Fact files

Scale

Big numbers: areas, masses, ages and astronomical distances.

Scale questions deal with very large or very small quantities: the area of a country, the age of the Sun, the weight of an egg, the distance to the Sun. They are where a feel for orders of magnitude matters most. Start with our guide to estimating big numbers.

Below are 24 questions from this category of the Catamount question bank, with the answer and the note that explains it. Figures are rounded, commonly cited values. Try guessing before you read the answer.

About how many square miles is Algeria in total area?

919,595 sq mi · Standard total area figure.

About how many square miles is Indonesia in total area?

735,358 sq mi · Standard total area figure.

How many square miles is the island of Sicily?

9,927 sq mi · Largest Mediterranean island.

How many minutes are in a regulation soccer match, excluding stoppage time?

90 min · Two 45 minute halves.

About how many cubic yards of concrete were used to build Hoover Dam?

3,250,000 · Poured 1933 to 1935.

How many millimeters are in one inch?

25.4 · Exact by definition.

How tall in feet is Angel Falls in Venezuela?

3,212 ft · Tallest uninterrupted waterfall.

How many grams does the Hope Diamond weigh?

9.1 g · 45.52 carats.

About how many square miles is Andorra in total area?

181 sq mi · Standard total area figure.

How many inches long is a standard credit card?

3.38 in · 85.6 mm.

How many acres is Prospect Park in Brooklyn?

526 acres · Designed by Olmsted and Vaux.

How long is the Trans-Siberian Railway in miles?

5,772 mi · 9289 km, Moscow to Vladivostok.

How many hexagrams are in the I Ching?

64 · Six line figures.

How many grams of sugar are in a standard Snickers bar?

27 g · 1.86 oz bar.

What is the max takeoff weight in pounds of a Boeing 737-800?

174,200 lb · Standard certified MTOW.

What is the area of Vatican City in square miles?

0.17 sq mi · Smallest country, 0.44 square km.

About how many micrometers are in one inch?

25,400 · 1 in is 25.4 mm.

About how many years ago did the Meteor Crater impact in Arizona happen?

50,000 years · Iron meteorite.

How many countries does the UN recognize as African states?

54 · Member states on the continent.

How many distinct 13 card bridge hands exist from a 52 card deck?

635,013,559,600 · 52 choose 13.

How many years did Queen Elizabeth II reign?

70 years · 1952 to 2022.

About how many square miles is the Arctic Ocean?

5,430,000 sq mi · Commonly cited area.

How long is Interstate 95 in miles?

1,908 mi · Maine to Florida.

About how many pounds does an adult human brain weigh?

3 lb · Roughly 1.4 kg.