(elevator dings)
(light brass music)
- [Voiceover] Welcome to
The Information Elevator.
This is Lauren Vogelbaum,
a co-host of Techstuff,
a connoisseur of raspberries
and someone who has a
healthy relationship with fire.
When engaged in unpleasant
conversation, she fantasizes
about lobbing a plasma grenade
at the offending orator.
Perhaps this is because she's
a top-notch conversationalist
and gentle woman to the
core, leaving her darkest
thoughts at the doorway of fantasy,
rather than acting upon them.
Thank you Lauren.
Right now Lauren most likely
wishes to transport herself
from this elevator, and she
may do so by closing her eyes
and imagining herself as
one with the universe.
That's because she's made
of star stuff, including the
dust of the big bang.
That's right, every atom
in her body and ours
is billions of years old.
Hydrogen atoms were among
the first particles to form
just seconds after the
big bang, making the ones
in your body date back to
13.8 billion years ago.
Heavier items like carbon
and oxygen were forged
in a dying light of
stars that exploded some
seven to 12 billion years ago.
The atom itself is composed
of a nucleus, made up of
protons and neutrons bound
together by attractive forces.
The outer volume of the atom
is occupied by electrons.
We take atoms,
basic units of chemical
elements, for granted.
The average adult is composed
of seven octillion atoms.
But here's where things get freaky-deaky.
Atoms are mostly empty volume.
The nucleus of an atom
is exceedingly small.
In fact, it's about 1/100,000th
of the size of the whole atom.
Imagine a pea inside of a racetrack.
That means that if Lauren
wanted to compress herself
into a cube less than 1/500th
of a centimeter on each side,
all she would have to do
is rid herself of empty atomic space.
She'd be like a neutron star,
collapsing in on herself,
spewing solar plasma in
a blaze of atomic glory.
But not so fast Lauren, for
now you must remain whole,
as atoms are incredibly
stable, with a positive charge
of an atomic nucleus and
a negative charge of it's
surrounding electrons
balancing each other out,
preventing the atom from
collapsing or flying apart.
Patience.
(elevator dings)
(light brass music)
(elevator dinging)
