| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Michael Varney" |
| Date: |
30 Dec 2005 02:18:51 PM |
| Object: |
Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
Fermi Problem of the Day # 2
Fermi problems, both politically correct and not. All you need is common
sense and some basic physics and math skills. Sometimes even less!
Liquid Sugar (PC)
A friend and I were walking around the mall waiting for the movie
theater to open. We were lamenting how much the tickets would cost, and
formulating plans to smuggle food into the theater. Why in the hell
should we spend more on the snacks than on the tickets? Like a flash out
of the blue a Fermi problem presented itself to help us while away the time:
---- Start Fermi Problem ----
How much soda pop do Americans drink each day?
If you could put all that soda into a cubic container, what would the
containers dimensions be?
How much sugar energy is represented?
How long would that energy power an average home?
---- End Fermi Problem ----
As is usual for a Fermi problem, we are only concerned with accuracy of
an order of magnitude.
You can look up certain numbers such as kilo calories per gram of sugar
if you don't know it, but in a Fermi problem one should use common sense
and reasonable guesses rather than looking up numbers. And since most of
you do not carry a calculator around everywhere, you should be facile
with numbers.
Have fun... and don't be too surprised with the answers you get!
---
Fermi Problem of the Day
Website:
http://fermiproblemoftheday.blogspot.com
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| User: "tj Frazir" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 02:52:39 PM |
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300 x 100 x 100 feet container of pop a day.
100 million cans .
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
31 Dec 2005 10:08:18 PM |
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Better question:
Could not there be a better way of obtaining the CO2 in those sodas,
than the method used here, of pouring acid into a limestone formation,
and thus contributing significantly to CO2 atmospheric content?
(Dunno why greenies aren't on their case)
Jim G
c'=c+v
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
03 Jan 2006 09:32:52 AM |
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wrote:
Better question:
Could not there be a better way of obtaining the CO2 in those sodas,
than the method used here, of pouring acid into a limestone formation,
and thus contributing significantly to CO2 atmospheric content?
(Dunno why greenies aren't on their case)
Jim G
c'=c+v
There are much more efficient ways of doing this that only require a
basic knowledge of general chemistry, the problem is that they're not
so easily scaled to a large industrial volume. Hence they're not
economically viable, or so the saying goes.
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| User: "Richard Herring" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
11 Jan 2006 10:33:16 AM |
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In message <1136088498.186749.231710@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"jgreenfield@seol.net.au" <jgreen@seol.net.au> writes
Better question:
Could not there be a better way of obtaining the CO2 in those sodas,
than the method used here, of pouring acid into a limestone formation,
and thus contributing significantly to CO2 atmospheric content?
Isn't most industrial CO2 made from biomass or hydrocarbons as a
by-product of alcohol, hydrogen or ammonia manufacture?
--
Richard Herring
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
11 Jan 2006 08:44:35 PM |
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Richard Herring wrote:
In message <1136088498.186749.231710@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
"jgreenfield@seol.net.au" <jgreen@seol.net.au> writes
Better question:
Could not there be a better way of obtaining the CO2 in those sodas,
than the method used here, of pouring acid into a limestone formation,
and thus contributing significantly to CO2 atmospheric content?
Isn't most industrial CO2 made from biomass or hydrocarbons as a
by-product of alcohol, hydrogen or ammonia manufacture?
--
Richard Herring
I hope so. It would only be vented to atmosphere anyway.
Come to think of it, it has been awhile since I saw the CO2 tankers in
these parts
(where the underground limestone formation is)
JG
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| User: "Gregory L. Hansen" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
02 Jan 2006 07:22:23 PM |
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In article <dp44nd$lv9$1@peabody.colorado.edu>,
Michael Varney <varney@collorado.edu> wrote:
Fermi Problem of the Day # 2
Fermi problems, both politically correct and not. All you need is common
sense and some basic physics and math skills. Sometimes even less!
Liquid Sugar (PC)
A friend and I were walking around the mall waiting for the movie
theater to open. We were lamenting how much the tickets would cost, and
formulating plans to smuggle food into the theater. Why in the hell
should we spend more on the snacks than on the tickets? Like a flash out
of the blue a Fermi problem presented itself to help us while away the time:
---- Start Fermi Problem ----
How much soda pop do Americans drink each day?
If you could put all that soda into a cubic container, what would the
containers dimensions be?
How much sugar energy is represented?
How long would that energy power an average home?
---- End Fermi Problem ----
Assume one can per person per day, 12 ounces * 260 million cans per day =
90 Gg per day, 90,000 m^3, a cube 44 meters per side. 260 million * 39
g = 10,000 tons of sugar per day. 260 million * 140 calories = 2e14
joules per day.
Bibliography
------------
12 ounce can of Coca-Cola Classic.
