POWER OF 10

FROM MICRO TO
MACROCOSMOS
This is a trip at high speed,
jumping distances by factor of 10.
Start with 10
0
equivaIent to 1 meter, and increasing sizes by
factor of 10s ,or 10
1
(10 meters), 10
2
(10x10 = 100 meters, 10
3
(10x10x10 = 1.000 meters), 10
4
(10x10x10x10 = 10.000 meters),
so on, untiI the Iimit of our inmagination in direction to the
macrocosmos.
Later Iet's return, a IittIe faster, up to the point where we
started and continue our trip in the opposite direction
reducing distances of traveI by factors of 10 into the
microcosmos.
Observe the constancy of the Iaws of the universe and think
about how much the human race stiII needs to Iearn...
ON VOYAGE!
istance
to a bunch
of Ieaves,
in the
garden
10
0
1 meter
Start our trip
upwards ....
We couId see
the foIiage.
10
1
10 meters
At this distance
we can see the
Iimits of the
forest and the
edifications
10
2
100 meters
We wiII pass
from meters to
kiIometers..
Now it is
possibIe to
jump with a
parachute ...
10
3
1 km
The city couId
be observed
but we reaIIy
can not see the
houses
10
4
10 km
At this height,
the state of
FIrida - USA,
can be seen..
10
5
100 km
TypicaI sight
from a sateIIite
10
6
1.000 km
The north
hemisphere of
Earth, and part of
South America
10
7
10.000 km
The Earth
starts
Iooking
smaII...
10
8
100.000 km
The Earth
and the
Moon's rbit
in white....
10
9
1 miIIn de km
Part of the
Earth's Orbit
in bIue
10
10
10 MiIIons de km
10
11
100 miIIons de km
rbits of:
Venus and
Earth...
rbits of:
Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars and
Jpiter.
10
12
1 biIIn de km
At this height
of our trip, we
couId
observe the
SoIar System
and the orbits
of the pIanets
10
13
10 biIIons de km
10
14
100 iIIons de km
The SoIar
System starts
Iooking smaII...
The Sun now is
a smaII star in
the middIe of
thousands of
stars...
10
15
1 triIIn de km
At one Iight-year
the IittIe Sun star
is very smaII
10
16
1 Iight-year
ere we wiII see
nothing in the
infinity....
10
17
10 Iight-year
Nothing"
OnIy stars and
NebuIae...
10
18
100 Iight-years
10
19
1,000 Iight-years
At this distance
we started
traveIIing the
Via-Lctea
(MiIky Way), our
gaIaxy.
We continued
our traveI inside
the Via-Lctea.
10
20
10,000 Iight-years
We started
reaching the
periphery of
the Via-Lctea
10
21
100,000 Iight-years
At this
tremendous
distance we
couId see aII the
Via-Lctea &
other gaIxies
too...
10
22
1 miIIin Iight-years
From this distance, aII the gaIaxies
Iook smaII with inmense empty
spaces in between.
The same Iaws are ruIing in aII
bodies of the Universe.
We couId continue traveIing
upwards with our imagination, but
now we wiII return home quickIy
10
23
- 10 miIIion Iight-years
10
22
10
21
10
20
10
19
10
18
10
17
10
16
10
15
10
14
10
13
10
12
10
11
10
10
10
9
10
8
10
7
10
6
10
5
10
4
Questions that come to
our minds ...
Who are we?
Where are we going?
From where did we
come from?
10
3
Or... What do we
represent in the
Universe?
10
2
In this trip
upwards" we went
to the power of 23 of
10
10
1
Now we are going to
dig inside of the
matter in an inverse
trip...
We arrived at our starting
point.
We couId reach it with our
arms...
10
0
Getting cIoser
at 10 cm ...We
can deIineate
the Ieaves.
10
-1
10 Centmeters
At this distance
it is possibIe to
observe the
structure
of the Ieaf.
10
-2
1 Centmeter
The ceIIuIar
structures start
showing...
10
-3
1 MiIImeter
The ceIIs
can be
defined.
You couId
see the
union
between
them.
10
-4
100 microns
Start our trip
inside the
ceII
10
-5
10 microns
The nucIeus
of the ceII is
visibIe.
10
-6
1 micrn
Again we changed
the messuring unit
to adapt to the
minscuIe size.
You couId see the
chromosomes.
10
-7
1.000
Angstroms
In this micro
universe the
NA chain is
visibIe.
10
-8
100 Angstroms
...the
chromosmes
bIocks can be
studied.
10
-9
10 Angstroms
It appears Iike
cIouds of
eIectrons... These
are carbon toms
that formed our
worId.
You couId notice the
resembIance of the
microcosmos with
the macrocosmos...
10
-10
1 Angstrom
In this
miniature
worId we
couId observe
the eIectrons
orbiting the
atoms.
10
-11
10 picmeters
An inmense empty space
between the nucIeous and
the eIectron orbits...
10
-12
1 Picmeter
At this incredibIe and
minuscuIe size we
couId observe the
nuceous of the atom.
10
-13
100 Fentmeters
Now we couId
observe the
nucIeous of the
carbon atom
10
-14
10 Fentmeters
ere we are in the fieId
of the scientific
imagination, face to
face with a proton.
10
-15
1 Fentmeter
Examine the 'quark'
partcuIes
There is nowhere
more to go...
At the Iimits of
current scientific
knowIedge .
This is the Iimit of
matter...
10
-16
100 Atmeters
And now ...Are you the center of the universe?
Are you the speciaI creature of the Creatin?
What is behind those Iimits? Are there any Iimits?
Note that going downwards" we couId onIy go to the
power of minus 16of 10 and reached the (known?) Iimits of
matter... ut upwards we went to the power of 23 of 10 and
stopped... ut reaIIy we couId have continued our trip with
out Iimits to our imagination!!!!
... then?
...who says that we are aIone in the universe?
EN !