B How Do We Calculate the Number of Atoms in the Universe?

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Calculating the number of atoms in the universe post-Big Bang is complex, as atoms only became stable after the recombination epoch, approximately 380,000 years later. The observable universe has an average density of about 0.25 atoms per cubic meter, contributing to roughly 4.9% of the total energy density according to the Lambda-CDM model. The remaining energy density consists of dark matter, dark energy, neutrinos, and electromagnetic radiation. Estimating a total number of atoms is challenging due to the potential infinite extent of the universe. Thus, while density can be measured, the total number of atoms remains an elusive figure.
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how do we calculated the number of atoms at the start , after big bang?
hi, how do we calculated the number of atoms at the start of universe i.e, after big bang?
 
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In what part of the universe? To the best of our knowledge it is highly possible that the universe is infinite in extent and therefore contains an infinite amount of atoms.
 
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zaman786 said:
TL;DR Summary: how do we calculated the number of atoms at the start , after big bang?

hi, how do we calculated the number of atoms at the start of universe i.e, after big bang?
Technically, atoms couldn't form and remain stable until the recombination epoch, about 380,000 years after the Big Bang. Some of the best evidence for the Big Bang theory itself, comes from the analysis of the expected proportion of light elements during this initial phase of nucleosynthesis.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recombination_(cosmology)
 
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I think the OP asks a good question, which I will gently re-phrase:

How can one estimate/calculate the Eddington number? Is this a reasonable effort?
 
From the observed intensity of the microwave background radiation, you can approximate the number density of hydrogen atoms that produced it...
 
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Are you sure?
 
Vanadium 50 said:
Are you sure?
Wikipedia says 0.25 per cubic meter in the observable universe.
In the observable universe, atoms have an average density of 0.25 atoms/m³. According to the Big Bang model (Lambda-CDM model), they make up around 4.9 percent of the total energy density. The remaining 95.1 percent, whose nature is still largely unclear, is composed of about 27 percent dark matter and 68 percent dark energy, as well as small contributions from neutrinos and electromagnetic radiation.
Their references are
https://physicsworld.com/a/planck-reveals-almost-perfect-universe/
https://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0406095
 
I got it - number density, not number. The question was number, not density, and as mentioned, number is problematic as the universe may be infinite.
 
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