How Big is Graham's Number? (feat Ron Graham)

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  • Опубліковано 26 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 3,9 тис.

  • @UpstairsPancake
    @UpstairsPancake 8 років тому +3343

    "somewhere between 13 and graham's number" is one of my favourite phrases now.

    • @mvmlego1212
      @mvmlego1212 8 років тому +79

      That and the Parker Square.

    • @HotSauceBear
      @HotSauceBear 8 років тому +231

      "How old are you?"
      "How many pieces of chicken would you like?"
      "How many times are you going to use that phrase?"
      "Somewhere between 13 and Graham's number."

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 7 років тому +49

      we've pretty much nailed it, as far as I'm concerned.

    • @starbeta8603
      @starbeta8603 7 років тому +7

      All of a sudden, its proved grahams number + 1 can be possible without making that pattern....

    • @wanderingrandomer
      @wanderingrandomer 7 років тому +26

      A card in Cards Against Humanity: Mathematician Edition

  • @brianbethea3069
    @brianbethea3069 5 років тому +2169

    B: "What do you want the first digit to be?"
    R: "Well in binary it's 1!"
    Clever guy, lol

    • @vidareggum6118
      @vidareggum6118 4 роки тому +19

      Brian Bethea a very nice understatement I think😊

    • @E1craZ4life
      @E1craZ4life 4 роки тому +131

      In base 3, it’s 1 followed by a loooooooooooooooooooong line of zeroes.

    • @NStripleseven
      @NStripleseven 4 роки тому +2

      Niiiice.

    • @markiyanhapyak349
      @markiyanhapyak349 4 роки тому +2

      SUPER. UNIMMAGINABLY *SUPER.*

    • @bitterlemonboy
      @bitterlemonboy 4 роки тому +2

      Depends on where you put the MSB

  • @gertigegollari2456
    @gertigegollari2456 4 роки тому +272

    At 3:27 when Graham said "You ain't seen nothing yet.", I knew i was boutta see some THICC numbers.

  • @bobbyrecher1
    @bobbyrecher1 9 років тому +908

    "You ain't seen nothing yet"
    True words from a man who has wrapped his head around things that most everyone can't hope to understand

    • @markiyanhapyak349
      @markiyanhapyak349 5 років тому +4

      *YES!* 2🙏🏻 ↑(🙏🏻+ 🙏🏻 +🙏🏻 )↑2(🙏🏻 ²🙏🏻³ +10🙏🏻)↑3 🙏🏻

    • @조세형-j2c
      @조세형-j2c 5 років тому

      3^^.........^^3

  • @Angelo-z2i
    @Angelo-z2i 10 років тому +8770

    Graham once gave his number to a girl. She never called him.

    • @kellyjackson7889
      @kellyjackson7889 10 років тому +1376

      Untrue, she just hasn't finished dialing. . ...

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 10 років тому +102

      that's awesome xD

    • @NemosChannel
      @NemosChannel 9 років тому +42

      Kelly Jackson hahahaha

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 9 років тому +45

      33333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333x3^333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333334

    • @Jesse-cw5pv
      @Jesse-cw5pv 9 років тому +135

      Ivan & Fritz you wouldn't be able to press that many numbers in a googleplex number of lifetimes even if you could press a googleplex keys every billionth of a second. You wouldnt even get to g1

  • @rem8183
    @rem8183 5 років тому +140

    “You ain’t seen nothing yet”
    Said after the number is too large to be on the screen or even imagine.

  • @slap_my_hand
    @slap_my_hand 9 років тому +1622

    Graham's wife: "Stop your work and get in the kitchen! I made spaghetti!"
    Graham: "No! Just ONE MORE ARROW!"

    • @ILikeWafflz
      @ILikeWafflz 9 років тому +3

      StarTrek123456 LOL

    • @Yumiesthetic
      @Yumiesthetic 9 років тому +2

      StarTrek123456 xDD

    • @kellyjackson7889
      @kellyjackson7889 9 років тому +1

      +StarTrek123456 They eat in the kitchen? Where do they cook the food, the bathroom? :D

    • @slap_my_hand
      @slap_my_hand 9 років тому +12

      Kelly Jackson I have a big table in the kitchen, so i eat there. The only other table i have is in my living room, but i am too lazy to take my food there :D

    • @cochaviz
      @cochaviz 9 років тому

      +StarTrek123456 Gawd you made my day xD

  • @livehumansinside19
    @livehumansinside19 8 років тому +2144

    I really liked the part where he said "three"

    • @JorgetePanete
      @JorgetePanete 7 років тому +7

      Iron Dorito three through the three to the three

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 6 років тому +5

      Your comment is 20 likes away from being appropriate (313 likes when i made this comment

    • @moadot720
      @moadot720 6 років тому +3

      3 replies......................until I came XD

    • @ozyf
      @ozyf 6 років тому +4

      I would like this comment, but it has 333 likes and I don’t want to ruin it :)

    • @commoncoolchannel8588
      @commoncoolchannel8588 6 років тому +1

      Don't worry: it has 424 likes.
      Make that 425 likes.

  • @Edwardx
    @Edwardx 5 років тому +469

    This gave me a lot of existential dread

    • @mackan2277
      @mackan2277 4 роки тому +14

      I didn't expect my favourite terraria youtuber here :o

    • @mille7476
      @mille7476 4 роки тому +3

      @@mackan2277 I didn't expect my favorite Terraria youtuber or another Swede (tror jag iaf) here

    • @babyrockproductions7094
      @babyrockproductions7094 3 роки тому +2

      HeIIo

    • @rioannbunal
      @rioannbunal 3 роки тому +1

      E

    • @ingmarins
      @ingmarins 3 роки тому +1

      Because this is the top comment, it made me hear music. You know what music😁

  • @ILikeWafflz
    @ILikeWafflz 9 років тому +4077

    I think infinity is easier to imagine than this number.

    • @yahya092
      @yahya092 9 років тому +590

      ILikeWafflz i think thats because infinity is more of a concept instead of a number

    • @julian7801
      @julian7801 9 років тому +112

      well, you should read about a number called TREE(3). It is so vast that the numbers of arrows needed to reach it is close of TREE(3) itself. This even holds for much smaller number such as Hydra(100), 3&3&3 (Triakulus) and much larger number like BH(100), SCG(13), Loader's number, BB(1000), Xi(10^6) or Rayo(10^100)

    • @georgeofhamilton
      @georgeofhamilton 9 років тому +91

      Fluorosulfuric Acid It cannot be that the number of Knuth's arrows needed to reach TREE(3) is close to TREE(3) itself.

    • @julian7801
      @julian7801 9 років тому +7

      George Hamilton its exactly what I said :V

    • @georgeofhamilton
      @georgeofhamilton 9 років тому +90

      Fluorosulfuric Acid "[TREE(3)] is so vast that the numbers of arrows needed to reach it is close of TREE(3) itself." Unless you are using a rather arbitrary definition of _close_, your statement is not possible because the function of Knuth's arrows increases numbers by so much.

  • @ralphanthonyespos9417
    @ralphanthonyespos9417 6 років тому +407

    "It's a number so big, we had to use Comic Sans." - editor

  • @JamesT_Rustle
    @JamesT_Rustle 4 роки тому +54

    I think its outstanding to have various mathematicians who have decades of experience talk about their work on this channel. Great!

  • @parkers.8748
    @parkers.8748 8 років тому +657

    "So, there you go. Graham's number. And if you think you understand it, you probably don't." 😂

    • @YnseSchaap
      @YnseSchaap 8 років тому +2

      Bit patronizing I thought

    • @ChristopherKing288
      @ChristopherKing288 8 років тому +29

      +Ynse Schaap I think he means no one understands it.

    • @YnseSchaap
      @YnseSchaap 8 років тому

      Christopher King Well Graham obviously does ;-)

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 7 років тому

      +Ron Volkovinsky mind being precise when quoting the professor, please?

