Monthly Archives: December 2023

Debunking Ken Ham Using Artificial Intelligence

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Ark Encounter ©2015 Mark Aaron Alsip.

I created my first neural network over forty years ago, when artificial intelligence (AI) was a nascent blip on the radar. This field of study has advanced significantly in the intervening decades and, in my humble opinion, still has a long way to go. But I see promise.  I do not see a future in which machines are taking over the world. I do see an economy where jobs are not going to be replaced by artificial intelligence, but, rather, those with a knowledge of AI are going to have a distinct advantage over those who don’t. 

Self-driving cars? I could be wrong, and will admit it when proven so, but based on four decades’ experience, I suspect we are further from this goal than Elon Musk will admit. Sorry, but not sorry, I’ve been around longer, and have seen what can go wrong. Others in my field, many far more proficient than I, are bravely stepping forward to issue the same cautious warnings.  I don’t think we’re as close as the new hype would have us believe.

And yet, Large Language Models such as ChatGPT have made computer science fun again. As Bad Science Debunked makes its return after a two year absence, I thought it would be fun to apply Artificial Intelligence techniques to one of my favorite purveyors of pseudoscience: Ken Ham and his Answers in Genesis (AIG) industry.

In this post, I’ll be going after what I admit is low hanging fruit: food and animal capacity on the Ark. I know this topic has been covered ad nauseam, but I’d like to demonstrate how easy it is to use a conman’s own words against him. And it is Ham’s own words (and data) that I’ll be using. For reference, we’ll be using this AIG article:

How Many Animals Were on Noah’s Ark?1

In his article, Ham claims, without any backing evidence whatsoever, that there were 6,744 animals on the Ark and their average size was that of a sheep. OK, let’s take that and run with it. My teachers always told me to show my work, but I fear that page after page of math will have my readers running the other direction, so I’ll give you my prompt, the ChatGPT response, and next to the response, there’ll be a black arrow you can click to show/hide the math. See sample image below.

(click the black arrow next to “Response” to show/hide the math and work done by ChatpGPT.

OK, enough chatter, let’s get started!

Prompt to GPT: Approximate the total volume of Noah’s Ark.

Response: 1,518,750 cubic feet.

To estimate the total volume of Noah’s Ark according to the dimensions given in the Bible, we can refer to the Book of Genesis, which provides specific measurements. In Genesis 6:15, the ark is described as being 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. The exact length of a cubit can vary, as it was based on the length of the forearm from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger and was typically about 18 inches (45.72 cm) in ancient times.

Using the commonly accepted length of 18 inches for a cubit, we can calculate the volume of the Ark in cubic feet:

  1. Convert the dimensions from cubits to feet: Multiply each dimension by 18 inches (or 1.5 feet, since there are 12 inches in a foot).
  2. Calculate the volume: Multiply the length, width, and height in feet to get the volume in cubic feet.

Let’s perform these calculations.

The estimated total volume of Noah’s Ark, based on the dimensions given in the Bible (300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high) and using the commonly accepted cubit length of 18 inches (1.5 feet), is approximately 1,518,750 cubic feet.

Approximately one and a half million cubit feet. Keep this number in the back of your head. It’s going to come up later.

Ken Ham doesn’t give us any information on the species of sheep or their approximate dimensions (he just says “average sheep”), so we’re left to make some assumptions here. First, we must dispense with Ham’s claim that God took baby animals on the ark. Baby mammals who have not been weaned can’t survive without their mother’s milk. They could not have made the journey to the ark on their own. Plus, Ham violates one of his own rules here. The Bible, in his view, is the absolute word of God, and nowhere does it say Noah took babies.

I’ll endeavor to pick, from the thousands of possible choices, an average sheep for our calculations. I like bighorn sheep. Maybe Ken Ham won’t. But hey, he got to pull out of thin air not only the average animal but a suspiciously precise-looking head count. So I claim dibbs on the species.

Prompt to GPT: I’m going to give you some data about dimensions and weight of an average bighorn sheep. Please calculate the average volume a sheep would occupy, assuming a simple rectangular volume for sake of simplicity. Please present your output in english units of measurement (rather than metric), preferably cubic feet. Please show your math.

Your data is:3,4
Height: 46.5”-65.4” | 118-166 cm
Width: 13.8”-19.3” | 35-49 cm
Length: 51.2”-72.8” | 130-185 cm
Shoulder Height: 31.5”-39.4” | 80-100 cm
Weight: 110-315 lb | 50-143 kg

Response: The average volume occupied by a bighorn sheep, assuming a simple rectangular volume, is approximately 33.22 cubic feet

The average volume occupied by a bighorn sheep, assuming a simple rectangular volume, is approximately ( 33.22 ) cubic feet. Here’s how the calculation was done:

  1. Average Dimensions (Inches):
  • Height: (46.5 + 65.4)/2 inches
  • Width: (13.8 + 19.3}/ 2 inches
  • Length: (51.2 + 72.8)/2 inches
  1. Convert Dimensions to Feet:
  • 1 inch = 1/12 feet
  • Average Height in Feet: (Average Height in Inches} * 1/12
  • Average Width in Feet: {Average Width in Inches) * 1/12
  • Average Length in Feet: ( Average Length in Inches) * 1/12
  1. Volume Calculation:
  • Volume in Cubic Feet: Average Height in Feet * Average Width in Feet * Average Length in Feet

Applying these steps, the calculated volume is ( 33.22 ) cubic feet.

Prompt to GPT: Great. Now use this volume calculation for one sheep an do the simple math to come up with the volume needed for a flock of 6,744 sheep. Again, please show your work.

Response: Therefore, a flock of 6,744 sheep would require approximately 224,059.62 cubic feet.

