Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
4th Edition
ISBN: 9780134089089
Author: Jeffrey O. Bennett, Seth Shostak
Publisher: PEARSON
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Textbook Question
Chapter 12, Problem 19TYU
Because SETI researchers are “listening” to star systems that are hundreds of light-years distant, there’s a good chance that by the time we hear a signal, the civilization that sent it will have disappeared.
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A radio broadcast left Earth in 1911. How far in light years has it traveled?
If there is, on average, 1 star system per 400 cubic light years, how many star systems has this broadcast reached?
Assume that the fraction of these star systems that have planets is 0.50 and that, in a given planetary system, the average number of planets that have orbited in the habitable zone for 4 billion years is 0.20. How many possible planets with life could have heard this signal?
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TRUE OR FALSE:
According to an optimistic evaluation of Frank Drake’s equation, there can be as many as ten thousand technologically communicative civilizations in our Milky Way galaxy alone.
Chapter 12 Solutions
Life in the Universe (4th Edition)
Ch. 12 - What is the purpose of the Drake equation? Define...Ch. 12 - What is convergent evolution? How does this idea...Ch. 12 - Prob. 3RQCh. 12 - Prob. 4RQCh. 12 - Briefly describe early attempts at interplanetary...Ch. 12 - Briefly discuss early SETI efforts. What do we...Ch. 12 - What are the three general categories of signals...Ch. 12 - Why do SETI researchers assume that beacon signals...Ch. 12 - Summarize the current techniques of radio SETI and...Ch. 12 - Explain why it is reasonable to imagine optical or...
Ch. 12 - Prob. 11RQCh. 12 - What are the three distinct categories of...Ch. 12 - Briefly discuss some of the issues that would...Ch. 12 - Discuss several types of claims about alien...Ch. 12 - Humans are the crown of creation and an inevitable...Ch. 12 - If, for some reason, we humans were to suddenly...Ch. 12 - Prob. 17TYUCh. 12 - Most of the intelligence in the universe is not...Ch. 12 - Because SETI researchers are listening to star...Ch. 12 - Prob. 20TYUCh. 12 - Prob. 21TYUCh. 12 - Looking for signals from star systems is a poor...Ch. 12 - If 10,000 people saw the same UFO, scientists...Ch. 12 - The absence of any scientific evidence for alien...Ch. 12 - The end result of a calculation with the Drake...Ch. 12 - Which of the following statements is true about...Ch. 12 - The fact that marine predators like dolphins and...Ch. 12 - Which of the following would lead an animal to a...Ch. 12 - Prob. 29TYUCh. 12 - Why are we more likely to be able to detect a...Ch. 12 - What is the distinguishing characteristic that...Ch. 12 - Two-way conversation with other societies is...Ch. 12 - Prob. 33TYUCh. 12 - One reason scientists doubt that crop circles have...Ch. 12 - Alien Visits. Learn more about a particular claim...Ch. 12 - Prob. 39IFCh. 12 - Evolution of Intelligence. Based on your...Ch. 12 - Intelligence on Other Worlds. Consider again the...Ch. 12 - Talking Back. Suppose SETI were to find a signal...Ch. 12 - Contact. Watch the movie Contact, paying careful...Ch. 12 - Invasions of Movie Aliens. Choose a science...Ch. 12 - Prob. 47IFCh. 12 - Actual SETI Searches. Project Phoenix, the largest...Ch. 12 - Power Used by E.T. A modern SETI search using the...Ch. 12 - Detecting Signals. SETI scientists are sometimes...Ch. 12 - Societal Reaction. It is frequently said that the...Ch. 12 - Dealing with UFO Claims. Given the large number of...
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- What are the advantages to using radio waves for communication between civilizations that live around different stars? List as many as you can.arrow_forwardWhy are we limited to finding life on planets orbiting other stars to situations where the biosphere has created planet-scale changes?arrow_forwardSuppose there are l0,000 civilizations broadcasting radio signals in the Milky Way GaIaxy right now. On average, how many stars would we have to search before we would expect to hear a signal? Assume there are 500 billion stars in the galaxy. How would the answer change if there were only 100 civilizations instead of 10,000?arrow_forward
- In a globular cluster, astronomers (someday) discover a star with the same mass as our Sun, but consisting entirely of hydrogen and helium. Is this star a good place to point our SETI antennas and search for radio signals from an advanced civilization? Group of answer choices No, because such a star (and any planets around it) would not have the heavier elements (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, etc.) that we believe are necessary to start life as we know it. Yes, because globular clusters are among the closest star clusters to us, so that they would be easy to search for radio signals. Yes, because we have already found radio signals from another civilization living near a star in a globular cluster. No, because such a star would most likely not have a stable (main-sequence) stage that is long enough for a technological civilization to develop. Yes, because such a star is probably old and a technological civilization will have had a long time to evolve and develop there.arrow_forwardThe Drake equation tells us that the number of technological civilizations in our Galaxy at this time is: Group of answer choices About 100,000. About 14 billion. About 200 billion. It cannot predict this number at this time. About 6,000. About 1 million. Somewhere in the range 1-10.arrow_forward
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