    • @stevenvanhulle7242
      @stevenvanhulle7242 7 років тому +24

      +Ynse Schaap - I'm pretty sure he doesn't either. Nobody can even conceptualize small numbers like a googol. Write them down, yes. Calculate them, yes. Understand them, no.

  • @berrysoo
    @berrysoo 10 років тому +424

    Well, that escalated quickly.

    • @RollOnToVictory
      @RollOnToVictory 9 років тому +8

      Zekzram Reshirom i mean that really got out of hand

    • @Myrslokstok
      @Myrslokstok 7 місяців тому

      Then do that 64 times, even dubble 64 times is huge!

  • @SC-zq6cu
    @SC-zq6cu 6 років тому +153

    3:27 mathematecian goes beast mode

  • @craigbrownell1667
    @craigbrownell1667 7 років тому +246

    *"In binary it's 1"*
    Brilliant!

  • @TehKhronicler
    @TehKhronicler 9 років тому +133

    I'm going to have nightmares where I just see seas of 3s and hear 'three to the three to three three three th-..' until i wake up in Graham's dimension.

  • @nikosaarinen3258
    @nikosaarinen3258 6 років тому +1184

    You can't even imagine a 4-dimensional world, right. So imagine a world with Graham's number of dimensions

    • @mfhasler
      @mfhasler 5 років тому +108

      well, we do live in a 4-, not 3-dimensional world! We're just not very able to control our movement in the 4th direction and therefore mostly "float" in positive t-direction with more or less uniform speed. (And there are probably 6 - 20 more "hidden" dimensions which are so tighly wrapped up that we'll never notice them...) Yet I agree, that' not much compared to g64.

    • @Fallkhar
      @Fallkhar 5 років тому +75

      Well, I'm pretty sure spheres of Graham's Number of dimensions would be pretty inefficient at stacking!

    • @buzzsawenthusiast1756
      @buzzsawenthusiast1756 4 роки тому +5

      No.

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 4 роки тому +29

      STOP MAKJING MY HEAD HURT!!

    • @tzakl5556
      @tzakl5556 4 роки тому +71

      @@mfhasler dimensions in math and not physics are spatial dimensions so time wouldn't count

  • @Great.Milenko
    @Great.Milenko 9 років тому +480

    whats the leading number?
    "in binary, its 1"
    LOLLED

    • @arielsproul8811
      @arielsproul8811 7 років тому +2

      it has to be lead by a one in binary

    • @MuddyPuddle
      @MuddyPuddle 7 років тому +6

      Ariel Sproul That's the joke

    • @linh4010
      @linh4010 5 років тому +1

      last digits in base 2 is 1

    • @maulwurf9414
      @maulwurf9414 5 років тому

      Ariel Sproul r/whoosh

  • @DarthNixaNixa
    @DarthNixaNixa 8 років тому +1375

    "Could just be 13, though." >_>

    • @georgeabreu6392
      @georgeabreu6392 8 років тому +94

      Got to love the huge interval between the two.

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 7 років тому +53

      huge doesn't even *BEGIN* to cut it. xD

    • @georgeabreu6392
      @georgeabreu6392 7 років тому +1

      Daniel Cannata Indeed.

    • @steffen5121
      @steffen5121 7 років тому +3

      Let's you question the sanity of this guy.

    • @brekningsmiddel
      @brekningsmiddel 7 років тому +7

      The solution could possibly be 13, yes. But that was always a possibility. Grahams number is the upper bound of the problem. It was never thought it was the solution. Grahams number isn't obsolete just because the solution could be 13.

  • @GuiSmith
    @GuiSmith 6 років тому +57

    This made me have a thought: infinity is exactly that, _infinite._ Graham's number, no matter how abstract it has to be in order to even be measurable, written, or put into language anything can understand, is still finite. Bigger numbers, still finite numbers, are being made all the time. Infinity never ends and goes beyond all of those.
    Just think of the absurdity of that, though. You can be more precise and make smoother lines with Graham's number (let alone infinity) than you could be making a line with individual strings.

    • @SadCrabMan23
      @SadCrabMan23 2 роки тому +15

      Grahams number is closer to 0 than it is to infinity.

    • @M-F-H
      @M-F-H Рік тому +2

      Yep, Grahams number is nearly zero compared to infinity.

    • @SocksyyAU
      @SocksyyAU Рік тому

      @@M-F-H Would it not be practically 0?

    • @asagiai4965
      @asagiai4965 7 місяців тому +1

      Here's what people don't understand.
      Technically, no number is near 0.
      People are like n is near 0 than infinity.
      But think about it
      1 is near 0, so are
      0.1
      0.01
      0.001
      0.0001
      0.00001
      .
      .
      0.{infinite 0's}1
      The fact is the only way you get a number to 0 is to subtract that number by itself or multiply it by 0.

    • @TravelerVolkriin
      @TravelerVolkriin 7 місяців тому +1

      @@asagiai4965 You’re right. Any number is equally between zero and infinity.

  • @justinly974
    @justinly974 9 років тому +557

    Legend has it he's never stopped saying "3 to the 3 to the 3 to the 3 to the 3 to the 3..."

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 6 років тому +8

      Justin Ly i wonder how many lifetimes of our universe it would take if you could say 3 to the 3 every second

    • @mike-gx1sc
      @mike-gx1sc 5 років тому +8

      @@oz_jones a number close to Graham's number

    • @markiyanhapyak349
      @markiyanhapyak349 5 років тому

      Osmosis Jones: :-| (!!!!!!!!!!). As much as He would live.

    • @gaurangagarwal3243
      @gaurangagarwal3243 5 років тому +1

      @@oz_jones well I know the no of lifetimes you would take is 3 to the 3 to the 3 to the three to the...

    • @dozenazer1811
      @dozenazer1811 5 років тому

      I want to see 10h version of this

  • @saintarkweather
    @saintarkweather 6 років тому +380

    Graham's number in base Graham's number: 10

    • @fakefury1198
      @fakefury1198 6 років тому

      I love it. :) Base 11???

    • @vighnesh153
      @vighnesh153 5 років тому +2

      It is 1

    • @Exploshi
      @Exploshi 5 років тому +4

      @@fakefury1198 grahams number plus g64^0 or grahams number plus 1

    • @comradepeter87
      @comradepeter87 4 роки тому +13

      @@vighnesh153 No. x in base x is always 10.
      2 in base 2 is 10.
      16 in base 16 is 10 (A).

    • @keonscorner516
      @keonscorner516 4 роки тому

      @Graham's Video World
      What about 10^10bk^(10^bk)?

  • @Science-sx8ho
    @Science-sx8ho 4 роки тому +87

    What a legend
    Ron graham you will be missed

  • @NotQuiteFirst
    @NotQuiteFirst 9 років тому +613

    New use for Graham's number - counting the number of times in his life Graham has said the word 'three'

    • @aboodyboi
      @aboodyboi 9 років тому +12

      He talks like a bot tbh

    • @darkunicorn6669
      @darkunicorn6669 8 років тому +6

      +The True Fizz nothing can ever be compared to grahams number realistically that's how phenomenally enormous it is :)))))))

    • @NKP723
      @NKP723 8 років тому

      +The True Fizz 3 to the 3 to the 3...

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 7 років тому

      cause 3 is a word :|

    • @NotQuiteFirst
      @NotQuiteFirst 7 років тому +1

      +Daniel Cannata I said the word "three", which is a word. "3" is a number, but when he speaks it he is saying the _word_.

  • @ThioJoe
    @ThioJoe 10 років тому +251

    Brb mopping my brain bits off the floor and walls.

    • @NeedMoreMushrooms
      @NeedMoreMushrooms 10 років тому +1

      Need help?

    • @JohnBrown-vb2cs
      @JohnBrown-vb2cs 6 років тому

      hi thiojoe

    • @addieperkins2599
      @addieperkins2599 5 років тому

      What does brb mean?

