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What is the most common manmade object?
Daughter asked me this the other day and we settled on nails/screws. I personally think it's something else but couldn't give her an answer she couldn't explain should she be asked to so settled for screws or nails. I think its resistors or capacitors myself, individually there are dozens in every electronic device. Transistors tend to be part of an integrated curcuit (chip) and would outnumber transistors and capacitors millions of times. Why won't my brain stop thinking about this?
What's your guess?
Post edited at 18:39
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In reply to wilkie14c:
I would say screws would be right up there, there are literally millions of them in nearly everything manmade
I would say screws would be right up there, there are literally millions of them in nearly everything manmade
In reply to wilkie14c:
Depends on the definition of common.
Is it most often found or most of.
I would go for shoes. There are places you can go that have no nails or computers but the people wear shoes.
Depends on the definition of common.
Is it most often found or most of.
I would go for shoes. There are places you can go that have no nails or computers but the people wear shoes.
In reply to wilkie14c:
Poo, I make at least 2 a day so extrapolate that out and you get over 84,000,000,000 a week. Although that assumes that women's ones are included.
Poo, I make at least 2 a day so extrapolate that out and you get over 84,000,000,000 a week. Although that assumes that women's ones are included.
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In reply to gethin_allen:
Or bog paper? However I don't think that counts as they don't made invididual sheets or even rolls, just one massive roll the cut into smaller bits. Daugherling actually suggested paper but we discussed asked it being made in one giant roll then cut down smaller later.
Shoes is a good suggestion however my house alone would wipe out 100's of houses somewhere that had shoes but no electronics when it comes to electronic components.
I'll bet bullets outnumber shoes in a few countries
Or bog paper? However I don't think that counts as they don't made invididual sheets or even rolls, just one massive roll the cut into smaller bits. Daugherling actually suggested paper but we discussed asked it being made in one giant roll then cut down smaller later.
Shoes is a good suggestion however my house alone would wipe out 100's of houses somewhere that had shoes but no electronics when it comes to electronic components.
I'll bet bullets outnumber shoes in a few countries
In reply to wilkie14c:
Plastic drinks bottles or carrier bags? Used once and remain for decades or more. Got to outnumber screws or shoes.
Plastic drinks bottles or carrier bags? Used once and remain for decades or more. Got to outnumber screws or shoes.
In reply to wilkie14c:
> Another Great guess.
> Loom bands?
A good guess, based on an inspection of my house!
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In reply to wilkie14c:
I´d think it´s a contest between fasteners (nails/screws), bricks or sheets of paper. The circuits in a chip aren´t objects, the chip is the object, otherwise letters are going to take some beating.
I´d think it´s a contest between fasteners (nails/screws), bricks or sheets of paper. The circuits in a chip aren´t objects, the chip is the object, otherwise letters are going to take some beating.
In reply to wilkie14c:
Skin dust.
This must be true. I've just changed my boxers and loads flew out!
Skin dust.
This must be true. I've just changed my boxers and loads flew out!
Post edited at 19:43
In reply to wilkie14c:
Plastic particles / beads - varying in size from the microbeads that you probably don't realise are in your cosmetics / toothpaste through the beads that most everyday plastic items will actually be moulded out of up to expanded polystyrene packaging.
Plastic particles / beads - varying in size from the microbeads that you probably don't realise are in your cosmetics / toothpaste through the beads that most everyday plastic items will actually be moulded out of up to expanded polystyrene packaging.
In reply to jimtitt:
Resistors and capacitors are individual objects that you can hold in your finger tips, if transistors were offered up though it is correct they are part of a chip as you say and couldn't be classed as an individual object. I bet it won't be many years before led 'bulbs' top the list, every house and car has many these days and all the gagets and Xmas tree lights....
I wonder if ppi claim firms can be classed as a man made object?
Resistors and capacitors are individual objects that you can hold in your finger tips, if transistors were offered up though it is correct they are part of a chip as you say and couldn't be classed as an individual object. I bet it won't be many years before led 'bulbs' top the list, every house and car has many these days and all the gagets and Xmas tree lights....
I wonder if ppi claim firms can be classed as a man made object?
In reply to Ron Rees Davies:
Got to be the winner?!
> Plastic particles / beads - varying in size from the microbeads that you probably don't realise are in your cosmetics / toothpaste through the beads that most everyday plastic items will actually be moulded out of up to expanded polystyrene packaging.
Got to be the winner?!
In reply to wilkie14c:
Buttons, nails, disposable nappies, odd socks, books, staples, ball bearings, spoons.. tough one, as it will vary across nations.
