How Much Does The Internet Weigh? | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

The weight of the entire Internet is estimated to be around 50 grams, with the information stored on it collectively weighing only 0.2 millionths of an ounce.

Key Insights

• 💁 Electrons have mass, and the binary representation of information on electronic devices contributes to their weight.
• 🏋️ Kindles gain a minuscule amount of weight when filled with books, but the weight increase is almost impossible to measure.
• 🏋️ The weight of the entire Internet is estimated to be around 50 grams, considering the servers and personal computers involved.
• 💁 The information stored on the Internet, despite its vastness and volume, has a collective weight comparable to the smallest grain of sand.
• 💁 Eric Schmidt estimated that the entire Internet contains about 5 million Terabytes of information, with Google indexing only 0.004% of it.
• 🏋️ The weight of the Internet includes the weight of servers, and if personal computer chips are included, the weight increases roughly three times.
• 💌 It takes approximately 8 billion electrons to store one email, and the Internet contains a multitude of emails, videos, images, and more.

Transcript

Hey, Vsauce. Michael here. And this strawberry weights about 50 grams, which according to Russell Seitz also happens to be the weight of the entire Internet. What does that mean? I mean, the Internet is a gigantic place and how do you measure information? Well, let's start a little bit smaller with a Kindle. Right now, I'm reading Gadsby, which is ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How does information physically exist on electronic devices like Kindles?

Information is stored in binary code, which is represented by the physical presence of electrons charging floating gate transistors. The mass of electrons contributes to the weight of the device.

Q: How much does a completely full Kindle weigh compared to when it is empty?

When a Kindle is filled with books, its weight increases by approximately 10 to the negative 18th grams. This weight increase is extremely minuscule but theoretically measurable.

Q: How much does the entire Internet weigh?

The estimated weight of the entire Internet is around 50 grams, considering the networks of servers that make it work. This measurement includes the weight of electrons in motion.

Q: What is the collective weight of all the information stored on the Internet?

The information stored on the Internet, including emails, videos, images, and websites, collectively weighs about 0.2 millionths of an ounce. This is equivalent to the weight of the smallest possible grain of sand.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Information is stored on devices like Kindles and servers in binary code, which physically exists through the mass of electrons.

• When a Kindle is completely full of books, its weight increases by about 10 to the negative 18th grams.

• The entire Internet, including servers and personal computers, is estimated to weigh about 50 grams, with the information stored on it weighing 0.2 millionths of an ounce.