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The Casey Number
The volume of the Universe is 1078 cubic meters. Each cubic meter contains 10105 cubic Planck lengths. The nature of a Planck length is that if two objects come within one Planck length of each other, then they become one object, because no one can not distinguish a difference in location between two objects that are within one Planck length of each other. This means that there are a maximum of 10183 different objects (one for each location) in the Universe. I suspect that there are objects within each cubic Planck length of the Universe. Even if there is not a nameable object within each cubic Planck length, each cubic Planck length itself can be considered and object. That means that the number of cubic Planck lengths is the number of particles (I may be stretching the definition of particle to call a cubic Planck length a particle, but that's my prerogative. If you don't like it, then write your own book.)
A collection of a peahen and her chicks just came by. I fed them some grapes. One at a time. It was really neat to see the grape move down the throat. It kind of goes off to the side as it goes down. They were perplexed by the desire to leave me alone and the desire to eat the grapes. It was an interesting study of psychology. I managed a behavior that they tolerated enough to stay until the grapes were gone. And almost if not all of the six chicks and their mother got at least one grape. Some were quicker than others. Some were more concerned with eating the grapes than avoiding someone they weren't familiar with. One got more grapes than any of the others. He behaved rather aggressively; he wanted those grapes!
The Universe is now fifteen billion years old. It will begin to collapse when it is approximately 1033 years old. 1033 years worth of jiffies is 1083 jiffies. The Universe will mature when it is 1083 jiffies old. At that time the Universe will contain 10249 cubic Planck lengths. At that time the Universe will have contained fewer than 10332 different particles. Since each one of these particles is identified by its interactions (mediated by integral-spin particles such as photons) with each other particle, the problem of including the number of integral-spin particles (these do not adhere to the Pauli Exclusion Principle so more than one can exist in the same location) arises. The number of possible interactions for each force acting between each one particle and every other particle is 10664. If there are fewer than ten forces (we know of four), then the total number of particles plus interactions is less than 10665. Therefore, in the measurable Universe there is no meaningful number greater than 10665. This is the biggest practical number. Yahoo! I've got it! The Casey number is the maximum objectively meaningful number - 10665, just over a googol to the sixth power. Wow. I'm famous now. I have a number named after me. I can almost feel my head swelling. All I have to do is tell everyone about it. Oh, well, such is life.
Those of us who enjoy science get a great thrill when others enjoy it also. |