Buttons, nails, disposable nappies, odd socks, books, staples, ball bearings, spoons.. tough one, as it will vary across nations.
In reply to wilkie14c:
CO2 molecules. ~10^20 per breath, for 20 breaths a minute for 8 billion odd humans.
CO2 molecules. ~10^20 per breath, for 20 breaths a minute for 8 billion odd humans.
In reply to wilkie14c:
Bricks should be up there, especially as they do cross all cultures and timeframes.
Bricks should be up there, especially as they do cross all cultures and timeframes.
In reply to minimike:
Minimike - I did think about CO2 molecules, and then started reasoning that for each glucose molecule burned you get 6x CO2 molecules but a yeild of around 30 ATP molecules, so ATP would be a more common product than CO2.
There are probably many more biochemical molecules that are more common. However these are not just made by man but by other living organisms as well so can they be justifiably called 'Man made'?
(Quiet night shift........)
Minimike - I did think about CO2 molecules, and then started reasoning that for each glucose molecule burned you get 6x CO2 molecules but a yeild of around 30 ATP molecules, so ATP would be a more common product than CO2.
There are probably many more biochemical molecules that are more common. However these are not just made by man but by other living organisms as well so can they be justifiably called 'Man made'?
(Quiet night shift........)
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In reply to wilkie14c:
Cheap nasty carabiners made in China ?? Seem to be a lot of those on fleabay!
Cheap nasty carabiners made in China ?? Seem to be a lot of those on fleabay!
In reply to wilkie14c:
I'm going for coins. I'm not that confident though. Thinking on, I think we have more pens than coins in the house.
I'm going for coins. I'm not that confident though. Thinking on, I think we have more pens than coins in the house.
In reply to Ron Rees Davies:
Yeah but we don't emit ATP.. Although I suppose taking this all to it's ridiculous limit the answer is photons (infrared ones).
But I don't think you can claim to have made photons, so I'll stick with co2.
I don't think it matters if animals and rocks make them too..
Yeah but we don't emit ATP.. Although I suppose taking this all to it's ridiculous limit the answer is photons (infrared ones).
But I don't think you can claim to have made photons, so I'll stick with co2.
I don't think it matters if animals and rocks make them too..
Post edited at 20:53
In reply to wilkie14c:
My money is on either babies or cotton/thread/twine style stuff
Either that or its some plastic synthetic derivative.
There is also a shitload of tarmac and concrete around the world.
My money is on either babies or cotton/thread/twine style stuff
Either that or its some plastic synthetic derivative.
There is also a shitload of tarmac and concrete around the world.
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In reply to wilkie14c:
It has to be pens since they disappear instantly necessitating exponential purchasing of replacements
It has to be pens since they disappear instantly necessitating exponential purchasing of replacements
In reply to wilkie14c:
Skin cells? Apparently we cast off 30,000 to 40,000 of them per minute.
The most common electronic component will be ceramic capacitors. The industry makes a trillion of them every year.
http://www.capacitorguide.com/ceramic-capacitor/
> What is the most common manmade object?
Skin cells? Apparently we cast off 30,000 to 40,000 of them per minute.
The most common electronic component will be ceramic capacitors. The industry makes a trillion of them every year.
http://www.capacitorguide.com/ceramic-capacitor/
In reply to tom_in_edinburgh:
And most of them are on my workshop floor! I can only find them with my bare feet for some reason
> The most common electronic component will be ceramic capacitors. The industry makes a trillion of them every year.
And most of them are on my workshop floor! I can only find them with my bare feet for some reason
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In reply to wilkie14c:
Ok here's a few, assuming this discounts cooking?
Bricks
Knives and forks
plastic bags
cups
plates
Ok here's a few, assuming this discounts cooking?
Bricks
Knives and forks
plastic bags
cups
plates
In reply to Mountain Llama:
I'm not sure about knives and forks at all, if everyone in the UK had 10 of each it'd still be a fraction of the number of resistors and capacitors in the same peoples mobile phone and TV remote. Plastic bags are another story though and have to be high on the list.
I'm not sure about knives and forks at all, if everyone in the UK had 10 of each it'd still be a fraction of the number of resistors and capacitors in the same peoples mobile phone and TV remote. Plastic bags are another story though and have to be high on the list.
In reply to Trangia:
>"paper clips.... staples"
(number of paper clips + number or staples) < half the number of sheets of paper
I'll go for CO2 molecules.
>"paper clips.... staples"
(number of paper clips + number or staples) < half the number of sheets of paper
I'll go for CO2 molecules.
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In reply to wilkie14c:
I've changed my bid.
