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Which Is Greater, The Number Of Sand Grains On Earth Or Stars In The Sky?

It’s one of those classic questions that have tickled the human brain for ages. Let’s take something whose scale we have no way of reconciling, like the number of stars, and compare it to something else whose scale is completely neuron-warping, like the number of grains of sand on every beach.

Which is bigger?

This likely isn’t the first time you’ve heard this mind-bender. So I won’t be spoiling it by telling you that stars win … big-time. The universe is a very large place.

But we don’t have to go big to beat the stars. You’ll never guess how little of a certain common liquid it takes to beat both of those numbers … I’ll leave that to Robert.

    • #science
    • #mind bender
    • #stars
    • #grains of sand
    • #water
    • #npr
    • #robert krulwich
  • 8 months ago
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I'm Joe Hanson, Ph.D. biologist and host/writer of PBS Digital Studios' It's Okay To Be Smart. Check out my "Episode Extras" here. There's a lot of amazing science out there. Let's go discover it together.

"Everyone's favorite Feynman of the Tumblr era" - Maria Popova

Joe's science book recommendations, from brains to biology to space to art to physics.

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