    • @avi8aviate
      @avi8aviate 5 років тому +1

      Oh, hey there ThioJoe, didn't expect a computer expert to pop up on a math video's comment section.

    • @avi8aviate
      @avi8aviate 5 років тому

      @@addieperkins2599 Be Right Back.

  • @felixcroc
    @felixcroc 6 років тому +301

    Here's the prime factorisation of Graham's Number:
    3x3x3x3x3...x3

    • @AC-fl1le
      @AC-fl1le 5 років тому +15

      But 5 can go into (G64 - 2) because the last digit is 7 and 7 - 2 is 5, so (G64 - 2) isn't prime.

    • @Xonatron
      @Xonatron 3 роки тому +2

      Ohhhhh. Nice.

    • @alihesham8167
      @alihesham8167 3 роки тому +4

      @@AC-fl1le he said G64 not (G64 - 2)

    • @peterwille8239
      @peterwille8239 3 роки тому

      Onyuhhno

    • @peterwille8239
      @peterwille8239 3 роки тому

      Huygcduyhrifdrdfjgfkngkrjjgibghehfrjukrfji(jijmjihdr

  • @Arcaani
    @Arcaani 9 років тому +38

    "It's your number! What do you want it to - first digit - to be?"
    "Uh... Well, in binary, it's one!"
    Cracks me up.

  • @Philphy
    @Philphy 9 років тому +1895

    I used to be a mathematician, then I took some arrows to the knee.

    • @lumm8063
      @lumm8063 9 років тому +21

      lol nice

    • @leivadaros
      @leivadaros 9 років тому +32

      +philphy101 ..... Graham's Number of arrows?

    • @austindu2592
      @austindu2592 9 років тому +117

      +philphy101 an arrow to the three?

    • @MarcoRoque
      @MarcoRoque 9 років тому +111

      some arrows to the three

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 7 років тому +7

      +Marco Roque i was just thinking that 😂

  • @bilbo_gamers6417
    @bilbo_gamers6417 Рік тому +2

    his voice and handwriting are so soothing, i could listen to this guy explain stuff all day.

  • @ricardopieper11
    @ricardopieper11 8 років тому +204

    "Three four-arrows three. That's a big number" - Graham, 2014.
    Yeah, "quite big".

    • @WalterKingstone
      @WalterKingstone 8 років тому +32

      +Ricardo Pieper When Ron Graham says it's a big number, you know it's a big number.

    • @oz_jones
      @oz_jones 6 років тому +2

      "For you"

  • @Manabender
    @Manabender 10 років тому +134

    I prefer to explain the size of Graham's number in terms of scientific notation.
    We all know scientific notation, right? Something like 4*10^15. It's used to write big numbers, and it's helpful because it tells us how many digits are in the number in the exponent. In that example, it's 16 digits, which is 15+1.
    Now, lets start looking at just the exponent when we start putting arrows between 3's. (Also, because there's no easy arrow character, I'm going to use ! for an arrow)
    3!3 is 27, which is 2.7*10^1. So 2 digits.
    3!!3 is about 7.63*10^13. So 14 digits.
    3!!!3 is about 1.26*10^3638334640024. That's a big enough number that I would tell you how many digits are in the number of digits in the original number. (13) This number is so big, that even if you had a typical 1 TB hard drive, you could not store this number in regular form. You would need 37 TB of storage (which of course, does exist, but it's not for mass-consumer use).
    Now, just look at how insanely fast the digits are piling up when you add just one arrow.
    For 3!!!!3, I'd probably need to tell you how many digits are in the number of digits of the number of digits of the original number. No computer anywhere could store this number. Even if you built a universe-computer in which every subatomic particle in the observable universe was its own bit, you would not be able to store this number. Such a computer could easily store every program, every song, every game, every youtube video, every file of every type, millions upon millions of times over, but would still not be able to comprehend the true form of 3!!!!3.
    And 3!!!!3 is only g1.
    g2 is 3(insert g1 arrows)3.
    g3 is 3(insert g2 arrows)3.
    Continue this pattern to g64. That's Graham's number.
    Long story short? Nothing in the universe can comprehend the true form of even g1. And g1 may as well be infinitely smaller than g64.
    On a side note, Graham said that it's unlikely that anyone will know the leading digits of g64. That's true, because it's impossible. Knowing the leading digit implies you know all the digits, and as I just demonstrated, that is impossible.

    • @GMann43
      @GMann43 9 років тому +10

      3!!!3 is a lot bigger than the value you gave; it's already far too big to represent with scientific notation or anything remotely like it.
      How did you arrive at that value?

    • @Manabender
      @Manabender 9 років тому +4

      GMann43 I pulled it from the video, at 3:13. It could be wrong, I dunno.
      EDIT: It's correct. I used logarithmic logic to determine so. Since 3!!!3 is 3!!(about 7 trillion), and 3!!(that number) is 3 times 3 times 3 times 3...repeated that number of times, I reasoned the the exponent of the 10^n part would increase by log(3) (base 10) for each multiplication by 3. In other words, the exponent would be equal to that number times log(3).
      I chucked that into Wolfram Alpha and indeed got the same number.

    • @GMann43
      @GMann43 9 років тому +7

      Manabender Nope - the problem that is that 3!!(7 trillion) isn't 3x3x3x3.....
      It's actually 3^3^3^3..... (exponents, not multipliers.)
      I just noticed that in the description of the video, they acknowledge the error.
      Just to give you an idea, 3^3^3^3 is already bigger than the number that you and the video gave. And that stack is only four-high; 3!!!3 is a stack 7 trillion-high.

    • @Manabender
      @Manabender 9 років тому +2

      ***** I was referring to its natural, unabbreviated form. Of course you can store it in that form.
      I'd wager that, given your icon however, you already knew that...

    • @ILikeWafflz
      @ILikeWafflz 9 років тому

      Manabender For future usage, you can press shift + 6 for ^ for arrow notation.

  • @joshsvoss
    @joshsvoss 4 роки тому +5

    I can't get enough of this "Big Number" stuff on Numberphile.... who knew it could be so intoxicating??? Blows my mind anew everytime I watch it.

  • @lourier3
    @lourier3 10 років тому +339

    333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333
    This isn't spam, it's a quote from this video.

    • @TSrock5000
      @TSrock5000 10 років тому +3

      haha

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 10 років тому +3

      that is am impossibly big overstatement.@~@

    • @lourier3
      @lourier3 10 років тому +3

      Daniel Cannata No it isn't you heard it yourself.

    • @Angelo-z2i
      @Angelo-z2i 9 років тому +2

      696969696969696969696969696969696969 is a better quote

    • @yangtra2534
      @yangtra2534 7 років тому +1

      So emotional. So inspiring. Almost cried.

  • @E1craZ4life
    @E1craZ4life 8 років тому +633

    Maybe this is why Valve can't count to 3?

    • @alimahh1
      @alimahh1 8 років тому +58

      I think that Valve ran out of paper.

    • @Kebabrulle4869
      @Kebabrulle4869 8 років тому +25

      *Paper change*
      Now do that 3↑↑3 times.

    • @Kebabrulle4869
      @Kebabrulle4869 8 років тому +16

      3↑3 = 3^3 = 27
      3↑↑3 = 3↑3↑3 = 3^3^3 = 3^27 = 7'625'597'484'987
      3↑↑↑3 = 3↑↑3↑↑3 = 3↑↑(7'625'597'484'987) = ~1.258014298121 * 10 ^ 3'638'334'640'024
      3↑↑↑↑3 = 3↑↑↑3↑↑↑3 = 3↑↑↑(~1.258014298121 * 10 ^ 3'638'334'640'024) = *INSANE NUMBER*

    • @TJ-jv7ke
      @TJ-jv7ke 8 років тому +21

      After G64 years of development, we cancelled half life 3

    • @benjaminsambol
      @benjaminsambol 7 років тому +6

      Tristan Jacquel they canceled half life at 3, but apple is still eventually going to make iphone g64? How is that fair?

