Response to Question from D. French

This is one and a half years late, but better late than never. Someone
wrote: "A weird fact -- some under-employed statistician once calculated
that every drop of water on this planet has been through a human body just
over 11 times (ughh!!)". I disagreed with that, and offered to do the
calculations. David French asked me to go for it, as enquiring minds want
to know.

Well, I was unable to find the volume of the oceans, let alone all the other
water on land. But that is not really necessary. I calculated the volume
of just one cubic mile of ocean (and there are thousands), and converted
that to cubic millimeters. The answer is that one cubic mile contains 417 X
10^15 cubic millimeters. That is 417 quadrillion. Assuming a drop of water
is 30 cubic millimeters, and that there have been twenty billion inhabitants
on earth from the beginning of humans, then every human would have drunk 70
drops. That is for each cubic mile, and not the thousands in the oceans.

David, you can rest assured that you can drink, accidentally, of course,
much seawater while swimming, and you would still survive without any ill
effects.

Tony

This is one and a half years late, but better late than never. Someone
wrote: "A weird fact -- some under-employed statistician once calculated
that every drop of water on this planet has been through a human body just
over 11 times (ughh!!)". I disagreed with that, and offered to do the
calculations. David French asked me to go for it, as enquiring minds want
to know.

Well, I was unable to find the volume of the oceans, let alone all the other
water on land. But that is not really necessary. I calculated the volume
of just one cubic mile of ocean (and there are thousands), and converted
that to cubic millimeters. The answer is that one cubic mile contains 417 X
10^15 cubic millimeters. That is 417 quadrillion. Assuming a drop of water
is 30 cubic millimeters, and that there have been twenty billion inhabitants
on earth from the beginning of humans, then every human would have drunk 70
drops. That is for each cubic mile, and not the thousands in the oceans.

David, you can rest assured that you can drink, accidentally, of course,
much seawater while swimming, and you would still survive without any ill
effects.

Tony


Hi Tony - an excellent piece of deduction there - I feel safer already!
I had forgotten about that thread - it seems a long time ago now...

I would however prefer to use the water from way out at sea, as the
quality at the shoreline near my home leaves a lot to be desired!
There is a sewage outlet about 0.3 km from here!

David, in good health and now drinking filtered water.

"A.E. Gelat" wrote in message ...
This is one and a half years late, but better late than never. Someone
wrote: "A weird fact -- some under-employed statistician once calculated
that every drop of water on this planet has been through a human body just
over 11 times (ughh!!)". I disagreed with that, and offered to do the
calculations. David French asked me to go for it, as enquiring minds want
to know.

Well, I was unable to find the volume of the oceans, let alone all the other
water on land. But that is not really necessary. I calculated the volume
of just one cubic mile of ocean (and there are thousands), and converted
that to cubic millimeters. The answer is that one cubic mile contains 417 X
10^15 cubic millimeters. That is 417 quadrillion. Assuming a drop of water
is 30 cubic millimeters, and that there have been twenty billion inhabitants
on earth from the beginning of humans, then every human would have drunk 70
drops. That is for each cubic mile, and not the thousands in the oceans.

David, you can rest assured that you can drink, accidentally, of course,
much seawater while swimming, and you would still survive without any ill
effects.

Tony

Now could you do the math on 200 million years of thirsty dinosaurs.
When I was crossing a glacier just outside of Alaska Basin I put my
cup into a crack in the ice and drank what I imagined to be ancient
water but I guess that it is all ancient.
I'm still looking for a Gwondonaland cover.
TL

"J. A. Mc." wrote in message
...
On Thu, 27 May 2004 22:53:52 +0100, "David F."
found these unused words floating
about:

This is one and a half years late, but better late than never. Someone
wrote: "A weird fact -- some under-employed statistician once
calculated
that every drop of water on this planet has been through a human body
just
over 11 times (ughh!!)". I disagreed with that, and offered to do the
calculations. David French asked me to go for it, as enquiring minds
want
to know.

Well, I was unable to find the volume of the oceans, let alone all the
other
water on land. But that is not really necessary. I calculated the
volume
of just one cubic mile of ocean (and there are thousands), and
converted
that to cubic millimeters. The answer is that one cubic mile contains
417 X
10^15 cubic millimeters. That is 417 quadrillion. Assuming a drop of
water
is 30 cubic millimeters, and that there have been twenty billion
inhabitants
on earth from the beginning of humans, then every human would have
drunk 70
drops. That is for each cubic mile, and not the thousands in the
oceans.

David, you can rest assured that you can drink, accidentally, of
course,
much seawater while swimming, and you would still survive without any
ill
effects.

Tony


Hi Tony - an excellent piece of deduction there - I feel safer already!
I had forgotten about that thread - it seems a long time ago now...

I would however prefer to use the water from way out at sea, as the
quality at the shoreline near my home leaves a lot to be desired!
There is a sewage outlet about 0.3 km from here!

David, in good health and now drinking filtered water.

The more you 'purify', the greater the risk that your body can not respond
in the event that you should encounted 'contaminated' material.

Bluntly, if it's not above 40% of known unhealthful levels, then you're
actually promoting your body to maintain biological defenses.

Very true, a perfect example of this is that US residents that go to Mexico
get the "Mexican" bug, and Mexicans visiting the USA get the "American"
bug. This is becuse our systems are immune to our bugs, and theirs are
immune to their own different bugs.

Tony

Tom, here is the answer: The water in the oceans is enough for 8,500,000
dinosaurs to drink unpolluted sea water for 200 million years. Here are
the calculations:

1. Volume of the oceans in cubic miles, based on 70% of the earth's
surface being water, and that the average depth is 2 miles (actually,
it is much more):
2 x 3.14 x 4000 x 8000 x 0.7 x 2 = 281.5 x 10^6 cubic miles.

2. Volume of the oceans in gallons:
281.5 x 10^6 x 5280^3 x 7.5 = 31.1 x 10^18 gallons

3. Assuming there were 1 million dinosaurs living at any one time, and
that each drinks 500 gallons each day, then the total consumption
of clean ocean water is:2 x 10^6 x 1 x 10^6 x 365 x 500 = 365 x 10^15
gallons.

This means that there would have been enough clean water to sustain
85,00,000 dinosaurs. PLEASE, no more questions; I have other things
to do.

Tony


"Tom Loepp" wrote in message
om...
"A.E. Gelat" wrote in message
...
This is one and a half years late, but better late than never. Someone
wrote: "A weird fact -- some under-employed statistician once
calculated
that every drop of water on this planet has been through a human body
just
over 11 times (ughh!!)". I disagreed with that, and offered to do the
calculations. David French asked me to go for it, as enquiring minds
want
to know.

Well, I was unable to find the volume of the oceans, let alone all the
other
water on land. But that is not really necessary. I calculated the
volume
of just one cubic mile of ocean (and there are thousands), and converted
that to cubic millimeters. The answer is that one cubic mile contains
417 X
10^15 cubic millimeters. That is 417 quadrillion. Assuming a drop of
water
is 30 cubic millimeters, and that there have been twenty billion
inhabitants
on earth from the beginning of humans, then every human would have drunk
70
drops. That is for each cubic mile, and not the thousands in the
oceans.

David, you can rest assured that you can drink, accidentally, of course,
much seawater while swimming, and you would still survive without any
ill
effects.

Tony

Now could you do the math on 200 million years of thirsty dinosaurs.
When I was crossing a glacier just outside of Alaska Basin I put my
cup into a crack in the ice and drank what I imagined to be ancient
water but I guess that it is all ancient.
I'm still looking for a Gwondonaland cover.
TL