Are there more possible games of chess than atoms in the universe?

More or Less: behind the statistics

Saturday, 20 January 2024 - 9 minutes

We investigate how the vast possibilities in a game of chess compare to the vastness of the observable universe.Dr James Grime helps us understand the Shannon number – a famous figure on the chess side of the equation - and astronomer Professor Catherine Heymans takes on the entire observable universe. Presenter: Tim Harford
Producers: Debbie Richford and Nathan Gower
Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown
Series Producer: Tom Colls
Sound Mix: Andy Fell
Editor: Richard Vadon

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