The scale of things
As the Greek philosopher Protagoras would say 'man is the measure of all things'. We look at the world through our own eyes and tend to think that the human scale is the standard size of measurement. Of course it's a guideline for our everyday life, but if we take a closer look, what is it that make up a coffee cup, a book, a landscape or an other person? We have some equipment at our disposal to answer this question.
Copyright 2012 Cary and Michael Huang
We use the microscope to map out the smallest building blocks, the atoms, and we use the telescope to plot the movement of the gigantic planets and stars in the vast universe. To get a sense of the scale of things, check out this interactive animation, from 10-35 to 1027 so stretch it!
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