Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the drug store, but that's just peanuts to space.
- Douglas Adams
The Universe is a big place. It very difficult for us to even imagine just how large it is. When we consider the size of the universe, we are dealing with numbers much larger than we are used to. This filamentality aims to help you grasp the vastness of space and gain an understanding of what it means.
Finally, we'll consider the idea of life in outerspace. Given the vastness of space, how likely is it that life exists elsewhere in the universe?
Read through the questions so you have some ideas in mind of the information you are looking for. As you go through each resource, answer the questions. Some of the questions may require some basic computations to answer.
When you are done, look at the Big Question at the end, but do not answer it. We will discuss all of the information in class first and then you can answer the final question.. The answer to this question should be the result of thinking through all the information. I am looking for your opinion, but it's important that you support that opinion with facts.
Remember, before answering this question, the class will participate in a group discussion covering the information in this filamentality and the Drake Equation.
Given the vastness of space, how likely do you think it is that life exists in places other than earth? How would society change if we discovered intelligent life someplace other than earth?