  • @Rossocom
    @Rossocom 5 років тому +642

    My bank account: 3arrow3
    My spending: 3arrowarrow3

    • @bunbunnbunnybun
      @bunbunnbunnybun 5 років тому +30

      I wonder what you bought that cost 3 trillion dollars

    • @fireinthehole_727
      @fireinthehole_727 4 роки тому +17

      @@bunbunnbunnybun* > 7.6

    • @BlokenArrow
      @BlokenArrow 4 роки тому +10

      My credit scores 3arrow0

    • @caringheart34
      @caringheart34 4 роки тому +8

      @@BlokenArrow Glad you still got 1 dollar in your pockets, eh?

    • @Slinx92OLD
      @Slinx92OLD 4 роки тому +2

      You mean 3↑3 and 3↑↑3?

  • @DjVortex-w
    @DjVortex-w 10 років тому +149

    The funny thing about Graham's number is that it's impossible to describe how big it is in simple, understandable terms.
    For comparison, if you were explaining for example how big the largest prime number found so far is, you can say "it has over 17 million digits", and that gives you a simple picture of how large it is.
    However, you can't do that with Graham's number. It's so large that no description is sufficient to explain how large it is. You can't say "it has x digits" because x itself is unexplainable in simple terms. You can't say "the number of digits in GN is so large that this number itself has x digits" either because here, too, x is way too large. In fact, the amount of "recursions" you would have to make in this way to make x small enough to be explainable is too large to be explained in simple terms.
    It quickly becomes so complicated that there just is no way of doing it.

    • @thechrisgrice
      @thechrisgrice 10 років тому +7

      The way you describe this "inexplainability" is fantastic, by the way.

    • @frillinho
      @frillinho 10 років тому

      Or you can just imagine the size of my.... as a comparison

    • @punkrockeris666
      @punkrockeris666 10 років тому +1

      That's right. The number of digits in Graham's Number (in any number, by the way) is it's log (rounded downwards) + 1. So even like that you can't imagine how many digits Graham's Number has...

    • @PeterGeras
      @PeterGeras 10 років тому +3

      It's interesting because that exact same explanation you used would apply as early as g1 = 3^^^^3.

    • @PeregrineBF
      @PeregrineBF 10 років тому

      Actually, Conway chained arrow notation helps. If you understand how fast arrow chains grow as the terms (and length) increase, you can get an understanding of how much bigger one chain is than another.
      Eg 3 -> 3 - > 64 -> 2 is less than Grahm's number, but 3 -> 3 -> 65 -> 2 is bigger, and 3 -> 3 -> 3 -> 3 is much, MUCH bigger than Grahm's number.

  • @tommyjay_97
    @tommyjay_97 7 років тому +119

    "If you think you understand it, you probably don't".
    this sums up my life

  • @gfletcher2752
    @gfletcher2752 6 років тому +60

    I bet if I jump scared him while he was sleeping he would just wake up saying “3 to the 3 to the 3 to the 3 to the 3”
    Also my name is graham

  • @ika.Sensei
    @ika.Sensei 10 років тому +928

    I was going to tell my girlfriend about my favorite number, Graham's Number, so I asked her what her favorite number was. She said it was two, and when she explained why, I couldn't stop laughing. "I like two because it's one more than one, and it's easy to understand."

    • @numberphile
      @numberphile  10 років тому +157

      Taylor Foulkrod love it!!!

    • @MarkarthCityGuard
      @MarkarthCityGuard 9 років тому +3

      Wowwwww

    • @MarkarthCityGuard
      @MarkarthCityGuard 9 років тому +23

      Where do you get your paper

    • @Aqua.man045
      @Aqua.man045 9 років тому +35

      +Taylor Foulkrod Take a drink everytime the word 3 is said. You won't regret it.

    • @barry6541
      @barry6541 9 років тому +24

      +Aqua Man Until the next morning...

  • @streetlover404
    @streetlover404 7 років тому +61

    "You ain't seen nothing yet." - Ron Graham

  • @diamondxmen
    @diamondxmen 2 місяці тому +1

    Ronald Graham had a brilliant mind to come up with a number that big. He inspires me and a lot of others to get into the field of Googology.
    R.I.P.
    Ronald Graham
    1935-2020
    You are missed by all us big number fanatics.

  • @hard8core
    @hard8core 7 років тому +114

    I lost him at "3".

  • @kye4840
    @kye4840 8 років тому +61

    Hey look, the average global word usage list has updated, and three has risen >90%

  • @whyofcoursenot3507
    @whyofcoursenot3507 6 років тому +163

    The first time i watched this, a few years ago, i thought there was only 64 arrows. Now understanding it better actually hurts my brain

    • @knuthalvorsen1196
      @knuthalvorsen1196 3 роки тому +1

      Same.

    • @achtsekundenfurz7876
      @achtsekundenfurz7876 2 роки тому +15

      And if I'm not mistaken, they still understated the size of even 3↑↑↑3 at 03:07 .
      3↑↑↑3 is a power tower of ~7.6 trillion 3's.
      Well, 3^3^3 (powers are evaluated top to bottom if there are no parentheses) is 3^27, about 7.6 trillion. So, 3 to that power is a bit less than the square root of 10 to that power, which would have 7.6 trillion digits. THAT number has 3.6 trillion digits already, and it's only a power tower of height 4. 3↑↑↑3, power tower of height 3^3^3 is unimaginably huge, and you need another arrow before even starting _Grahamization_ , the process of using G(n) arrows to define G(n+1). 3↑↑↑↑3 is far, _far_ below 3↑↑↑...↑↑↑3 (with 64 arrows), which is in turn tiny compared to the second step, G(2).
      And THEN, there are another 62 (or 63?) steps to come.
      BTW, literature about Grraham's number is highly contradictory, often with itself. Some say that 3↑↑↑3 is the starting point G(0), others say it's 3↑↑↑↑3 (with another arrow, like Graham himself did). Then, some treat one of the above as G(0), others as G(1) (and G(0) would be either 3 or 4). Nevertheless, the last number in the sequence is huge beyond comprehension either way.

    • @Parasmunt
      @Parasmunt 2 роки тому +5

      @@achtsekundenfurz7876 I got that too.7 trillion digits which they have written down for it is nothing compared to a number with trillions of towers of 3. You get to trillions of digits using just maybe 15 towers of 3.

    • @goatnator1491
      @goatnator1491 2 роки тому +7

      @@Parasmunt you get above trillions of digits using just 4 Towers of 3

    • @TheSpotify95
      @TheSpotify95 Рік тому +1

      @@achtsekundenfurz7876 Yeah, when they say about 3↑↑↑3 in the video, what they say is the result is actually just 3↑↑4. 3↑↑4 = 3↑(3↑↑3) = a 3.6 trillion digit number (bigger than Googol). 3↑↑5 = 3↑(3.6 trillion digit number) = bigger than Googolplex.
      3↑↑↑3 = 3↑↑(7.6 trillion) which, if each 3 is written as 2cm tall, the tower will stretch to the Sun. And remember that the top 10cm is already bigger than Googolplex.
      So the result of even 3↑↑↑3 cannot be written down, and remember, 3↑↑↑↑3 has that many iterations in it!

  • @progrocker69
    @progrocker69 10 років тому +145

    I was following along with all of this just fine!
    But then, I took an insane triple arrow to the three.

    • @jakea563
      @jakea563 10 років тому +3

      How does this comment not have more likes

    • @Pizkol
      @Pizkol 10 років тому +5

      The best adaptation of a meme I've ever seen.

    • @undead890
      @undead890 10 років тому

      I actually fell out of my chair I was laughing so hard at this. Well done sir, well done.

