We explore because we are curious, not because we wish to develop grand views of reality or better widgets.
Brian CoxRead
(On the energy radiated by the Sun) It's four hundred million million million million watts. That is a million times the power consumption of the United States every year, radiated in one second, and we worked that out by using some water, a thermometer, a tin, and an umbrella. And that's why I love physics.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the immense energy produced by the Sun and the simplicity of the experiments used to understand it.
This quote by Brian Cox illustrates the astonishing scale of the Sun's energy output, comparing it to the annual power consumption of the United States to emphasize its magnitude. It also expresses a deep appreciation for physics, showing how fundamental and seemingly simple methods can lead to profound insights about the universe.
Themes
SunEnergyPhysicsSciencePower
In practice
Example use cases
In a classroom setting when discussing the vastness of energy sources in the universe.
More from Brian Cox
All quotes →Every carbon atom in every living thing on the planet was produced in the heart of a dying star.
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Light is the only connection we have with the Universe beyond our solar system, and the only connection our ancestors had with anything beyond Earth. Follow the light and we can journey from the confines of our planet to other worlds that orbit the Sun without ever dreaming of spacecraft. To look up is to look back in time, because the ancient beams of light are messengers from the Universe's distant past.
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Feudal societies don't create great cinema; we have great theatre. The egalitarian societies create great cinema. The Americans, the French. Because equality is sort of what the cinema deals with. It deals with stories which don't fall into 'Everybody in their place and who's who,' and all that. But the theatre's full of that.
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You dig deeper and it gets more and more complicated, and you get confused, and it's tricky and it's hard, but... It is beautiful.
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We are the cosmos made conscious and life is the means by which the universe understands itself.
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