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silicon is not really metal[1], it's rock. It's the most abundant element on earth & the universe, which I find interesting. Most of our planet and universe cou

silicon is not really metal[1], it's rock. It's the most abundant element on earth & the universe, which I find interesting. Most of our planet and universe could be turned into a giant computer. [1] it's a metaloid

ars 12y ago
Silicon is not rock, rock is Silicon Dioxide, which is not the same thing. It's not the most abundant element on earth - Iron is. It's not even the most abundant on the earth's crust, oxygen is. (Silicon is second place.) And it's certainly not the most abundant in the universe - hydrogen is. Silicon is 8th.
- tlarkworthy 12y ago
  Yes I should check my factoids before regurgitation. In atom counts there is more silicon than iron though, but more oxygen than either. Still interesting though that silicon is so plentiful. Doesn't matter if its bonded to an oxygen. I suppose the bonding explains why the oxygen count on earth is so high also. Oxygen is also (part of) rock.
  - ars 12y ago
    > Still interesting though that silicon is so plentiful. It makes sense if you look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_nucleosynthesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_nucleosynthesis since carbon, silicon, oxygen and iron are some of the main results. What's more odd is just how useful silicon-dioxide and iron is for building planets! Some of the most plentiful elements, just so happen to be perfect for making planets. And carbon with its amazing array of compounds no other element can match is also plentiful. Then you have iron which is the end result of this process, which just so happens to be perfect for building man-made things. It's strong, yet unlike the other strong elements, iron is also easy to work. And water - oxygen and hydrogen, very common elements. And water expands when it freezes, if not for that small small, non-obvious thing, life could not exist. The most abundant elements, the ones that don't need a supernova, just so happen to also be the most useful ones. Well, it's pretty obvious to me this universe was designed specifically for us.

ars 12y ago

Silicon is not rock, rock is Silicon Dioxide, which is not the same thing. It's not the most abundant element on earth - Iron is. It's not even the most abundant on the earth's crust, oxygen is. (Silicon is second place.) And it's certainly not the most abundant in the universe - hydrogen is. Silicon is 8th.

tlarkworthy 12y ago
Yes I should check my factoids before regurgitation. In atom counts there is more silicon than iron though, but more oxygen than either. Still interesting though that silicon is so plentiful. Doesn't matter if its bonded to an oxygen. I suppose the bonding explains why the oxygen count on earth is so high also. Oxygen is also (part of) rock.
- ars 12y ago
  > Still interesting though that silicon is so plentiful. It makes sense if you look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_nucleosynthesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellar_nucleosynthesis since carbon, silicon, oxygen and iron are some of the main results. What's more odd is just how useful silicon-dioxide and iron is for building planets! Some of the most plentiful elements, just so happen to be perfect for making planets. And carbon with its amazing array of compounds no other element can match is also plentiful. Then you have iron which is the end result of this process, which just so happens to be perfect for building man-made things. It's strong, yet unlike the other strong elements, iron is also easy to work. And water - oxygen and hydrogen, very common elements. And water expands when it freezes, if not for that small small, non-obvious thing, life could not exist. The most abundant elements, the ones that don't need a supernova, just so happen to also be the most useful ones. Well, it's pretty obvious to me this universe was designed specifically for us.