    • @jacksainthill8974
      @jacksainthill8974 9 років тому

      Very well, since nobody else will do it, I volunteer to be the one who admits that I to not get this joke.

    • @undead890
      @undead890 9 років тому +1

      Jack Sainthill Look up Arrow to the Knee meme

  • @iammaxhailme
    @iammaxhailme 10 років тому +17

    Nice video Brady!
    You should ask Ron if he will be disappointed if the answer ends up simply being 13!
    (Also, ask if him Graham's number +2 is prime!)

  • @csanadtemesvari9251
    @csanadtemesvari9251 6 років тому +27

    game: you take a shot every time Ron says 3

  • @pixelater4943
    @pixelater4943 9 років тому +322

    Now factorialize it...

    • @gredangeo
      @gredangeo 9 років тому +26

      +Pixelater4 I'm pretty sure that number wouldn't even be close to g65. 27 Factorial is nowhere near the 7.6 Trillion monstrosity.

    • @NoobLord98
      @NoobLord98 8 років тому +49

      +gredangeo He means factorialise Grahams number, not 27.

    • @WalterKingstone
      @WalterKingstone 8 років тому +30

      +gredangeo Actually, 27! has 29 digits, far bigger than 7.6 trillion which has 13 digits.

    • @asperRader
      @asperRader 8 років тому +10

      +Pixelater4
      here's a large number
      g128!^(g128!^(g128!^...(g128!))))
      the tower is g64! layers -i think thats what the amount of powers is called, im no expert at maths- high, and the trend continues

    • @rainverrev2307
      @rainverrev2307 8 років тому +1

      Now take the square root of it!

  • @tristanhoekstra
    @tristanhoekstra 8 років тому +187

    Three.

  • @arielvi2002
    @arielvi2002 5 років тому +21

    3:09 makes no sense
    you said the 3↑↑↑3 has 3.6 trillion digits.
    the number itself has a tower of 7 625 597 484 987 threes.
    At the top (level 1): it's 3
    level 2: 3^3 = 27
    level 3 = 3^27 = 7 625 597 484 987
    level 4: 3^ 7 625 597 484 987 (if 3^300 has approx 140 digits, 3^7 trill must have at least thousands)
    so level 5: 3^(number with thousands of digits) must have millions of digits. And we still have 7 625 597 484 982 threes left in this tower.
    SO how is the bottom of this tower 3.6 trillion digits long

    • @ivantchakoff4067
      @ivantchakoff4067 4 роки тому +3

      It's true. The error has the origin in this way of thinking: 3^^^3 = 3^^(3^^3) = 3^^(7.625.597.484.987) = 3 to the power of 7 thrillions. And so, how many digits this operation has? Log 3 * 7.625.597.484.987 = 3.6 thrillions of digits. This is a wrong answer, because the right answer of 3^^(7.625.597.484.987) is 3 to the power of 3 to the power of 3 to the power....and so on 7.6 thrillions of times!!! The real answer to the question "How many digits this operation has?" is "Only the devil, maybe, knows the answer".

    • @aysilanvilyeia4199
      @aysilanvilyeia4199 4 роки тому +1

      @@ivantchakoff4067 if you keep multiplying by 3 you will see a pattern.
      for example if you start at 1 x 3 you get 3, and keep count of how many times you multiply, so that's One, again 3 x 3 = 9 that's Two, and we didn't increase in a digit,
      of course again will give you 27 and that's Three,
      so it took three times but actually it's a 1/21 chance this will happen every other time it'll take just Two
      you will continue until you get an extra digit and the number lies between 1 x 10^n and 1.1111111111111111111..11 x 10^n
      like 10,460,353,203 (21st multiple of 3) than it's 3 more multiples
      So 3^7,625,597,484,987 = [1- (1/21)] x 7,625,597,484,987 = 7,262,473,795,218 and / 2 for the difference between 10^n and 3^n
      to get that extra digit = 3,631,236,897,613 amount of digits..............
      3^3^3^3 or 3^7,625,597,484,987 will have about 3,631,236,897,613 digits..........
      The 1/21 is for a little more accuracy,
      Just know 3^n will have about half as many digits as 10^n.

    • @kamhargrove8694
      @kamhargrove8694 4 роки тому +2

      I know right

    • @HashimAl-Atassi2013
      @HashimAl-Atassi2013 Рік тому +3

      yeah the number he showed was 3^3^3^3, not 3^^^3

  • @thefremddingeguy6058
    @thefremddingeguy6058 7 років тому +214

    Me: My PIN is the last four digits of Graham's Number lololol get rekt
    *Watches rest of the video*
    Me:

    • @ivantchakoff4067
      @ivantchakoff4067 4 роки тому +20

      So, your pin number is 5387? All the pirates in the web are very thank you, they will try to hack all your bank's accounts now.

    • @gunay1321
      @gunay1321 4 роки тому

      @@ivantchakoff4067 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😰😰😱😰😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😰😰😰😰😰😰😰 OMG SO SCARY😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

    • @jessieyao8177
      @jessieyao8177 4 роки тому

      04575627262464195387

    • @ionisator1
      @ionisator1 3 роки тому

      @@ivantchakoff4067 it can't end on a 7

    • @ivantchakoff4067
      @ivantchakoff4067 3 роки тому

      @@ionisator1 Watch all the vídeo. And You Will see.

  • @StuffByDavid
    @StuffByDavid 10 років тому +389

    Let's make a new number, but instead of repeating that 64 times, we repeat Graham's Number times.

    • @kaskade333
      @kaskade333 8 років тому +61

      +David Andrei Norgren the mind blowing thing is, no matter what you do with it or how many times you multiply exponentially by graham;s number or anything, it would still be infinitely smaller than infinity

    • @RonWolfHowl
      @RonWolfHowl 8 років тому +28

      Let’s actually make a number where you repeat that process Graham’s number of times.

    • @SarimFaruque
      @SarimFaruque 7 років тому +1

      hoi te doi

    • @lincolnpepper816
      @lincolnpepper816 7 років тому +26

      grahamplex

    • @MrPruske
      @MrPruske 7 років тому +1

      Stuff by David why? What does it solve/help/prove/convey?

  • @seemantadutta
    @seemantadutta 3 роки тому +2

    Ron was the coolest prof I TAed for when I was in Uni. A legend.

  • @amv1777
    @amv1777 8 років тому +19

    "In binary is one", "it's called a small gap in our knoledge". Love Graham! :D

  • @pingouin7
    @pingouin7 9 років тому +10

    Actually I think there's a mistake at 3:08 : they say that 3↑↑↑3 is a number that contains 3.6 trillion digits. I think it actually contains way, way more than that.
    3↑↑↑3 is a tower of 3's 7.6 trillion levels high. Now if we look at the top this tower and work our way down :
    3 = 3
    3^3 = 27
    3^3^3 = 7,625,597,484,987
    3^3^3^3 = a 3.6 trillion-digit number, already bigger than a googol (10^100)
    3^3^3^3^3 = a number with a 3.6 trillion-digit exponent, bigger than a googolplex (10^googol)
    and so on.
    So far we've gone down 5 levels. The tower goes down 7.6 trillion levels.
    So I think this number is going to be impossible to comprehend, and contain a insane number of digits, way more than 3.6 trillion.
    Correct me if you think I'm wrong !

    • @pingouin7
      @pingouin7 9 років тому

      Oops, didn't see the little box there. Looks like he corrected himself already.
      Well anyway, it gave me an excuse to say things.

  • @pcarlisi
    @pcarlisi 4 роки тому +19

    July 8, 2020, RIP Ron Graham, the big number man...