About 400 Million Metric Tonness of paper is made worldwide each year. If cut into 8.5x11 inch sheets (A4) and at 70 gm/m2, the total number of sheets per year will be 95 trillion.
About 25 Million tonnes of cotton thread produced each year so, unless measuring by the millimetre, it's less.
50 billion lego bricks year.
However, I think the answer is transistors:
There are two big drivers, mobile phones & tablets, and PCs. 4.3 billion phones ctive on, say, 4 year replacement.
1.1 Billion mobile phones & tablets X about 100 million transistors per phone = 1.1 x 10^17 (processors, all non-memory)
About 2 GB per phone/tablet of memory (average over lots of basic phone) = 2.2 x 10^18
180 million PCs on 10 year replacement - laptops, desktops, and servers - at about 1 Billion transistors each = 1.8 X 10^16
Each with average memory of about 8 GB = 1.44 x 10^17
Everything else is minor.
By category....
Non memory transistors (processors, graphics, radio, power, etc.) 3.2 x 10 E 16 or
320 x 10^14, 32 quadrillion transistors each year.
Memory 4.24 x 10^18 or 0.424 quintillion transistors
Total 0.45 quintillion transistors (4.5 x 10^17)
My only other bid might be potable water (in litres), but I think transistors has it.
I've changed my bid.
About 400 Million Metric Tonness of paper is made worldwide each year. If cut into 8.5x11 inch sheets (A4) and at 70 gm/m2, the total number of sheets per year will be 95 trillion.
About 25 Million tonnes of cotton thread produced each year so, unless measuring by the millimetre, it's less.
50 billion lego bricks year.
However, I think the answer is transistors:
There are two big drivers, mobile phones & tablets, and PCs. 4.3 billion phones ctive on, say, 4 year replacement.
1.1 Billion mobile phones & tablets X about 100 million transistors per phone = 1.1 x 10^17 (processors, all non-memory)
About 2 GB per phone/tablet of memory (average over lots of basic phone) = 2.2 x 10^18
180 million PCs on 10 year replacement - laptops, desktops, and servers - at about 1 Billion transistors each = 1.8 X 10^16
Each with average memory of about 8 GB = 1.44 x 10^17
Everything else is minor.
By category....
Non memory transistors (processors, graphics, radio, power, etc.) 3.2 x 10 E 16 or
320 x 10^14, 32 quadrillion transistors each year.
Memory 4.24 x 10^18 or 0.424 quintillion transistors
Total 0.45 quintillion transistors (4.5 x 10^17)
My only other bid might be potable water (in litres), but I think transistors has it.
In reply to wilkie14c:
Transistor and capacitors or whatever computer memory is made of - billions per phone/pc/tablet/camera/memory card/usb drive so billions per person
Transistor and capacitors or whatever computer memory is made of - billions per phone/pc/tablet/camera/memory card/usb drive so billions per person
In reply to wilkie14c:
Cigarettes, nearly 6 Trillion are made every year!
http://www.tobaccoatlas.org/industry/manufacturing/text/
Cigarettes, nearly 6 Trillion are made every year!
http://www.tobaccoatlas.org/industry/manufacturing/text/
In reply to wilkie14c:
I hate to say it* but you're all wrong.
The answer is:
Wait for it:
Chicken nuggets.
*No I don't
I hate to say it* but you're all wrong.
The answer is:
Wait for it:
Chicken nuggets.
*No I don't
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In reply to JJL:
I don't think you can count integrated transistors as separate components because they aren't separate entities. The whole chip is made at the same time in a series of steps based on patterns on photomasks, where a pattern on one layer crosses a pattern on another a transistor happens. Counting transistors on a chip as individual components would be like counting pixels in a photograph or letters in a book as individual components.
If you did want to count integrated components like transistors as individual components then most common one would be contacts - connections between layers - rather than transistors.
> However, I think the answer is transistors:
I don't think you can count integrated transistors as separate components because they aren't separate entities. The whole chip is made at the same time in a series of steps based on patterns on photomasks, where a pattern on one layer crosses a pattern on another a transistor happens. Counting transistors on a chip as individual components would be like counting pixels in a photograph or letters in a book as individual components.
If you did want to count integrated components like transistors as individual components then most common one would be contacts - connections between layers - rather than transistors.
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In reply to JJL:
And how many grains of cement are in the 2 billion tons manufactured every year? Each one is a discrete, individual object.
And how many grains of cement are in the 2 billion tons manufactured every year? Each one is a discrete, individual object.
In reply to jimtitt:
Resistors are objects before they're soldered down much like screws before they're installed.
I'm going to go for fibers.
jk
Resistors are objects before they're soldered down much like screws before they're installed.
I'm going to go for fibers.
jk
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