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A clever way to estimate enormous numbers - Michael Mitchell

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TEDEd Animation

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Have you ever tried to guess how many pieces of candy there are in a jar? Or tackled a mindbender like: “How many piano tuners are there in Chicago?” Physicist Enrico Fermi was very good at problems like these -- learn how he used the power of 10 to make amazingly fast estimations of big numbers.

Name an important decision you have to make at some point in your life where Fermi's method of estimation may come in handy. What about decisions the President of the United States may have to make? What about NASA?

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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Animator Mark Phillips
  • Educator Michael Mitchell
  • Narrator Michael Mitchell

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