Which of the following factors in the simplified Drake equation is least well known?
A) Nhp, the number of habitable planets in our galaxy
B) fcᵢᵥ, fraction of life-bearing planets where intelligent civilizations have arisen at any time
C) fnₒw, fraction of civilization-bearing planets that have intelligent civilizations on them now
D) flᵢfₑ, fraction of life-bearing habitable planets

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

While all of the factors in the simplified Drake equation have some uncertainty associated with them, fnₒw - the fraction of civilizations that are currently existing - is perhaps the least well known. This is because we have not yet detected any extraterrestrial civilizations, so we have no way of knowing how common they are or how long they tend to persist.

Which of the Following Factors in the Simplified Drake Equation