2006-10-19 01:20:02 · 19 answers · asked by Woody 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
There are a lot of both, and I'd be inclined to vote for the stars since I know the number of them out there is quite obscene... but its a difficult one to answer in any case because there are variables that have to be resolved first:
#1. Regarding sand... are you only counting sand that is literally in loose sand form? That is to say are you counting or discounting the grains in sandstones underground (or on the surface)? For that matter, it also depends how strict you are being regarding grainsize... since its not exactly clear when "sand" becomes big enough to be called "pebbles" or small enough to be called "silt". Its a very vague definition at best.
#2. Regarding stars... The stars you -see- in the sky are not the same as the stars that are actually up there in space... mostly because they are all at the very least light-years away... and at the most light-aeons away. What you're seeing when you look up at the night sky is a jumble of the lights of stars given off over the ccourse of the past few billion years. Since then there have been billions upon trillions of star deaths and births... so its not practical to try and ascertain how many stars are actually still up there. Counting what you see isn't really... worthwhile.
So... yeah... it depends.
If you're comparing grains of sand to all the stars that have ever been seen in the sky.... then the stars definitely win.
If you're comparing all the stars you can see on any given night in the sky to all the things on earth that could be called sand (including fixed grains in various sedimentary rocks, large silt and very small pebbles) then there might actually be more grains of "sand" out there.
If its neither of those.... well... the stars are the more likely, but I honestly couldn't tell you. Too many variables.
2006-10-19 01:28:28 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Well, as well as the maths can be estimated there are probably something like 10^22 to 10^25 stars in the universe, and 10^22 to 10^25 grains of sand on Earth. So I reckon there are about the same of each... At least to the order of about a thousand.
Are you counting grains in sandstone? And just main sequence stars?
2006-10-19 12:15:35 · answer #2 · answered by Matthyow 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Astronomers say there are more stars than grains of sand in all of Earth's deserts and beaches.
Ever wanted to wish upon a star? Well, you have 70,000 million million million to choose from.
That's the total number of stars in the known universe, according to a study by Australian astronomers.
It's also about 10 times as many stars as grains of sand on all the world's beaches and deserts.
The figure -- 7 followed by 22 zeros or, more accurately, 70 sextillion -- was calculated by a team of stargazers based at the Australian National University.
2006-10-19 01:31:56 · answer #3 · answered by Pey 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually there are exactly the same number of grains of sand as stars, i.e., undefined
The question didn't say grains of sand on Earth; so given that the Universe is infinite there are an infinite number of Earth-like planets, these will each have a finite number of grains of sand but in total the number of grains of sand will be infinite also.
Infinite number of grains; infinite number of stars.
Divide by infinity and you get an undefined value.
2006-10-19 04:12:32 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
There are definitely more stars in the sky(They are infinite), whereas grains of sand have a limit to what is on the earth.
2006-10-19 01:33:31 · answer #5 · answered by Bruce d 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I can't see any grains of sand in the sky, only stars.
2006-10-19 12:20:48 · answer #6 · answered by bud 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I suppose that the grains of the sand are more than the stars in the sky. But I think we are never going to find out.
Although the stars are getting less and less, but the grains of the sand are raising numerously.
2006-10-19 01:25:06 · answer #7 · answered by giwrgoulakis 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yeah, I've already answered this question once this month already. If you do the maths there are indeed more stars in the universe than grains of sand but can people please stop saying the universe is infinite because IT ISN'T. Doesn't anybody know anything about cosmology any more.
2006-10-19 08:05:42 · answer #8 · answered by Mark G 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The universe is infinite (apparently) so based on probability there are more stars than grains on sand.
2006-10-19 01:22:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are more molecules in a piece of a4 paper than grains of sand on beach!
The universe is infinite so stars win every time!
2006-10-19 01:31:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