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Suppose the boss has a great idea…

Suppose the boss has a great idea…. Order of magnitude estimate Enrico Fermi was famous for these Here are the guidelines: Keep factors less than 10 if well known Use comparison data if available Just measure, if it’s feasible

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Suppose the boss has a great idea…

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  1. Suppose the boss has a great idea… • Order of magnitude estimate • Enrico Fermi was famous for these • Here are the guidelines: • Keep factors less than 10 if well known • Use comparison data if available • Just measure, if it’s feasible • If all else fails, use the most reasonable power of 10: 1, 10, 100, 1000, etc. • Remember: the answer is only accurate to about one (or even two) factors of 10.

  2. Let’s try some examples • Number of kernels of corn grown in McLean County last year. • Radius of the earth • Mass of the earth • Assuming air molecules are spread randomly, how many of the molecules in your last breath were in the last breath of Julius Caesar?

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