# Quarks to the Cosmos, where are we? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 28, 2009, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528 "2009-07-28T06:46:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tony\_Kessler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tony\_Kessler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Kessler)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/1 "2009-07-28T06:46:59Z")
I was having a hard time sleeping last night, and of course my thoughts turned towards my place in the whole scheme of things. I started to think that I am supposed to be at the top of the food chain, but what about on the whole ball of wax? A quark is as the lowest we can go as far as parts go, I have a feeling that our universe has to sit somewhere, and since it does sit somewhere, where are we between a quark and the really, really big place? You can reword this if you want. My head hurts right now. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/2 "2009-07-28T12:19:08Z")
Wikipedia is your friend. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders\_of\_magnitude\_(length)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(length)) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders\_of\_magnitude\_(area)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(area)) [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders\_of\_magnitude\_(mass)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(mass)) ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Kessler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tony\_Kessler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Kessler)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/3 "2009-07-28T14:15:22Z")
Thanks, that is what I wanted, I just had no idea of how to word it to look for it. Now, I have to overcome a sudden dread of incredeble amounts of zeros and exponents. Maybe I’ll get to sleep tomorrow night. Maybe not. Now, where is the ibuprophen? Tony ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2009, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/4 "2009-07-28T17:37:28Z")
You may be interested in the classic educational video [Powers of Ten](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2cmlhfdxuY) ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Kessler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tony\_Kessler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Kessler)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/5 "2009-07-29T00:36:45Z")
And Homer Simpson said, “Whoooo”. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/6 "2009-07-29T12:50:20Z")
Here’s another nifty little demonstration: [Universcale.](http://www.nikon.com/about/feelnikon/universcale/index.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Kessler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tony\_Kessler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Kessler)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/7 "2009-07-29T14:41:10Z")
Thsi is really a gentle reminder of what insignificent things we really are. Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/8 "2009-07-29T15:06:31Z")
> [@](#): > > I have a feeling that our universe has to sit somewhere We are all a sitting on an Elephant’s nose.:; ---
**Author:** ![Tony\_Kessler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tony\_Kessler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tony_Kessler)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/9 "2009-07-30T02:01:54Z")
> [@Icerigger](#): > > We are all a sitting on an Elephant’s nose.:; Someone told me it was a turtle’s back. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quarks-to-the-cosmos-where-are-we/504528/10 "2009-07-30T04:49:49Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You may be interested in the classic educational video [Powers of Ten](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2cmlhfdxuY) The IMAX version of this is called [_Cosmic Voyage_](http://www.amazon.com/Cosmic-Voyage-IMAX-Morgan-Freeman/dp/B000060MWT/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1248929336&sr=8-1), and it’s available on DVD.