Length3.2 hundredths m
58,182Green light wavelengths
453 millionthsBoeing 747 lengths
3.2 thousandthsFire engine lengths
31.8 mm; 4 studs x 8 mm pitch
Photo by Xavi Cabrera on Unsplash
LEGO Brick 2x4
The 32mm building block of childhood dreams and parental nightmares/Everyday Objects
The classic 2x4 LEGO brick has remained virtually unchanged since 1958 and is manufactured to a tolerance of 10 micrometers. A 1958 brick will still snap perfectly onto one made today. There are approximately 915 million ways to combine six 2x4 bricks, and stepping on one barefoot generates a pain roughly equivalent to being judged by your childhood self.
Measurements
Width1.6 hundredths m
5.3 hundredthsLight-nanoseconds
1.6 billionHard X-ray wavelengths
3 trillionCarbon nuclei
15.8 mm; 2 studs x 8 mm pitch
Height1.1 hundredths m
6.4 thousandthsBookcase heights
2 tenthsHouse keys
629 millionthsBowling alleys
11.5 mm including the stud top
Mass2.3 thousandths kg
4.6 tenthsUS nickels
7,700Spider silk strands
2.31 grams of ABS plastic
Clutch force (separation)15.6 N
31.2 millionthsCrane cables
15,600Ant lifts
1,560Wet noodle flicks
Force needed to separate two 2x4 bricks; surprisingly high
Compressive strength4.2 million Pa
4.67Espresso shots
2,100Gentle hugs
Can support ~432 kg before failing; ~375,000 bricks stacked