Macrocosm, Man and Microcosm - Relative sizes in our universe

Macrocosm, Man and Microcosm - Relative sizes in our universe

We have learned about the origin of the universe ( the largest macrocosm ). Because of the Big Bang theory, we have been led to the study of the very small worlds of atoms, elementary particles, and singularities ( the tiniest of microcosm ). Where does man stand ? Actually, we are in the middle to complete the balanced and symmetrical picture that is so typical of this beautiful and wondrous universe.

Let us begin with sizes. How large is an atom ? It is 1/10 to the 10 power of 1 cm. As mentioned before, the traditional image of an atom ( the Rutherford atom ) such as the huge model built as an observation tower in Brussels, Belgium has a compact nucleus with electrons orbiting it. The nucleus is again many times smaller than the whole atom. It is 1/10 to the power of 15 of 1 cm. To give you some relative scale of things, if the atomic nucleus were the size of a pin head, the electron in the orbit nearest to it would be the size of a football stadium. Therefore, there is still a lot of empty inner space comparable to the empty outer space between the stars and galaxies. Again, if the atom were the size of an apple, the whole apple would be as big as the whole of the earth itself.

To complete the picture as to where human beings stand, it would be helpful to picture men in the middle of a diagram with the microworld to the left and the cosmos to the right. On the left, a living cell is 1/10 to the power of 5 of 1 cm. An atom is to the power of 10 ( as stated previously ). The atomic nucleus is to the power of 15. The quarks ( the constituents of the nucleus ) is to the power of 20. Then, on the right, a large mountain range is 10 to the power of 5 cm wide. The earth is to the power of 10. The Solar System is to the power of 15. Our Milky Way Galaxy is to the 20 power and, finally, the visible universe is 10 to the power of 25 cm in size. With regard to the number of atoms, each human being is made up of some 10 to the power of 29 atoms. There are a total of 10 to the power of 78 number of atoms in the entire visible universe. Our Galaxy has some 100 billion stars like our sun and there are at least the same number of galaxies in the visible universe. According to Martin Rees, It is actually no coincidence that the complex human machine has attained its optimum efficiency in terms of complexity and structural organization in the middle of the macrocosm and the microcosm because anything larger would be vulnerable to crushing by gravity. Even the various constants of nature are nicely and delicately placed. Paul Dirac who predicted antimatter and later proved it noted that the gravitational and electric forces both obey the inverse square law. The relative strengths of the two are extremmely large. The latter is 10 to the power of 39 more powerful than the former. If the differences were not that large the gravitational force would overwhelm and crush everything leaving no room for the electric force to work in all physical and bio-chemical reactions. The universe would have been a dead place. He was surprised to find out that the size of the visible universe also exceeds the size of a proton by the same factor. Even more surprising is the number of atoms in the universe which is 10 to the power of 78, the square of 10 to the power of 39. There is clearly an ultra-fine connection between all the vital constants of nature and a meticulously defined blueprint.

There are a number of different versions or models of the atom theorized by the scientists, there is the pioneering Joseph John Thomson's model proposed by him in 1897 which mainly consisted of a sphere of protons embedded with electrons. He was the teacher of Rutherford. In 1913, the Danish physicist Nielsl Bohr proposed the structure of his atom under Quantum Theory which is still the most widely accepted model. Under his theory the atom has no definite velocity or location. It is a fuzzy entity with a more confined centre called the atomic nucleus and its related electrons cloud orbiting the nucleus without any defined momentum and position. It can only be described by a set of wave-like probabilities and patterns in equations invented by Erwin Schrodinger in 1926. It is governed by the Uncertainty Principle put forward by Werner Heisenberg in 1927 which states that it is impossible to determine exactly both the position and momentum of an elementary particle ( such as a photon or electron ) simultaneously.