As we grapple with the pandemic, you are probably wondering what this course adds to your daily life. At first glance you probably think – not much. But let’s take a deeper look. This course is about scientific literacy taught through the window of astronomy. So, what have you learned? What do the words million, billion, and trillion really mean?

Let me give you an example: A million dollars in thousand-dollar bills (which don’t exist!) is 4 inches high. I verified this because a packet of copy paper with 500 sheets is 2 inches thick. But a billion dollars is 1000 x 4 inches = 4000 inches or 333 ft. But a trillion dollars would extend more than 60 miles into space.

In the lab called Scale of the Solar System you drew the planets to scale to give you a sense of their size and another figure to show their relative distances. You calculated the Mass of Jupiter by using data for the position of Callisto. Even if you did not get the exact answer mathematically, you learned the methods and experienced the challenges. What have these exercises added to your interpretive skills?

So, for the purpose of this forum find a number and use your analytical skills to put it into perspective. Please give the link or cite the source used for this information.

Here are some ideas, but you can use anything of interest.

How many leaves are there on a tree? How does the cost of a Super Bowl ad compare to the budget of the American Red Cross? What percentage of people on Earth do not have access to clean water? How long does it take for a plastic bag to decompose?

Choose only one number, give the link from which you got the information, and add your perspective (opinion). Please respond to this forum by Nov 30. You may respond to other classmates, but it is not required.