What if you had a mole of moles?

Quick Overview

Gathering a mole of moles (approximately 6.022 x 10^23 of them) would result in a mass roughly equivalent to half the mass of the Moon, forming a planet-sized sphere with significant gravitational pull and internal pressure.

Key Points: Gathering one mole of moles (6.022 x 10^23 individuals) would create a mass of approximately 4.52 x 10^22 kg. This mass is equivalent to about half the mass of the Moon. Gravity would compact the moles into a spherical planet with a core pressure of 100 MPa. The extreme pressure and heat would cause decomposition into kerogen, potentially forming oil. The planet would develop a 'mole crust,' convection currents, and 'mole volcanoes' ejecting gases. Over time, the planet would freeze into a solid mass of moles. The sheer number of moles involved vastly exceeds the current population of any single species on Earth.

Context: This video is part of the xkcd "What If?" series, which explores hypothetical scientific questions. It addresses a query about the consequences of gathering an immense quantity of moles, specifically one mole of the small, furry burrowing animals.

Detailed Analysis

The video explores the hypothetical scenario of gathering one mole of moles, defined by Avogadro's number (6.022 x 10^23) of the furry creatures. It first clarifies the scientific definition of a mole as a unit of measurement for a vast number of particles. An average mole weighs about 75 grams, leading to the calculation that one mole of moles would weigh approximately 4.52 x 10^22 kilograms. This mass is compared to celestial bodies, revealing it's about half the mass of the Moon. The video then visualizes this accumulation, showing how gravity would pull the moles together into a spherical shape. The immense pressure at the core, estimated at 100 megapascals, would be enough to kill bacteria and lead to the decomposition of the mole bodies into kerogen. Over geological timescales, this kerogen could potentially form oil if heated. The outer layer would become a 'mole crust,' and internal convection currents would drive 'mole volcanoes' that eject gases like methane and air from the moles' lungs, eventually leading to a frozen, inert 'solid mole' planet over millennia. The video also touches on the vastness of space, suggesting that if only 1 in 100 habitable planets were populated by moles, the total number of moles could reach one mole within a few million years of evolutionary time.