  • @Einyen
    @Einyen 7 років тому +8

    Not that it matters much to the size of Graham's Number, but there is a mistake in the video :-)
    You wrote that 3↑↑↑3 is 1.25*10^3638334640024, but that number is actually "only" 3^(3^27) or 3^3^3^3.
    The actual 3↑↑↑3 is a tower of 3's 7625597484987 high (3^27), as was also written in the video and that is MUCH MUCH bigger than 1.25*10^3638334640024 which is only the 4 first 3's.

  • @MrR4nD0mDUd3
    @MrR4nD0mDUd3 8 років тому +275

    Could Graham just say: "my number"?

    • @BenTheSkipper
      @BenTheSkipper 5 років тому +30

      😂he's sooo humble

    • @TimThomason
      @TimThomason 5 років тому +49

      "The so-called 'Graham's number.'" - Ron Graham

    • @KalOrtPor
      @KalOrtPor 5 років тому +15

      He probably calls it "so-called" because this was the publicized much bigger version, the actual number he used in the proof had G1 equal to 2↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑↑3 and he defined the number at G7.

    • @sebastianjost
      @sebastianjost 4 роки тому +8

      It's not really his number. It's named after him.
      That's the name of the number. He doesn't own the number.

    • @a.u.positronh3665
      @a.u.positronh3665 3 роки тому

      @@KalOrtPor Isnt it 2↑↑↑↑6?

  • @allanmichael5548
    @allanmichael5548 5 років тому +2

    I never would have thought that trying to understanding the mere number of digits in a number would be such a bamboozle.
    Terrific video, I enjoyed it very much!

  • @Vitorruy1
    @Vitorruy1 9 років тому +61

    Graham's numbers last 500 digit's frequency:
    0 - 56
    2 - 56
    9 - 56
    5 - 55
    6 - 54
    1 - 49
    3 - 47
    4 - 46
    6 - 46
    7 - 35

    • @autodidactusplaysjrpgs7614
      @autodidactusplaysjrpgs7614 9 років тому +8

      No eights? :_:

    • @strengthman600
      @strengthman600 9 років тому +4

      How do you know this?

    • @Vitorruy1
      @Vitorruy1 9 років тому +5

      Sammy I got the last numbers from wikipedia and feed them into a character frequency program.

    • @skyler114
      @skyler114 9 років тому +7

      +Autodidactus Communitati Thats an interesting observation.

    • @skyler114
      @skyler114 9 років тому +7

      +Autodidactus Communitati actually look at that chart he just accidentally listed 6 and 8 as 6

  • @igualnimp
    @igualnimp 9 років тому +86

    i begun feeling sick at 5:45 ... i'll talk to my cat about it and see his opinion

    • @axa122
      @axa122 6 років тому +11

      here I am imagining you talking to your cat and the cat replying to you his honest opinions regarding on that topic which seemingly somehow makes sense to you and agreed while nodding.

    • @rajeshwarsharma1716
      @rajeshwarsharma1716 5 років тому +2

      This is the greatest comment ever. I will lol 3 to triple arrow 3.

    • @ferrariscuderia4290
      @ferrariscuderia4290 5 років тому +2

      Schrodinger's cat?

    • @haylanmarks7965
      @haylanmarks7965 5 років тому +2

      "Hey Bastet come to see that sht"

  • @kasajizo8963
    @kasajizo8963 4 роки тому +4

    It's amazing that I just saw Ron Graham, a man who met Godfrey Hardy, a man who met Ramanujan.

  • @manaheld
    @manaheld 9 років тому +96

    I'd really like to know, why his proof works for G64 but not for G63.
    Wouldn't that make a nice video??

    • @bobbob3630
      @bobbob3630 7 років тому +10

      Yeah I can't seem to find how this was actually used in a proof, I don't understand how a number bigger than we can understand was used to prove anything :(

    • @shaikhmullah-ud-din1964
      @shaikhmullah-ud-din1964 7 років тому +5

      or G69

    • @WarDaft
      @WarDaft 7 років тому +22

      Actually, Graham's original proof was for a "much" smaller number, though still huge. However, the pop math author writing about it (Martin Gardiner) found this version to be easier to explain.
      The current upper bound is 2↑↑2↑↑2↑↑9, where even 2↑↑9 is equal to 2^2^2^2^2^65536. There's already no point in talking about how many digits this number has - your next reduction is to ~ 2^2^2^2^2.0035e19,728. 5 layers up is a number with almost 20,000 digits. Next reduction is to ~ 2^2^2^Xe(6.0312e19,727) - there's no point in figuring out what that X is though, as multiplying Xe(6.0312e19,727) by 10 gives you Xe(1+6.0312e19,727). But we would have to add 1e19,723 inside the parenthesis to even get to Xe(6.0313e19,727), so we can just discard the 1+. So at this point we can just flip over all the instances of 2^ into 1e, and get 1e(1e(1e(1e(6.0312e19,727)))). The 1s genuinely don't matter anymore. It doesn't matter how many we add either, from 2^^5 onward, you just tack on one more "1e(" at the beginning. Try to picture the jump from the number X to some number with X digits as you basic operation - then 2^^n means making that jump n-5 times starting with 6.0312e19,727. [Note that Numberphile actually got this wrong - 3^^(3^^3) is not a seven trillion digit number, its a number where you make the jump from X to a number with X digits seven trillion times. Seven trillion cases of "1e(" to write the number down with nested scientific notation.]
      2↑↑2↑↑9 then is a number with 2↑↑9 cases of "1e(" in it. You no longer care even whats at the top of the tower, because the exact height of the tower has five *layers* of "put what digit you want here, it doesn't matter" to describe it. 2↑↑2↑↑2↑↑9 then has so many cases of "1e(" that we don't even care precisely how many cases of "1e(" it takes to describe how many there are. Silly big, yet not even the tip of the iceberg for large numbers. That analogy falls short though. Every analogy other than "literally nothing by comparison" sells the difference short, and even that is both just barely appropriate and at the same time too extreme to be factually accurate. Think about that - to try to communicate the scale of these numbers in succinct English, YOU HAVE TO LIE.

  • @guardingdark2860
    @guardingdark2860 7 років тому +46

    So Mr. Graham thinks that this number is so mind-bogglingly massive that we might never know what the first digit is...except that in binary, the first digit is 1. Which raises the even more mind-boggling concept of writing this massive number in binary.
    I think I need Graham's Number of Aspirin tablets to make my brain stop crying.

    • @legendgames128
      @legendgames128 3 роки тому +2

      Well in tenary, it's 1 followed by a lot of 0s.

    • @R3cce
      @R3cce Рік тому

      It ends in a 7

  • @kingklabe
    @kingklabe 5 років тому +16

    What I love about these kinds of numbers is that if you were to physically write the single digits you would need several universes worth of matter just to make the ink.

    • @alexanderzippel8809
      @alexanderzippel8809 Рік тому

      I believe we would run out of Quarks, not Atoms, Quarks, in the entire universe (if it isnt infinite) if we were to assign each quark a digit in Grahams Number

    • @JohnSmith-nx7zj
      @JohnSmith-nx7zj Рік тому +5

      @@alexanderzippel8809you’ve not really understood in a conceptual sense how big Graham’s number is if you’re trying to talk about its number of digits.
      Even 3^^^3 has far too many digits to represent with any physical thing in the universe, be it quarks, atoms or Planck volumes.

    • @asagiai4965
      @asagiai4965 7 місяців тому

      It depends what you mean by physically. But it you just mean by ink no.
      People under rate the universe so much.

  • @SpriteGuard
    @SpriteGuard 10 років тому +6

    Sweet, can't wait for the video explaining TREE(3).
    I once had someone tell me that if he had to pick a finite number of years to live, he'd pick TREE(4). That took me a few months to work out, since discussions never go beyond TREE(3).

