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Sun 26 Jun, 2011 09:25 am
Does "by a factor of 10 to the googol power" mean:
If the possibility of obtaining a flat universe with inflation is 10, the chance of obtaining a flat universe without inflation is the googol power?
(the googol power is 100th power of 10).
Context:
Other conigurations lead to a uniform, lat universe directly—without inlation. Both sets of configurations are rare, so obtaining a lat universe is unlikely overall. Penrose’s shocking conclusion, though, was that obtaining a flat universe without inflation is much more likely than with inflation—by a factor of 10 to the googol power!
It means that ten is multiplied by itself one hundred times. I really don't understand why you are asking the question--it would be a one followed by 101 zeroes--it's a lot easier and more comprehensible (to mathmeticians, at least) to write it that way.
@Setanta,
Not quite.
a googol = 10^100
10^googol (which is what the question was about) is a googolplex, and it's MUCH larger
@oristarA,
It just means a really large amount, so large that you really can't comprehend it.
@Setanta,
Setanta wrote:
It means that ten is multiplied by itself one hundred times. I really don't understand why you are asking the question--it would be a one followed by 101 zeroes--it's a lot easier and more comprehensible (to mathmeticians, at least) to write it that way.
It is a matter about the form of English expression.
All my dictionaries use "100th power of 10" to express "10^100". That is, the googol power is 100th power of 10.
So in your opinion "10^100" can be rendered as "a factor of 10 to the googol power"?
@oolongteasup,
Good song, but I don't see how it ties in to the discussion.
@markr,
Notwithstanding your answer that ... kid sure plays a mean pinball.
@oristarA,
You are being too literal here. The author did not really mean the number 10^(10^100), he just meant an insanely large number. It's hyperbole.
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