Question.
How old is the earth, according to the latest research accepted by most geologists? It's ever so slightly different than what I learned most of my life, due to new breakthroughs in dating techniques. Needless to say, no cheating please. I'm ideally looking for an answer to two decimal places, expressed in billions of years (X.XX byo). American/international-scientific use of the term "billion" of course, not the uniquely British notion that a billion is a million million (an idea which is fading even in Britain). A billion is rightly a thousand million: 1,000,000,000.
The closest answer gets a small solid bar of 24k gold in virtuum!
The true age of the earth may always be debatable, because it formed from rubble that didn't make it into the sun and subsequent major bombardments, so when exactly is a planet considered to be "born"? Also, there is some inaccuracy still in dating methods, but the latest figures are taken from many different scientific disciplines and all converge quite nicely on the number I'm looking for. But don't be afraid to guess! Don't assume anyone will get it exactly right!
And anyone who says 6,000 years old will be immediately banned from this site =)
6,000 X 1.5 billion
ReplyDeleteWhhhhy? Isnt it 6000...? :))))
ReplyDeleteTry 6.25 Billion
ReplyDelete6,000 years old :-D See, it's like putting up a sign that says 'Wet Paint' Anyway, all the nice Christians say it's 6,000 and we all know that they are the only ones who really know the truth. Gosh, is that the time? Sorry must rush, the rapture will be occuring in about fifty minutes and I just need to defrost the fridge.
ReplyDeleteEarth? What on Earth is the Earth?
ReplyDeleteoops, I meant 6.5 billion - tried to fit that 6,000 in there so it should have said 6,000 X 1.5 million right? I'm forgetting how to multiply!
ReplyDeleteNope, that equals 9,000,000,000 or 9 Billion
ReplyDeleteOK,well my answer is 6.5 billion years old!
ReplyDeleteWe wanna know! We wanna know! How old is it?
ReplyDelete4.54 billion years old. I heard 4.55 most of my life.
ReplyDeleteStart here if you're interested in how we "know":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_Earth
I guess Byte was the closest of a bunch of sorry guesses.
I thought that estimate was blown away by a new discovery. Maybe it's just a theory I'm thinking of.
ReplyDeleteIf it was I wanna read about it!
ReplyDeleteStop eating pizza and snogging the neighbours, we are getting quiz deprived around here.
ReplyDeleteOi, piss off and wait, you. Good fings come in delayed packages. Just ask your postal service.
ReplyDeleteah, got to this one too late. i was gonna say 4.6B years, what i've always learnt was the general age of the planet. oh well, at least I KNOW i was closest ;)
ReplyDeleteOh, did that cryptic comment mean it finally arrived? I'd be paralysed with sheer disbelief if it had.
ReplyDeleteNo, sorry Sara, it didn't. I still check though. Somebody cocked up and I'm so sorry about it, it was a very sweet thing to do to send me a package. What awful luck...
ReplyDeleteYes, Delusionist wins in retro because I choose to believe that his guess wouldn't have been the same no matter when he answered.
ReplyDelete4.6B is also an answer I learned. It is, of course, merely 4.55 rounded up.
Er, I meant "WOULD have been the same." Dummy me.
ReplyDeleteMandula you are banned.
ReplyDelete