You can change the assumed parameters to come up with 1 as the number of communicating life forms or lots more... As a tool it is useless as an arguing point it's priceless. But basically it's a way to pull numbers out of you a** that looks scientific.
At 04:56 AM 6/1/03 -0700, you wrote:
I just did look it up. Thanks.
http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/SETI/drake_equation.html
Redoing the existing formula's default parameters to some a bit less optimistic, I come up with 200 possible communicating life forms within OUR galaxy... The downloaded formula says 2400. I'm less optimistic.
The chief complicating factor, it seems to me, is the absolutely incredible number of planetary bodies out there and the distances involved... Akin, perhaps, to locating any of 200 particular grains of sand on your favorite beach? The magnitude of the task is mind-boggling!
Yeah, I know, that's why SETI exists, still...
keith
Nick Zentena wrote:
>
> On May 31, 2003 11:59 pm, Butch Black wrote:
> > Given the Star trek thread am I the only one with reservations that mankind
> > will ever find another space faring species? If you think about it. If in
>
> Somebody did a series of statiscal estimates on this years ago. Basically
> turns out that quite a few intelligent life forms are likely out there. Look
> up Drake equation.
>
> Nick
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. --Groucho Marx
