22 ms·
Well, you're almost certain to hit a hydrogen atom within a meter of travel in deep space. Larger objects will be less common, no doubt. > That is how big and
by denton-scratch 4y ago
Well, you're almost certain to hit a hydrogen atom within a meter of travel in deep space. Larger objects will be less common, no doubt.
> That is how big and empty the universe is.
Indeed. The corrollary is that there's an awful lot of space to travel through in search of something to hit.
Regarding that 0%: I don't think it's possible for you to travel through space fast enough to catch up with the expansion of the Universe. It follows that your search for something to hit goes on forever, and the chance of eventually hitting something must be 100%.
Whoah! Not so fast, Denton! As you are travelling looking for something to hit, the Universe is expanding, and the distance between galaxies is growing. So the longer you travel, the less likely you are to find something to crash into.
I don't know how to work out the sums. I don't know how to multiply a 0% chance by a 100% chance. Or rather, I do; it just gives an answer that I don't like intuitively. It should be a 0% chance; I guess it probably is.