Can You Fit the Entire Encyclopaedia Britannica on a Pinhead?

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AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around the feasibility of fitting the entire Encyclopaedia Britannica on a pinhead, as proposed by Richard Feynman. Participants are tasked with estimating the letter size needed for the text, given a pinhead diameter of 1/16 inch, and calculating how many atoms wide each letter would be, based on atomic spacing of 5x10^(-10)m. One user notes the challenge of determining the average area of a pinhead compared to the Britannica's content, while another suggests calculating the area of the pinhead and estimating the average number of letters per word. The conversation emphasizes the need for accurate measurements and assumptions to solve the problem effectively. The thread highlights the intersection of physics and mathematics in addressing this intriguing question.
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Homework Statement


Richard Feynman propsed writing the entrie Encyclopaedia Brittanica on the head of a pin.
1) Estimate the size of the letters needed if we suppose a pinhead is 1/16 in across.
2) If the atomic spacing is 5x10^(-10)m, how many atoms across is each letter?

Homework Equations




The Attempt at a Solution


So I assume that the average Britannica contains 50 million words, but what I need is the average areas of a pinhead compared to Britannica (which I can't figure out how to get values of).
I've also estimated the answer to be 10^(-8) atoms from some articles I have read, but I unfortunately can't come up how to get that solution.

A little help please? It's due tomorrow morning
 
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Welcome to Physics Forums.

You are given the size of the pinhead, assuming that it is circular, you can then determine the area of the pin head.

The next step is then to estimate the average number of letters in a word - such things are undoubtedly available on the internet.
 

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