Our brains contain one hundred billion nerve cells (neurons). Each neuron makes links with ten thousand other neurons to form an incredible three dimensional grid. This grid therefore contains a thousand trillion connections - that's 1,000,000,000,000,000 (a quadrillion). It's hard to imagine this, so let's visualise each connection as a disc that's 1mm thick. Stack up the quadrillion discs on top of each other and they will reach the sun (which is ninety-three million miles from the earth) and back, three times over.

Summary

This quote highlights the astonishing complexity and vastness of our brain's neural network. It illustrates that the human brain is composed of approximately one hundred billion neurons, with each neuron connecting to ten thousand others, totaling a grid of a thousand trillion connections. To help comprehend this massive number, the quote offers a visualization: if each connection is represented as a 1-mm-thick disc, stacking these quadrillion discs would span the distance from the sun to the earth three times over. This depiction emphasizes the incredible capacity and intricacy of the brain's neural circuitry.

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