    • @catlover10192
      @catlover10192 10 років тому

      This universe will be nothingness in just trillions of years. Unless he found a way to travel to other universes, he would be very bored. :P

    • @SpriteGuard
      @SpriteGuard 10 років тому

      ***** Well, to be more precise he said humans in general should live that long.

    • @SpriteGuard
      @SpriteGuard 10 років тому +1

      I feel like not too long ago Numberphile (possibly someone else, or a different Haran channel) did a video about a timespan after which the universe would repeat exactly, and it was a power-tower that fit comfortably on a page, far far less than Graham's number, which is far less than Friedman's n(4) (longest string of 4 symbols such that no is a sub-word of any later ) which is far less than TREE(3), and every element of TREE increases faster than the previous (TREE(2) is 6, I think)... so no, I don't have an estimate for how big TREE(4) is.

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 10 років тому

      ***** TREE(G64)
      =end of existence

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 10 років тому

      Lol. Tke extreme caution when dealing with numbers of the comparatively super natural rating as grahms number or TREE...ESPECIALLY when they are simplified to the point of fitting in a sentence. Some doop like me can easily throw those two Mathematical Tachyon bombs together the way i did and open up a black hole with more m/v than the entire universe xD

  • @themanwiththepan
    @themanwiththepan 10 років тому +39

    Here's a new number:
    G64↑↑↑↑G64 = A1
    A1↑↑↑↑(A1 times)A1 = A2
    A2↑↑↑↑(A2 times)A2 = A3
    ...
    A64↑↑↑↑(A64 times)A64 = B1
    repeat until Z64.

    • @davecrupel2817
      @davecrupel2817 10 років тому +15

      No. Just no.

    • @themanwiththepan
      @themanwiththepan 10 років тому

      Yeah okay

    • @Sgt.Hartman
      @Sgt.Hartman 10 років тому +5

      themanwiththepan or TREE(4) that would kick any of the "i cam eup with a big number" comments.

    • @MaxRideWizardLord
      @MaxRideWizardLord 10 років тому

      theoretical physicist What about TREE(G)?? or TREE(TREE(3)) ?? or TREE(Fish number 7). And yet, I still don't know how actually TREE(3) does actually work...

    • @Sgt.Hartman
      @Sgt.Hartman 10 років тому

      MaxRideWizardLord yeah neither do i... would be cool so see (and hopefully understand the mathematics of it.

  • @Rigohinojosa15
    @Rigohinojosa15 2 роки тому +4

    I’ve seen this video at least 5x..it’s still mind blowing each time I see it

  • @DewWisp
    @DewWisp 8 років тому +48

    "you ain't seen nothing yet." you Just put 3^27 trillionth power, what next?!

  • @Dombowerphoto
    @Dombowerphoto 10 років тому +31

    So to summarise .... Pretty big

  • @精神科医生项硕
    @精神科医生项硕 2 роки тому +2

    Would like to submit an erratum here: at 3:16 in the video it says that 3↑↑↑3 = 1.258 * 10^3638334640024. Actually, 3^(3^(3^3)) = 1.258 * 10^3638334640024 and 3^(3^(3^3)) is just the top 4 levels of 3↑↑↑3 exponential tower, which is a total of 3^(3^3) levels high.

  • @ilanisme3698
    @ilanisme3698 10 років тому +11

    that escalated quickly

  • @jacksonmarlett7095
    @jacksonmarlett7095 6 років тому +3

    Here's the formula for Knuth's up arrow notation:
    a↑ⁿ b = a↑ⁿ⁻¹a↑ⁿ⁻¹a↑ⁿ⁻¹a↑ⁿ⁻¹ … a↑ⁿ⁻¹a
    The number of arrows is n.
    The number of a's is b.
    a↑b = aᵇ
    a↑⁰b = ab
    n ≥ 0
    n *_must_* be an integer.

  • @Mantades
    @Mantades 5 років тому +18

    And in video about tree(3) they say "Graham number is effectively zero compared to tree(3)".

    • @r.a.6459
      @r.a.6459 3 роки тому

      Given that Graham's number is g(64)..
      The size of TREE(3) is probably bigger than g^(g^(g^(g^(....
      )(64))(64))(64))(64) with g(64) storey power tower high

    • @taxicabnumber1729
      @taxicabnumber1729 2 роки тому +3

      @@r.a.6459It's worse than that.. the G function just doesn't grow fast enough to be relevant to TREE(3). Writing universes full of stacked G functions still doesn't get anywhere close. You need pretty advanced mathematics to even describe how fast the TREE function grows.

    • @r.a.6459
      @r.a.6459 2 роки тому +1

      @@taxicabnumber1729 you know functions can go beyond exponentiation (i.e. repeated iteration).
      Functions can be _tetrated onto itself_ right, not just integers. Like (g↑↑g)(n). It works the same way as the up arrow notations.
      Now imagine (g↑↑↑↑g)(63) which is:
      (g↑↑↑g↑↑↑g...g↑↑↑g)(63) with g(63) 'g's.
      ...but comparing (g↑↑↑↑g)(63) to TREE(3) is like comparing the size of 11D Universe to 3D planck volume!!
      Now, how big is TREE(4) is, compared to TREE(3)??? It's beyond human logic, it involves dimensions alien to us.

    • @Семён-ч7б
      @Семён-ч7б 10 місяців тому

      ​@@r.a.6459≈3{{3}}g64

  • @bl4ckscor3
    @bl4ckscor3 10 років тому +19

    So if I understood that correctly: Graham's Number is the number of dimensions after which every dimensions HAS to have that configuration at least once in it?

  • @SkenonSLive
    @SkenonSLive 8 років тому +68

    Yea but what happens when you use Grahams number instead of the 3...

    • @akoda8887
      @akoda8887 8 років тому +28

      Pretty sure you get nothing. At least, nothing to see, until someone finds a way to mathematicaly express this kind of ridiculous abomination ^^'

    • @kdflsjgkfljgldf
      @kdflsjgkfljgldf 8 років тому +12

      g(64)^g(64)

    • @Monkey-l8s
      @Monkey-l8s 6 років тому

      :)

    • @johnmarcpandino3043
      @johnmarcpandino3043 6 років тому +2

      Or what if there were 5 arrows hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

    • @arkanon8661
      @arkanon8661 5 років тому

      @@johnmarcpandino3043 or what if you read my comment

  • @elewis1326
    @elewis1326 4 роки тому +7

    Math teacher: do you understand
    Me: uhh yeah...
    My brain: wtf

  • @s4ad0wpi
    @s4ad0wpi 9 років тому +957

    Did you know? If you were to take every atom in the known universe, and expand them to all be the size of the universe, then turn them all into solid lead, the weight of all that lead in pounds would still be less than Graham's number!
    In fact, the only thing that weighs MORE than Graham's Number of pounds... is your mother!

    • @llllllllllllllllllllllllIIIIl1
      @llllllllllllllllllllllllIIIIl1 9 років тому +56

      To be fair, osmium is denser than lead.

    • @RichartI
      @RichartI 9 років тому +29

      +Xhinope I, too, watch day9

    • @jakethornton7
      @jakethornton7 9 років тому +4

      +Xhinope Lol thanks dayj

    • @FrancisHatesStairs
      @FrancisHatesStairs 9 років тому +26

      +Xhinope The number you came up with I am fairly certain isn't even 3(3 arrows)3

    • @monkeydog8681
      @monkeydog8681 9 років тому +26

      +Xhinope Correction.. The observable universe. The universe could be infinite.

  • @XxRaceRCxX
    @XxRaceRCxX 10 років тому +169

    You can always use the back of the paper...saves you money and trees.

    • @numberphile
      @numberphile  10 років тому +86

      The marker usually shows through.... Also, the papers are sometimes sold to raise money for various reasons (extra production costs, charity, etc) so they do not go to waste.

    • @davidg1396
      @davidg1396 8 років тому +3

      +MegaHayzer When you deplete the tree farm, what do they do? They plant more, but if they need bigger production, they have to increase the area, which is very bad for the environment because it's not at all like a forest, it's like agricultural ground, which is really really detrimental. You're deluded if you think it's 100% solved...

