How many atoms? In science, when we want to look at something but not spend much time worrying about precision, we make what we call an order of magnitude calculation. Orders of magnitude are also known as powers of ten: 102 is a 1 with two zeros following, or 100. 106 has six zeros, so 1 000 000, or one million. These are orders of magnitude, and for some purposes it is good enough to know a value to only that much precision, rounding not to the nearest ten, but the nearest power of ten. Using this technique, we can answer the question "How many atoms?"
To an order of magnitude, we can say the average human mass is around 100kg. The phrase "to an order of magnitude" allows us to encompass everything from 50 to 500kg, and that indeed seems reasonable. Excluding a few supermodels on the lower end, few enough adults weigh less than 110lbs, and hopefully very few weigh more than 1100lbs. 100kg, then. 100kg of what? We know that the human body is ~80% water, so to an order of magnitude, you are 100kg of water. Certainly there are traces of other things, some which are heavier and some lighter, but the average human has a density very close to that of water (you only just float in a pool) so we can get away with saying "just water" and call it close enough. The chemical formula for water is H2O; two hydrogen molecules, and one oxygen. We find on a periodic table values of "Atomic Mass" listed in grams per mole: ~1 for Hydrogen and ~16 for Oxygen. 1 mole is 6.022*1023 particles (this is known as Avogadro's Number, and it is a very large number indeed). The atomic weight of water is simply the average : 2*1g/mole + 16g/mol = 18g/mol.
That's 18g for an Avogadro's number of molecules. 100kg, then, is 100 000g, or about 5556 times 18g. There are therefore ~5556 moles of water in the human body, or ~3.35*1027 water molecules. Since each water molecule is composed of three atoms, multiply this number by three and we have the number of atoms in a human being. To an order of magnitude that is 1028.
That is a huge number. A one, followed by twenty-eight zeros. In words, we call it one octillion atoms. For comparison, there are only believed to be around 4*1011 stars in our galaxy-- a billion billion times fewer. You are made of atoms, a great, great many atoms.
Which atoms, though? I cannot simply gather together a large ball of atoms and call them a reader (and thus actually have one) because blog readers, like any living beings, are constantly metabolising. You breathe in, taking oxygen molecules for the air, and breathe out, losing carbon and oxygen in the form of CO2. Constantly, the atoms that make up your body are changing. You add atoms by eating, drinking; lose them by excrement, sweating, simply touching things and losing a few dead skin cells and that's a billion atoms gone. Though this, you replace all the matter in your body every few years. You go through, then, a great many atoms in a lifetime. So many, that we can make some statistical guarantees about it. For instance: there are more atoms in a glass of water (or wine) than glasses of water on earth... so each and every glass will contain at least one atom that was once a part of Jesus Christ, had such a man existed. ("This is my blood" -- but also my sweat, urine, semen and tears). The same goes for a biscuit. A bit of carbon in it may have spent some time as part of Christ, exhaled by Him, wandered in the atmosphere 2000 years and taken up by the grain that became the flour for your biscuit. More likely it went through many many other beings in between, but still. Is this not amazing?
Everything you eat, every time you take a drink-- you are taking holy communion.
We're all Catholics, and everything is holy.
Despite my lack of religiosity, somehow I find that beautiful.
The bigger picture, which is perhaps even more wonderful, is that there is nothing special about Jesus when it comes to atoms. My dinner will be equally connected to you-- and everyone else on the planet. We really are one, in some sense. One big atom swapping party. Doesn't it make you want to reach out and hug someone?
Reading this has just given me an excuse to reach out and hug Lea, so you win over 9000 internets
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