--
"I fart for joy and I laugh more than if I had cast my old age, as a
serpent does its skin." -- Aristophanes, Peace, 421 BC
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| User: "Gerard 46" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
02 Jan 2006 09:19:57 PM |
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| Gregory L. Hansen wrote:
|>Michael Varney wrote:
|>Fermi Problem of the Day # 2
|>Fermi problems, both politically correct and not. All you need is common
|>sense and some basic physics and math skills. Sometimes even less!
|>
|>Liquid Sugar (PC)
|>A friend and I were walking around the mall waiting for the movie
|>theater to open. We were lamenting how much the tickets would cost, and
|>formulating plans to smuggle food into the theater. Why in the hell
|>should we spend more on the snacks than on the tickets? Like a flash out
|>of the blue a Fermi problem presented itself to help us while away the
time:
|>---- Start Fermi Problem ----
|>How much soda pop do Americans drink each day?
|>
|>If you could put all that soda into a cubic container, what would the
|>containers dimensions be?
|>
|>How much sugar energy is represented?
|>
|>How long would that energy power an average home?
|>---- End Fermi Problem ----
| Assume one can per person per day, 12 ounces * 260 million cans per day =
| 90 Gg per day, 90,000 m^3, a cube 44 meters per side. 260 million * 39
| g = 10,000 tons of sugar per day. 260 million * 140 calories = 2e14
| joules per day.
You also have to assume that not ALL sode has sugar in it.... maybe half
the soda is diet? Maybe 2/3 ? _______________________________Gerard S.
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| User: "Traveler" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 02:28:42 PM |
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On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 13:18:51 -0700, Michael Varney
<varney@collorado.edu> wrote:
Fermi Problem of the Day
I got an anti-Fermi problem for you, Varnette, but equally
interesting. If you could put all the asses you kissed in 2005 into a
single cube container, what would be the measurements of the
container? ahahaha... Happy new year, Mr. ***** kisser. ahahaha...
AHAHAHA... ahahaha...
Louis Savain
Why Software Is Bad and What We Can Do to Fix It:
http://www.rebelscience.org/Cosas/Reliability.htm
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| User: "John" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 09:28:33 PM |
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"Traveler" <traveler@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:qu5br1t4ioodh7s84n369q3p4vtl4666ou@4ax.com...
On Fri, 30 Dec 2005 13:18:51 -0700, Michael Varney
<varney@collorado.edu> wrote:
Fermi Problem of the Day
I got an anti-Fermi problem for you, Varnette, but equally
interesting. If you could put all the asses you kissed in 2005 into a
single cube container, what would be the measurements of the
container? ahahaha... Happy new year, Mr. ***** kisser. ahahaha...
AHAHAHA... ahahaha...
Louis Savain
Why Software Is Bad and What We Can Do to Fix It:
http://www.rebelscience.org/Cosas/Reliability.htm
Troll
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| User: "tj Frazir" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
31 Dec 2005 01:12:05 PM |
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johns a dumbfuck .
johns just another poor dumbfuck.
Im Fraser as in billionaire nexfor fraser.
12 of the big boats are mine moron.
Your new and wet behind your ears dumbass.
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 02:32:24 PM |
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How much soda pop do Americans drink each day?
**********
And what piece of ***** fucking country are you a proud citizen of?
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| User: "John" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 09:28:05 PM |
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<donstockbauer@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1135974744.174025.15570@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
How much soda pop do Americans drink each day?
**********
And what piece of ***** fucking country are you a proud citizen of?
Troll
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| User: "tj Frazir" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 02:48:36 PM |
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fermi is allwas done in my head befor I invest time .
250 shiploads of trades all started with fermi.
thats how I hunt down 50 cents a pound.
thats how I count the trees in my forest and how I pick the 200,000
tons for toilet paper soft white pulp.
the same way I calculated the mass and sze of the universe and the size
of the mass outside the universe.
how I know there is 165 trillion in usa .
how I made 18 billion in my life so far.
first I calculate answers in my head .
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| User: "John" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 09:28:17 PM |
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"tj Frazir" <GravityPhysics@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:29462-43B59D24-239@storefull-3216.bay.webtv.net...
fermi is allwas done in my head befor I invest time .
250 shiploads of trades all started with fermi.
thats how I hunt down 50 cents a pound.
thats how I count the trees in my forest and how I pick the 200,000
tons for toilet paper soft white pulp.
the same way I calculated the mass and sze of the universe and the size
of the mass outside the universe.
how I know there is 165 trillion in usa .
how I made 18 billion in my life so far.
first I calculate answers in my head .
Troll
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| User: "Gerard 46" |
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| Title: Re: Fermi Problem of the Day, # 2, 12-30-2005 |
30 Dec 2005 05:56:20 PM |
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| Michael Varney wrote:
| Fermi Problem of the Day # 2
|
| Fermi problems, both politically correct and not. All you need is common
| sense and some basic physics and math skills. Sometimes even less!
|
| Liquid Sugar (PC)
|
| A friend and I were walking around the mall waiting for the movie
| theater to open. We were lamenting how much the tickets would cost, and
| formulating plans to smuggle food into the theater. Why in the hell
| should we spend more on the snacks than on the tickets? Like a flash out
| of the blue a Fermi problem presented itself to help us while away the
time:
|
| ---- Start Fermi Problem ----
|
| How much soda pop do Americans drink each day?
|
| If you could put all that soda into a cubic container, what would the
| containers dimensions be?
|
| How much sugar energy is represented?
.... guesing that half of all sode is sugar-free ? ________________Gerard S.
| How long would that energy power an average home?
|
| ---- End Fermi Problem ----
|
| As is usual for a Fermi problem, we are only concerned with accuracy of
| an order of magnitude.
| You can look up certain numbers such as kilo calories per gram of sugar
| if you don't know it, but in a Fermi problem one should use common sense
| and reasonable guesses rather than looking up numbers. And since most of
| you do not carry a calculator around everywhere, you should be facile
| with numbers.
|
| Have fun... and don't be too surprised with the answers you get!
.
|
|
|
|
|
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