PHYS 3344
Fermi problems
- Estimate the total mass of the Earth's atmosphere.
- Estimate the total volume of air that a person inhales
into their lungs during their lifetime.
- Estimate the total number of pages a college student turns while
doing course related work during their undergraduate career.
- Estimate the total gravitational potential energy (relative to
their position when resting on the ground) of all the world's
commercial airplanes (and jets) during a weekday before
sundown, Central Standard Time.
- Estimate the total amount of solar energy that falls on Texas during
August.
- Estimate the mass of all the clouds in the Texas sky during
a spring day.
- What is the total surface area of all the leaves on a typical
maple tree?
- What is the total mass of the air in the Dedman Biology building?
- Estimate the mean total kinetic energy of all the Earth's
inhabitants due to walking or running averaged over a 24-hr period.
- Compare the total energy per year consumed
by driving gasoline powered cars in the US with
the Earth's rotational kinetic energy.
- How many grains of salt are contained in a
typical 1 lb container of salt found
at the grocery store?
- What is the total volume of ink contained
in all the pens currently owned by SMU students?
- Estimate the total number of words spoken by
a professor during a typical 50 minute lecture.
- What is the total volume of water drunk by an American
in her lifetime?
- What is the volume of the average adult human body?
- What is the total number of atoms in your body?
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