    • @ChristopherKing288
      @ChristopherKing288 8 років тому +2

      +Numberphile if you guys wrote down Graham's number, how many sheets of paper could you give away?

    • @박수연-w1t3l
      @박수연-w1t3l 8 років тому +11

      +Christopher King It's actually literally impossible to write down Graham's number. There are 10^82 atoms in the (observable) universe, which is just a laughable fraction of the number of digits in the number ^^

    • @ChristopherKing288
      @ChristopherKing288 8 років тому +2

      박수연 I think you mean in the *observable* universe.

  • @garrytalaroc
    @garrytalaroc 4 роки тому +1

    Chick: Heyy handsome can i have your number?
    Graham: are you sure about that?

  • @puzzlepencilholder
    @puzzlepencilholder 9 років тому +60

    IT'S OVER 9,000!

  • @GuiltyGearRockYou
    @GuiltyGearRockYou 10 років тому +403

    My number (Marc's Number) works the SAME way but it has 3↑↑↑↑3-Layers, not only 64...
    =DDD

    • @str8up798
      @str8up798 9 років тому

      Jacob Lunt not a number :P

    • @russianbear0027
      @russianbear0027 9 років тому +9

      Malacath The coloured lines problem has applications in computer science and is relevant to optimizations. I think group theory has something to do with it too, but I don't understand any of this well enough to actually explain the relevance :P

    • @theluojiperson4280
      @theluojiperson4280 9 років тому +5

      Melodic Guitar Rock/Metal GuiltyGearRockYou Here's my number:
      ^= To the power of
      != Factorial
      10,000^9,999!^9,998!!^9,997!!!^9,996!!!!^...^3!!!...!!!^2!!!...!!!^1!!!...!!!

    • @theluojiperson4280
      @theluojiperson4280 9 років тому +2

      Melodic Guitar Rock/Metal GuiltyGearRockYou Here's my number:
      ^= To the power of
      != Factorial
      10,000^9,999!^9,998!!^9,997!!!^9,996!!!!^...^3!!!...!!!^2!!!...!!!^1!!!...!!!

    • @demonkoryu
      @demonkoryu 9 років тому

      The Luoji Person !!!!!!

  • @OmkarThakoor
    @OmkarThakoor Рік тому +1

    There is a glaring mistake with (3 triple arrow 3) as described at 3:16 and several subsequent references - the number shown is actually (3 double arrow 4) which despite being enormous, is a complete nothing in comparison to (3 triple arrow 3)!! I'm surprised no one seems to have pointed it out in the comments..
    (3 triple arrow 3) is a tower of 3s that's ~7.6 trillion levels high. So its number of digits is (roughly) a 3-tower that's *just one level less* tall than the number itself!!

    • @markredmond9257
      @markredmond9257 Рік тому

      I noticed this as well. The number at the bottom of the screen is just 3^3^3^3. He might have just put that just to show how big the number is with 1 additional power. He should have mentioned that.

  • @clam379
    @clam379 8 років тому +15

    Can you do a video on Conway's chained arrow notation? It seems to escalate even faster than Knuth's up-arrow notation.

    • @r.a.6459
      @r.a.6459 2 роки тому +1

      Try BEAF, or Bower's Exploding Array Function.
      {3,3,3,3} is bigger than 3→3→3...→3→3 with 3→3→3→3 '3's.

  • @LukePalmer
    @LukePalmer 5 років тому +3

    If I am not mistaken, 3↑↑↑3 is MUCH larger than a 3 trillion digit number as the video states. 3^3^3^3 (= 3^(3^(3^3)) ) already has trillions of digits, and that's just a tower four high. We're talking about a tower trillions of 3s high.

  • @Misteribel
    @Misteribel 2 роки тому +1

    The upper bound to the problem has since been lowered significantly, in 2019 it was established to be 2^^5138*((2^^5140)^^(2*2^^5137)), which for comparison is much less than the closest tetration of 2^^(2^^5138)

  • @HASANonYT
    @HASANonYT 4 роки тому +4

    R.I.P. Ron Graham 🙏🏻

  • @jacksonwolf4656
    @jacksonwolf4656 8 років тому +52

    "If you think you understand it, you probably don't"

  • @GUstavoCarraroBuosi
    @GUstavoCarraroBuosi 3 роки тому +2

    We can make the inverse operation?
    Like the root tower?
    Im not a pro mathematician, but i thought like this
    3 down arrow 3 = 3 to the root of 3
    3 double down arrow 3 = 3 times cubed root of 3
    3 triple down arrow 3 = (3 to the power of 27) times cubed root of 3
    We aren’t getting a big number, but we can decompose the big number made up by the power towers

  • @DanTheStripe
    @DanTheStripe 9 років тому +5

    I love this number. Something that's so ridiculously massive yet still has a purpose is fascinating.

    • @bensmith4563
      @bensmith4563 Рік тому

      Yea this has no purpose it's completely and utterly pointless in the grand scheme of things

  • @sideswipeez
    @sideswipeez 10 років тому +17

    I love that paper change transition! XD

  • @Curze123
    @Curze123 3 роки тому +2

    „Mr. Graham - what is your last wish?“ -
    „Just write my number on my tombstone“

  • @Parasmunt
    @Parasmunt 2 роки тому +4

    There is an error at 3:51. 3(3arrows)3 is not a 'trillion digit number' a trillion digit number is just the top 5 3s of the trillion high tower which is 3 (3arrows)3. This number is fascinating the way it grows like a Fractal, imagine yourself on a power tower of 3s and then each branch grows outwards into a size of the trunk and then these spout branches and each of those branches grows out to the size of the trunk and the rate at which this happens then also accellerates to an insane degree with each step and there are so many steps. It's like they sat down and thought about a mathemathical formula that would cause a number to grow the fastest.

    • @IsaacHarvison-mt5xt
      @IsaacHarvison-mt5xt Рік тому

      Only thing that can solve graham number is quantum computer to figure the first numbers 😂😂

    • @Parasmunt
      @Parasmunt Рік тому +1

      @@IsaacHarvison-mt5xt Won't make a difference i suspect. The number is too big.

    • @Parasmunt
      @Parasmunt Рік тому +1

      @@IsaacHarvison-mt5xt This number is well beyond quantum computing too.

  • @crazilycrazy29
    @crazilycrazy29 Рік тому +5

    seeing as 3^^3 is 3^(3^(3) ), does that mean 2^^2 equals 2^2? if it's number of exponents on the tower than it doesn't matter how many arrows there are, using 2s always results in 4.

    • @Xnoob545
      @Xnoob545 Рік тому +1

      Yes, you are correct. For example 2^^^^^^2 = 2^^^^^2 = 2^^^^2 = 2^^^2 = 2^^2 = 2^2 = 2*2 = 2+2 = 4
      (The pattern even continues to the lower operations before the arrows)

    • @Qs_Watermelon-Bartek72491
      @Qs_Watermelon-Bartek72491 9 місяців тому

      2↑^∞ 2= ∞ or 4

  • @moonknight1016
    @moonknight1016 6 років тому +7

    Someone call in Brainiac. I think my calculator is running on fire...

  • @ProtatoYT
    @ProtatoYT 9 років тому +104

    I still think 20 is like the biggest number ever

  • @cjpatz
    @cjpatz 10 років тому +5

    Could you do a video on big numbers like Googolplexian, TREE(3), Loader's Number and Rayo's Number? Explaining these numbers even comparing them to Googolplex and Graham's Number.

  • @thiscomputer4891
    @thiscomputer4891 5 років тому +19

    2:04
    "...3 or 3 to the 3 this is 3 3 to the 3..."

  • @MrAffeman
    @MrAffeman 10 років тому +14

    Now this went from interresting to silly. This number is so ridiculous large that the total amount of integers in it exceeds the theoretical total amount of particles and waves in the universe.