.82x1071 m3, based on the mass of lead and its density.
  • Concerns are raised about the physical feasibility of gathering such a large number of atoms of a pure element in one place.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present different calculations and approaches, leading to multiple competing views on the volume required. The discussion remains unresolved regarding which calculation is more accurate or applicable.

Contextual Notes

Participants rely on various assumptions regarding temperature and the properties of lead, which may affect the outcomes of their calculations. The implications of gravity and the physical limitations of containing such a mass are also acknowledged but not resolved.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those engaged in theoretical physics, chemistry, or mathematical modeling, particularly in the context of atomic-scale calculations and properties of materials.

Whymsical
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Lets take that magical number 1 with 100 zeroes at the end known as google and see what we can put it into.

My challenge/ curiosity for the ones who love calculations is this:
Not counting for gravity, and using any temperature you choose, how large would a cube of pure lead have to be to hold a google of atoms.

Please show your work so we can all be accurately enthralled by the results.
 
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We'll breathlessly await your trenchant analysis.
 
I think the term is googol
 
Whymsical said:
Lets take that magical number 1 with 100 zeroes at the end known as google and see what we can put it into.

My challenge/ curiosity for the ones who love calculations is this:
Not counting for gravity, and using any temperature you choose, how large would a cube of pure lead have to be to hold a google of atoms.

Please show your work so we can all be accurately enthralled by the results.

It's not a particularly hard problem, if you know the mass density, ρ, and mass per mole, μ, of lead at a given temperature, along with avogadro's number N.

First you divide the mass density by the mass per mole, to get the molar density, the number of moles per unit volume. You then multiply by Avogadro's number to get the number of atoms per unit volume. You then divide a googol by the result and get the volume required for 10100 lead atoms.
For STP I got 1.2X1074 m3, corresponding to a cube with sides of length 4.93x1024m, or slightly over 1/100th of the diameter the observable universe, or a sphere of radius 3.06x1024m.

Of course the situation is unphysical, as you'd never get that many atoms together of a pure element.
 
Last edited:
10^99 * 207(relative mass of lead)*1,6*10^(-27)kg = mass of that block

ρ = m / V <=> V = m / ρ <=> V = (2,0716 * 10^75) kg / 11340kg/m^3 <=>

V= 1,82*10^71m^3
 

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