This page is not recommend to be viewed on a smart-phone, the embedded calculator format does not work well on small screens.
In 1961, astronomer Frank Drake formulated the now famous equation, that bears his name, as he was putting together the agenda for the first scientific meeting on the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence (SETI). His goal was not to quantify the number of intelligent, communicating extra-terrestrial civilizations but rather to summarize the factors when considering the probability of advanced extra-terrestrial life.
Below is slightly revised, interactive version of the Drake Equation putting more in layman terms. Feel free to input your own responses into Frank Drake’s famous equation.
- Select an answer for each of the blue rectangles under the red arrow by clicking in each cell and using the pull down option.
- To reset your responses, refresh the page.
- For more information on how to use the calculator, see the video below the calculator.
Demo Video