How did they come to the conclusion that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth?

Question

How did they come to the conclusion that there are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on Earth?

In: 219

Answer 1

Apart from other estimations, the way they can say these things are because even with uncertainties, you can tell if something is obviously bigger than the other. Example:

I dont know how many grains of sand there are in the Sahara, I’ve never been there or seen it in person.

I also don’t know how many socks I own, kept in my drawer.

I can still confidently say there are more grains of sand in the sahara than socks in my drawer.

Similarly, the lowest estimates for the numbers of stars in the universe is so much bigger than any number we could get for grains of sand on the earth.