THE DRAKE EQUATION. It was put forward by Frank D. Drake in 1961 at a
SETI conference in Green Bank, West Virginia. It is an idea that takes the form of an equation which intends to 'suggest'
the number of technically advanced civilizations that are considered to be capable of interstellar communication in our Milky
Way galaxy.
It considers several factors that can be felt to be conducive to the evolution
of intelligent life with technological capabilities. The several factors involved with this equation are described by
the Britannica Concise Encyclopedia as follows:
Of all the stars that form in a galaxy, only some
will give rise to life-supporting planets, and of those planets, only some will generate life capable of high technology and
yet able to avoid technological destruction. Because the numbers of each factor are poorly known, the results generated
vary from zero to millions.
The full equation is as follows:
The Drake Equation
For the estimation of the number of intelligent civilizations in a galaxy:
N = N* fp
Ne Fl Fi Fc FL
Where...
N* The number of stars in the galaxy.
fp The fraction of stars with planets.
Ne The number of planets per star capable of
sustaining life.
Fl The fraction of planets in "ne" where life evolves.
Fi The fraction of "fl" where intaelligent life evolves.
Fc The fraction of "fi"
that develops communication.
FL The fraction of planet's life during which
communicationg civilizations
live.
The more we explore, the more we learn. And the more we
learn, the closer we come to the point where we can add realistic numbers to this equation. And the closer we may come
to actual contact.
