OK, you guys might think I’m a little goofy, but I have always loved math. My favorite subject in high school and college was any kind of advanced algebra, and I think there is a special magic in putting all the numbers in a formula and graphing the results. In honor of my love of math and possibly enriching other folks knowledge, I am going to put up a “mystery equation” every couple of days and see if anyone knows what the heck it is for.
This equation is the cornerstone of a small but important area of science. Many people have dedicated their lives to this formula:
N = R* x fs x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L
I’ll give you guys a couple days to try and figure it out, then I will spill the beans.
Malone out.
Oh, I’m sure you will all be intrigued by the answer.
Malone out.
Can i say what it is?
I knew as soon as i saw it.
IMO, mathmatically it isnt as interesting as x+1=x^2 but its still a scientificially intriguing, if not nessesarily useful, equation.
Hope you guys have more trouble figuring it out than i did!
PS: Malone, i used to hate math at my old school, but now that im at boarding school i’ve fallen in love with geometry. Im taking Geometry H and next year im going to take Alg. II H then Pre Calc H and as a senior AP calc (i hope i get into it).
For some reason i’ve just started loving math.
hugs a mathmetician
Hmmm, are you SURE you know what it is? Email me with your answer and if you’re right I’ll post it.
Malone out.
Your profile wont tell me what your email is.
Can i just say it out here on the forum?
Its pretty obvious, just by the size of it i thought, oh, it might be that, and then i looked at it for a minute and i said, yep, thats it allright.
Hey guys…
At school Maths and Science were my best subjects, and even though I did’nt excel at them I would say I was competent (Studied Maths - Pure and Mechanics, Physics, and Chemistry at A-level, and a brief stint at University doing electonics and computers)
Now at first glance I thought what the hell is this as i’ve never seen it before. So I did some quick research into it and found it to be, frankly (even though its a genuine equation) complete baloney. So many parts of the equation use vague figures, like fl fi fc, that cannot be accurately sourced to leave you with a final figure with a margin of error i dont want to even comtemplate.
Dont get me wrong if you like to study or have a passion for intelligent life other than on Earth as it can be a very interesting subject. I myself love astronomy. But this equation seems to me to be more of a hindrance than any sort of help in this field.
Prove me wrong by all means as I like to be proved wrong 
Edit:
oops, i clicked post twice
Edited by: Fiirkan at: 5/5/05 1:28 pm
nods head to agree with what airwave said
Hes absolutely right and is also not the first person ever to have said those things. The equation relies on the user being able to determine each of those things. Many of them are completely indiscriminate.
If you did math in highschool at A level you should be able to figure out:
x+1=x^2
Thats pretty simple but the answer is pretty cool.
I give you untill saturday night EST
Airwave and Fiirkan, You guys are out of ur minds.!! That equation is not hogwash, that is the formula for the gas i put in my harley!!! FOOLS!!! 
…LOL
Great job Fatboy, you guessed it!
Actually, I have to give credit to Airwave, who was the first to hint at interstellar life. It is the famous “Drake Equation” written by Francis Drake, the Director of SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence. He recieved his astrophysics doctorate from Harvard back in the 1960s and has been active in NASA and other space agencies since then(hardly someone that would publish “baloney” Airwave 
).
N = R* x fs x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L
N = the number of communicative civilizations presently in our galaxy
R = the rate of formation of stars in our galaxy
fs = the fraction of stars that are suitable for planetary formation
fp = the fraction of those stars that actually forms planets
ne = the number of earth type planets in such a system (liquid water)
fl = the fraction where life develops
fi = the fraction in which life develops intelligence
fc = the fraction of those that achieve the necesary technology for interstellar communications
L = the lifetime of such a civilizion
So far, here is our “best guess”.
N = 20 x .1 x .5 x 1 x .5 x 1 x .5 x 60
N = 15
Think about it, fifteen seperate life forms that are trying to do the same thing we are - contact alien life.
::: listens closely :::
Malone out.
Peronally,
i don’t think that that particuliar formula is anywhere CLOSE…
this is all based on “random” values entered into an equation that does take in consideration MOST of the important values in acuratcy.
Point…
life here on earth has survived countless cataclyms that in all rights should have obliterated life from the face of this planet…but never did
and we are NOW just finding out that planets are NOWHERE near as random as we first thought…
and there too…the one thing that we so ARAGANTLY think is the ONLY thing capable of sustaining life (H20)
is rare…on a planet
hell in our neck of the woods we have at least 8 “planetary” bodies that have now or at one time had abundant supplies…
so IMHO…there are probably 100’s upon 1000’s of intelligent sources of life abound…duh
That?s math?
Looks like he was applying math to his guesswork. Trying to make it look better by saying that his guesswork is mathematically proven.
Edited by: Splitstar at: 5/5/05 7:10 pm
Jeez you guys, he has his Doctorate in Astrophysics from Harvard and is considered one of the leading astromoners in the world. He probably knows what the heck he is talking about, don’t ya think? 
Malone out.
Man who stand on toilet is high on pot.
He may have is doctorate in astrowhosywhatsits but that doesnt mean his equation isnt based on randomly derived values. Sure, the equation seems logical enough but when you go and plug data into it, it gives you so many different answers.
How does it put gas in ur harly fatts?
and somebody solve for x+1=x*x
the answer is x=1 fiirk. so what?
It finally dawned on me what it was when i read airwaves comments. I said "ohhh! the drake equation. duh! 
Winners say: I’m not as good as I ought to be. - Losers say: I’m not as bad as a lot of others.
In our solar system there may well be life other than ourselves.
One of the moons around Jupiter or Saturn (cant remember which one) is completely frozen over, and NASA believes there maybe life in the massive Sea that lies underneath the few kilometres of Ice.
I dont really want to go into a massive discussion on this but there is Intelligent life out there, and I will crush the stupid Taidaan when they come!
so wedge, you’re trying to say that:
1+1=1*1
2=1?
Noope. Nice try though. x+1=x*x Keep trying guys, you’ll get it eventually.
I’ll i was trying to point out was a simple fact…
you CAN’T make a definitive equation, based on values that you are randomly choosing…
and as far as a doctorate giving you the ability to know things that mankind just simply doesn’t know…POMPOUS.!
and yes Wedge…
i too agree that life most likely evolves in tandem with H20,…THAT just makes sense…
you take the universe’s most ABUNDANT element and make a polar molecule…(again probably one of the more available sources of life given it’s over simplicity)
and spread it around …what do you get?..
a universe FULL of water…and therefore FULL of life…
and life’s eventual evolution you then get…countless intelligent beings through out the universe (and 1000’s maybe millions, per galaxy)
so he can take his PHD and shove it up his ion frigate, for all i care
Zulu, I pointed out that all those values are NASA’s current “best guess”, most of which they are pretty sure about. The most unknown one is the last variable L which is the lifetime of an advanced civilization (the time between them building radio telescopes and blowing themselves up), currently thought to be around 60 years.
Anyway, he is hoping for the same thing most of us are: that there are many other forms of life out there. After all, he is the director of SETI (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence).
Hmm, maybe it’s time to move on to something a little less controversial.
Malone out.
Yea but in my defense it wasn’t as stupid as it looks. You origionally (i’m bad at spelling too) said x+1=x^2. I spent all of 3 seconds on it and failed to notice that 1^2 isn’t 2
Winners say: I’m not as good as I ought to be. - Losers say: I’m not as bad as a lot of others.