Air Quote by Francis William Aston
![“[S]uppose you make a hole in an ordinary evacuated electric light bulb and allow the air molecules to pass in at the rate of 1,000,000 a second, the bulb will become full of air in approximately 100,000,000 years.” quote by Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/247/francis-william-aston-44310_air_s-uppose-you-make-a-hole-in-an-ordinary_2762745.jpg)
“[S]uppose you make a hole in an ordinary evacuated electric light bulb and allow the air molecules to pass in at the rate of 1,000,000 a second, the bulb will become full of air in approximately 100,000,000 years.”
About This Quote
Even at a microscopic level, vacuum bulbs fill with air extremely slowly, illustrating vast time scales in physics
In simple terms: Air slowly fills a vacuum over millions of years
Key Takeaway
Appreciate the immense time required for seemingly simple processes
Themes
physics
time
vacuum
Mood
thoughtful
educational
Type
scientific
philosophical
When to use this quote
- lecture
- science communication
Key Concepts
scientific illustration
educational content
Questions to Reflect On
- What does this reveal about perception of time?
- How can this inform patience?
![“I know of over 3,000 ways [that] a light bulb does not work.” quote by Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f87/thomas-a-edison-866_bulb_i-know-of-over-3-000-ways-that-a-light-b_3179847.jpg)
![“Should the research worker of the future discover some means of releasing this [atomic] energy in a form which could be employed, the human race will have at its command powers beyond the dream of scientific fiction, but the remotest possibility must always be considered that the energy once…” quote by Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4ff/francis-william-aston-44310_atom_should-the-research-worker-of-the-future_1221591.jpg)
![“Should the research worker of the future discover some means of releasing this [atomic] energy in a form which could be employed, the human race will have at its command powers beyond the dream of scientific fiction.” quote by Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/95d/francis-william-aston-44310_atomic-energy_should-the-research-worker-of-the-future_1627368.jpg)
![“If the atoms in [a] decimetre cube of lead were all put into a chain side by side the same distance apart as they are in the normal lead, the strings of atoms so formed would reach over six million million miles.” quote by Francis William Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e13/francis-william-aston-44310_atoms_if-the-atoms-in-a-decimetre-cube-of-lead_2343157.jpg)
![“Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs [Less Developed Countries]?... I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that... I’ve always…” quote by Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ac4/lawrence-summers-16940_air_just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-wo_4703.jpg)
![“[A]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air. And be careful what you swallow.” quote by Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/da8/dr-seuss-1224_advice_a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-f_6806.jpg)