[Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Radiolab: What is the most average size thing

Mon Dec 30 14:14:39 PST 2024

It is a good video, and pretty obvious for any engineer, but is the type of thing that every 10th grader should see.

John Rudy

781-861-0402

781-718-8334  cell

13 Hawthorne Lane

Bedford MA

 <mailto:jjrudy1 at comcast.net> jjrudy1 at comcast.net

From: LCTG <lctg-bounces+jjrudy1=comcast.net at lists.toku.us> On Behalf Of Mitchell I. Wolfe via LCTG
Sent: Monday, December 30, 2024 4:18 PM
To: Mitchell I. Wolfe <mwolfe at vinebrook.com>
Cc: Lexington Computer and Technology Group <lctg at lists.toku.us>
Subject: Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Radiolab: What is the most average size thing

I found a one hour youtube presentation <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV8GH1ZPLG4>  by the first author (Weinstein) on estimation. BTW he has a Ph.D. in physics from MIT 1988.

May be good for our group...

-- Mitch

On 2024-12-30 15:47, Mitchell I. Wolfe via LCTG wrote:

About a year ago, I read this book:

  Guesstimation: Solving the World's Problems on the Back of a Cocktail Napkin <https://www.amazon.com/Guesstimation-Solving-Worlds-Problems-Cocktail/dp/0691129495> 
   by Lawrence Weinstein (Author), John Adam (Author)

See the table of contents for the subject area categories.

The book and eBook are available from the Lexington Cary Library.

-- Mitch

On 2024-12-30 14:18, Ted Kochanski via LCTG wrote:

Re: - Average Size 

Suggest picking some categories and then doing what VF Weiskopf called Mountain Science [i.e. when you are hiking in the mountains with no toolto do the calculating -- make estimates of things such as how tall a mountain could be, how massive, etc

I would suggest -- what is the mean and median of objects [animate or inanimate including things created by humans intentionally and unintentionally] which float on the ocean [e.g. from micro-plankton to Whales to Very Large Crude Carriers, Post PanaMax Container Ships, Mini-city Cruise Ships, Ford Class Aircraft Carriers, etc] -- dimensions, volume and mass

Ted

On Mon, Dec 30, 2024 at 11:01 AM Carl Lazarus via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg at lists.toku.us> > wrote:

That Eames movie is wonderful.  On the Radiolab question, there is no answer because the question is too vague.  What counts as a thing?  Can you count both a collection and its components?

On Sun, Dec 29, 2024 at 9:34 PM John Rudy via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg at lists.toku.us> > wrote:

Look up powers of Ten Eames 1977

John Rudy

781-861-0402

781-718-8334  cell

13 Hawthorne Lane <https://www.google.com/maps/search/13+Hawthorne+Lane+Bedford+MA?entry=gmail&source=g> 

Bedford MA <https://www.google.com/maps/search/13+Hawthorne+Lane+Bedford+MA?entry=gmail&source=g> 

 <mailto:jjrudy1 at comcast.net> jjrudy1 at comcast.net

From: Robert Primak <bobprimak at yahoo.com <mailto:bobprimak at yahoo.com> > 
Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2024 9:28 PM
To: 'Lexington Computer and Technology Group' <lctg at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg at lists.toku.us> >; jjrudy1 at comcast.net <mailto:jjrudy1 at comcast.net> 
Subject: Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Radiolab: What is the most average size thing

That link doesn't work in the Chromium web browser.

-- Bob Primak 

On Sunday, December 29, 2024 at 09:18:05 PM EST, <jjrudy1 at comcast.net <mailto:jjrudy1 at comcast.net> > wrote: 

There was an interesting video made more than a decade ago that looked at, as I recall, size.  It started with a person, and then grew, piece by pice one order of magnitude to show what things are like at different scales.  Then it did the same thing backwards by 1/10 at s time.  I recall us showing the video at the club a long time ago.  Cannot recall what it was called.

See this video https://www.google.com/search?q=video+progressively+making+units+biggr+by+a+factor+of+10 <https://www.google.com/search?q=video+progressively+making+units+biggr+by+a+factor+of+10&rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1116US1116&oq=video+progressively+making+units+biggr+by+a+factor+of+10&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigATIHCAQQIRirAjIHCAUQIRiPAtIBCTI1MDgyajBqN6gCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f8c8d350,vid:0fKBhvDjuy0,st:0> &rlz=1C1VDKB_enUS1116US1116&oq=video+progressively+making+units+biggr+by+a+factor+of+10&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIJCAEQIRgKGKABMgkIAhAhGAoYoAEyCQgDECEYChigATIHCAQQIRirAjIHCAUQIRiPAtIBCTI1MDgyajBqN6gCCLACAQ&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:f8c8d350,vid:0fKBhvDjuy0,st:0

John Rudy

781-861-0402

781-718-8334  cell

13 Hawthorne Lane <https://www.google.com/maps/search/13+Hawthorne+Lane+Bedford+MA?entry=gmail&source=g> 

Bedford MA <https://www.google.com/maps/search/13+Hawthorne+Lane+Bedford+MA?entry=gmail&source=g> 

 <mailto:jjrudy1 at comcast.net> jjrudy1 at comcast.net

From: LCTG <lctg-bounces+jjrudy1=comcast.net at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg-bounces+jjrudy1=comcast.net at lists.toku.us> > On Behalf Of Robert Primak via LCTG
Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2024 8:47 PM
To: Lexington Computer and Technology Group <lctg at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg at lists.toku.us> >; Peter Albin <palbin24 at yahoo.com <mailto:palbin24 at yahoo.com> >
Subject: Re: [Lex Computer & Tech Group/LCTG] Radiolab: What is the most average size thing

I agree about the second part being of a nonscientific interest. But nonetheless, of some interest, I think. (Not to our group for meeting purposes, of course.)

The first part is interesting from a technology point of view. The engineers in our group are always talking about doing "back of the envelope" estimates of stuff, and that's exactly what this segment was about. As with all such estimates, certain assumptions had to be made.

I was curious about why the idea of the Universe being 10^93 meters across (based on Cosmic Inflation, not the farthest that light has ever traveled) was rejected out of hand. That would have made the estimate orders of magnitude bigger. But the use of the Planck Distance does seem reasonable, because below that size the fabric of space-time seems not to be measurable as a distance.

Interestingly enough, at least a couple of sets of their assumptions led to the same result, but that might have been confirmation bias. 

Too bad this isn't a video, because that would make it more useful for a meeting. But maybe someone in the group who is much better at math than I am might try to develop a slide show based on these estimates, and explain where some of the assumptions may have come from. 

-- Bob Primak 

On Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 09:05:16 PM EST, Peter Albin via LCTG <lctg at lists.toku.us <mailto:lctg at lists.toku.us> > wrote: 

Listen to the first half of this Radiolab podcast (~30 min) to answer 

the question:

"First, after graduating from high school, without a clear plan for what 

to do next, Laura Andrews started asking herself a lot of questions. A 

spiral of big philosophical thoughts that led her to sit down and write 

to us with a question that was... oddly mathematical.  What is the most 

average size thing, if you take into account everything in the universe. 

So, along with mathematician Steven Strogatz, we decided to see if we 

could sit down and, in a friendly throwdown of guesstimates and quick 

calculations, rough out an answer. "

http://www.wnycstudios.org/story/average-show/

If you are curious, the second segment ( specific moment in history when 

the world tried to find the "average" human body) is also interesting, 

though, less scientific!

Peter

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