Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Van Pelt versus the Human Body

So in reflecting more on Van Pelt library being separated into different length scales, I thought that it would compare relatively well to the different length scales of the human body. Just as Van Pelt contains millions and millions of tiny books, the human body contains about 10 trillion cells. And just as these books are only about 8-10 inches in length by 6-9 inches in diameter, an average cell has a diameter of about 20 micrometers. The books in Van Pelt library are separated into different floors, where each floor is organized by a specific subject. The cells in the human body are organized into various organ systems, each separated by function of the cell. Each book provides specific information based on that subject. Each cell provides a different function to the body based on the organ system that it is a part of. Finally, each floor in the library makes up Van Pelt as a whole. Each organ system makes up the body. These two objects are extremely similar when looked at on specific length scales, but differ greatly when just looked at macroscopically as a whole.

1 comment:

  1. Excellent! That's absolutely right. Things behave very differently on different length scales but they all come together in amazing ways to make the entire object into something very unique. You're already thinking like a bioengineer: when you see a library you see an organ system.

    Good job with the blog so far. Try blogging at different times for maybe 2-3 minutes at a time and don't be afraid to put a lot more of your own voice into the posts.

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