Lots of Molecules!

Most recent answer: 10/22/2007

Q:
’ve found a lot of people claiming that [take your pick] has a number of combinations that is larger than the number of molecules in the known universe. Now, I know that there are a lot of ways to fold proteins or play the game ’go’, but I was wondering roughly how many molecules this was. How many molecules are there in the universe?
- Doug Grim (age 22)
Procrastinators Club, Chicago, IL, USA
A:
Hi Doug. It was kind of strange to see a question from you. I don’t know if you know who this is, but check the pictures from our last few shows to see if you recognize anyone. I couldn’t find an answer to how many molecules are in the universe, but here’s a website that gives an idea of how many atoms there are:

Hope this helps!

-Jen

(published on 10/22/2007)