Ballpark #12 — answers
August 6, 2026 · five estimation questions and their accepted values
Question 1
How many bricks are in the Empire State Building?
10000000
The classic cited estimate: about 10 million.
Question 2
How fast can a sneeze travel, in km/h?
160
Commonly cited figure; lab measurements vary a lot.
Question 3
How many words does a typical adult English speaker actively use?
20000
Linguists' estimates for active vocabulary.
Question 4
How deep is Lake Baikal, the world's deepest lake, in meters?
1642
Question 5
How many pieces does one chess player start with?
16
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