# Earth covered in dead people **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 10, 2013, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004 "2013-05-10T16:14:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/21 "2013-05-10T19:30:49Z")
Using Steverd’s numbers a square mile wile contain about 1731577 2/3 caskets. Covering 57.5 sq miles we get very close to 100,000,000,000,000 (100 trillion caskets). Let’s call the worldwide mortality rate 0.8%\* and worldwide population growth rate as 1% but bear in mind this includes the mortality rate i.e. 1.8% new people added to Earth. \*Assuming everyone above ground in coffins. If 25% are cremated, adjust to 0.6% So what we get for total deaths over a time T starting with a world population of N is: 0.008(N) + 0.008(Nx1.01) + 0.008(Nx1.01[sup]2[/sup]) + … + 0.008(Nx1.01[sup]T-1[/sup]) This simplifies to 0.008N(1 + 1.01 + 1.01[sup]2[/sup] + … + 1.01[sup]T-1[/sup]) or 0.008N (1.01[sup]T[/sup] - 1) / (1.01 - 1) Simplifying to 0.8N (1.01[sup]T[/sup] - 1) Solving for T and assuming a world population of 7.1 billion people we get 937 years, 7 months, 19 days, 2 hours, 57 minutes, 9.6 seconds (rounded) ---
**Author:** ![CannyDan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cannydan/32/548_2.png) [@CannyDan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CannyDan)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/22 "2013-05-10T19:38:42Z")
Just when I was about to take off my shoes and do some higher math, I’m ninja’d! 😃 Thanks, **Saint Cad** Seems we won’t run out of casket space within my worrying time. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/23 "2013-05-10T19:40:42Z")
In case anyone is curious what the formula is A = area to be covered a = area covered by the casket M = mortality rate G = growth rate P = starting population T = time until area is filled A/a = MP((1+G)[sup]T[/sup]-1)/G T = ln{[(AG)/(aMP)]+1} / ln(1+G) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/24 "2013-05-10T19:55:48Z")
What about dead babies? They have smaller caskets. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/25 "2013-05-10T19:58:35Z")
Welcome **Steverd**! I like your posting style. You’ll do well here. ---
**Author:** ![Steverd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Steverd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steverd)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/26 "2013-05-10T20:08:52Z")
AWESOME - this should be called the ‘ **Saint Cad** ’ equation! > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > In case anyone is curious what the formula is > A = area to be covered > a = area covered by the casket > M = mortality rate > G = growth rate > P = starting population > T = time until area is filled > > A/a = MP((1+G)[sup]T[/sup]-1)/G > > T = ln{[(AG)/(aMP)]+1} / ln(1+G) ---
**Author:** ![Whammo72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Whammo72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo72)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/27 "2013-05-10T20:23:56Z")
There was a lot more math to that then I had anticipated. Glad I didn’t try it. ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/28 "2013-05-10T22:39:13Z")
> [@](#): > > Solving for T and assuming a world population of 7.1 billion people we get 937 years, 7 months, 19 days, 2 hours, 57 minutes, 9.6 seconds (rounded) And, according to the model, by that time the total population of the earth will be about 80 trillion… Methinks not. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/29 "2013-05-10T22:51:24Z")
You just _know_ this is going to be a great zombie one day. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/30 "2013-05-10T23:52:54Z")
In 1962, I was six years old and my parents took me and my sister to the World’s Fair in Seattle, a 1155 mile trip. Before leaving, they bought two cemetary plots. They only bought two because they were assured that if we all died horribly together on the road at the same time, the cemetary would allow the coffins to be buried two deep. Between folks doing that and the baby coffins, we’re more than going to crack a thousand years. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/31 "2013-05-20T16:59:07Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > What about dead babies? They have smaller caskets. > > 😃 Only up to 3 years old. After that it is an adult size casket no matter the size of the child. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004/32 "2013-05-20T17:41:36Z")
84" x 28" x 23" is the standard casket size _in the US_. 78 inches (1.98 m) is the maximum size generally permitted by municipal law in the UK (though I’m having a hard time confirming if this only applies to cremation caskets). In any event, I suspect the average size in most countries is significantly smaller than the US standard. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-covered-in-dead-people/658004.md?page=1)