It starts as a friendly challenge: who can name the biggest number?
The only rule? Infinity doesn’t count.
What follows is a journey through the biggest finite numbers ever imagined.
From Archimedes’ grains of sand to Graham’s Number, a sequence so vast it stretches the limits of human comprehension, Professor Hannah Fry and Michael Stevens tumble through this strange landscape of scale, tracing how mathematicians have pushed counting to its absolute edge.
But beyond vast calculations, perhaps this is less about numbers and more about us.
Why do humans push at the limits of finitude at all? How do we represent the biggest numbers in existence? Why can’t our brains feel the difference between a million, a billion, and a trillion? And when do big numbers affect our ability to empathise with others?
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For more information about Cancer Research UK, their research, breakthroughs and how you can support them, visit https://cancerresearchuk.org/restisscience
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.
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Video Producer: Adam Thornton + Oli Oakley
Video & Social: Bex Tyrrell
Assistant Producer: Imee Marriott
Senior Producer: Lauren Armstrong-Carter
Head Of Digital: Samuel Oakley
Exec Producer: Neil Fearn
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