OpenHealthcare.org · Care note
You are an octillionaire
An academic poem about electrons, cellular energy, and a worth that does not depend on how much we give.
Before you finish reading this line,
your body has continued its work:
a pulse, a breath,
the quiet keeping of a world.
Within the atoms of you, electrons—
far beyond an ordinary counting—
help give matter its bonds,
and molecules their possibilities. [1]
Across a cell’s thin boundary,
ions gather unevenly.
A difference becomes a voltage;
channels open,
and a signal travels. [2]
Within mitochondria,
electrons pass between carriers.
Their transfer helps lift protons
across a membrane.
The return flow turns a molecular machine:
ATP, made for the work of living. [3]
Such small exchanges.
Such an immense belonging.
You are an octillionaire—
a phrase for the wonder,
not an exact census of a person.
And on the days you feel depleted,
you do not owe the world a brighter spark.
You may rest.
You may receive care.
Your worth was never measured
in how much energy you could give.
The science beneath the poem
- How many electrons? An octillion means 10²⁷ here—a one followed by 27 zeros. There is no single electron count for every person; mass and composition matter. To illustrate the scale, a hypothetical 70 kg quantity of water contains about 2.3 × 10²⁸ electrons—roughly 23 octillion. That calculation uses about 18 grams per mole of water, 10 electrons per neutral water molecule, and Avogadro’s constant. It is an illustrative calculation, not a measured human-body count; a body is not entirely water. We therefore use “octillions” rather than claiming exactly seven. [1, 4]
- Cellular batteries. Pumps maintain ion concentration differences, while selective membrane permeability helps establish voltage. Around −70 millivolts is a familiar example for a resting neuron, not a universal value for every cell or moment. Nerve and muscle electrical signals involve moving ions, rather than electrons flowing through a wire. [2]
- The ATP factory. In mitochondria, electron transfers in the respiratory chain help pump protons across the inner membrane. Their return through ATP synthase drives ATP production. This is a way cells convert chemical energy; simply possessing electrons does not provide an unlimited energy supply. [3]
- Continuous chemistry. Electrons participate in the bonds and reactions of biological molecules, including DNA and proteins. Many remain associated with atoms and stable bonds; not every electron is continually being passed along a metabolic pathway. The body is approximately electrically neutral overall. [1]
Artwork is an abstract interpretation of microscopic abundance, not a scientific depiction of electron positions or motion.
References
- Alberts B, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition: The Chemical Components of a Cell. NCBI Bookshelf Garland Science; 2002. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26883/
- Physiology, Resting Potential. StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538338/
- Alberts B, et al. Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th edition: The Mitochondrion. NCBI Bookshelf Garland Science; 2002. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26894/
- SI Units — Amount of Substance. National Institute of Standards and Technology https://www.nist.gov/pml/owm/si-units-amount-substance
The mole contains exactly 6.02214076 × 10²³ specified entities.
References checked October 29, 2026.