I first learned about the Drake equation in the very first class I ever attended at Pitt. It was called "Intelligent Life in the Universe," and the long-term goal of the class was to tangibly estimate the likelihood of human-like species existing elsewhere in the Universe. The equation (which was the culminating lesson of the course), was formulated by Dr. Frank Drake in 1960. Basically, what the formula does is take all of the variables involved in determining the existence of aliens (number of stars in the Universe, number of galaxies, evolutionary conditions, etc.) and enables a rough estimate for the number of intelligent civilizations in the Universe at a given time.
The clip below shows Sagan guiding the viewer through the equation. The kicker comes at the end, though--the difference between an incredibly populated Universe and a barren one hinges on civilizations' ability not to destroy themselves. In other words, if intelligent societies can avoid self-destruction, then the Universe is likely filled with worlds such as our own.
Yet another case for the disarmament of Iran.
Ha! Loved that bit at the end. Very subtle, almost missed it. Thanks for explaining this equation. Now I don't feel so astro-retarded.
ReplyDeleteAnd my friend took that class freshman year and loved it. Doesn't it fulfill a nat sci gen ed? Do you recommend it?
Also--you said something in class about questions you had about your blog, but I can't remember specifically what they were. Do you wanna post them in a comment?
I took this class the first semester of my freshman year as well. Charlie Jones what? what? here is his rating on RMP http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=88729
ReplyDeletehe got a good one. But yeah I vaguely remember the Drake Equation, which really sums up the entire point of the class: whether or not there is intelligent life in the universe somewhere other than our humble little Earth. Clearly as shown by the Drake Equation, there isn't a whole lot of chance, less than 10 possible civilizations in our Milky Way Galaxy? This topic is so debatable that I don't think we can really pin a number on it. Its worth checking out Steven Hawking on this question. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brief_History_of_Time