Question

The Drake equation calculates the number of technically advanced civilizations in the galaxy as a product of seven factors: R* fp ne fl fi fc L. In the sample calculation in the text, these values are taken as 1 × 1 × 0.1 × 1 × 1 × 1 × 100 = 10. If we were to redo the calculation, increasing each increasable factor by a multiple of ten, what would the result be?

Answer 1

The Drake equation calculates the civilization parameter as
R*fp*ne*fl*fi*fc*L = 1 x 1 x 0.1 x 1 x 1 x 1 x 100 = 10.

If each increasable factor is multipled by 10, the result will be
(1*10) x (1*10) x (0.1*10) x (1*10) x (1*10) x (1*10) x (100*10)
= 10 x 10⁷
= 10⁸

Answer: 10⁸