To calculate the total volume needed for a flock of 6,744 sheep, we multiply the volume of one sheep by the number of sheep in the flock:

  • Volume of one sheep: ( 33.22 ) cubic feet
  • Number of sheep in the flock: ( 6,744 )

The calculation is as follows:

Total Volume} = 33.22 * 6744 = 224,059.62 cubic feet

Now comes the problem of food. AIG only gave us sheep to work with, though we know that carnivores would have had to have been on the ark. We can use hay for food estimates for our “average sheep,” but we’re ignoring the reality that the digestive systems of the carnivores did not evolve to enable them to obtain sufficient nutrition from hay, and so they would have all died. Or eaten the sheep. Or been left on a ship full of stinking, rotten meat that would have killed them from parasites, toxicity, or other causes.

But we started with sheep, it’s all we have to work with. Let’s make some hay:

Prompt to GPT: Now let’s talk about food. We’ll assume the sheep eat hay. According to my information,2 a typical bale of hay is 14x13x86 inches in size (width, height, length) and weighs an average of 65 pounds. Calculate the volume occupied by one bale of hay.

Response: the calculated volume of one bale of hay is 9.069.06 cubic feet

The volume occupied by one bale of hay, given its dimensions of 14x13x86 inches (width, height, length), is approximately ( 9.06 ) cubic feet. Here’s the breakdown of the calculation:

  1. Convert Dimensions to Feet:
  • Width: ( 14 ) inches = ( 14 * 1/12 ) feet
  • Height: ( 13 ) inches = ( 13 * 1/12) feet
  • Length: ( 86 ) inches = ( 86 * 1/12 ) feet
  1. Volume Calculation:
  • Volume in Cubic Feet: Width in Feet * Height in Feet * Length in Feet

Applying these steps, the calculated volume of one bale of hay is ( 9.06 ) cubic feet.

Hang in there. We’re getting close. Please keep in mind, the purpose of this exercise is not so much to disprove something that’s already been debunked ad nauseam; rather, it’s to demonstrate thought processes and techniques useful in using Artificial Intelligence and Prompt Engineering, and encourage the reader to embark on his/her own explorations.

So, having some necessary information on our food source, the next logical step is to estimate how much of that food will be needed for a year-long tour.

Prompt to GPT: Now using the dimensions and weight of a single bighorn sheep calculated earlier, estimate the nutritional needs of that one sheep. Give me an answer for just a single day, and for an entire year. In your answer, include an estimate of how many bales of hay would be required to meet these requirements, for both a day and an entire year.

Response: to meet the nutritional requirements of one bighorn sheep, approximately 1/10th of a bale of hay is needed per day, and about 36 bales are needed for an entire year.

To estimate the nutritional needs of a single bighorn sheep and the corresponding amount of hay required, we’ll follow these steps:

  1. Estimate the Daily and Annual Food Intake Needs:
  • A general guideline for sheep is that they consume about 2-4% of their body weight in dry matter daily. We’ll use an average value of 3% for this calculation.
  • Average weight of a bighorn sheep: We’ll take the midpoint of the provided range, which is (110 + 315) / 2) pounds.
  1. Calculate Daily and Annual Food Intake in Pounds:
  • Daily intake: Average Weight} * 3%
  • Annual intake: Daily Intake * 365 days
  1. Determine the Number of Hay Bales Required:
  • Since each bale weighs 65 pounds, we divide the daily and annual intake by this weight to find out how many bales are needed.

Let’s proceed with these calculations.

Based on the calculations:

  1. Average Weight of a Bighorn Sheep: ( 10 + 315) / 2 = 212.5 ) pounds
  2. Daily and Annual Food Intake:
  • Daily Intake: ( 212.5 * 3% = 6.38 ) pounds
  • Annual Intake: ( 6.38 * 365 = 2,326.88 ) pounds
  1. Number of Hay Bales Required:
  • Daily: 6.38 / 65 ~ 0.098 bales (About 1/10th of a bale)
  • Annually:2,326.88 / 65 ~ 35.8 bales

Thus, to meet the nutritional requirements of one bighorn sheep, approximately 1/10th of a bale of hay is needed per day, and about 36 bales are needed for an entire year.

And at this point, dear reader, imagine, please, ominous music swelling in volume and intensity, because we are about to deal a death blow to the ark, using Ken Ham’s own numbers:

Prompt to GPT: Using the annual hay bale requirement for one sheep, calculate how many bales of hay would be needed for the entire flock of 6,744 sheep for one year. In addition to the number of bales of hay, use your earlier calculations for the volume of a bale of hay to come up with the total volume of hay needed to feed the flock for an entire year

Response: to feed the flock of 6,744 sheep for one year, approximately 241,422.23 bales of hay would be required, occupying a total volume of about 2,186,771.27 cubit feet.

To feed the entire flock of 6,744 sheep for one year, the calculations are as follows:

  1. Total Number of Hay Bales Needed:
  • Annual hay bales needed per sheep: ( 35.8 ) bales (as calculated earlier)
  • Number of sheep in the flock: ( 6,744 )
  • Total bales for the flock: 35.8 * 6,744 = 241,422.23 bales
  1. Total Volume of Hay Needed:
  • Volume of one bale of hay: 9.06 cubic feet (as calculated earlier)
  • Total volume needed to feed the flock: 241,422.23 * 9.06 = 2,186,771.27 cubic feet

Do you see the problem? Let’s let ChatGPT point it out to us.

Prompt to GPT:

Do you see the problem? Remember at the beginning I asked the reader to keep in mind the volume of the ark. Let’s let ChatGPT point out Ken Ham’s error…

Prompt to GPT: Wait a minute. I see trouble. Please compare the total volume that you just calculated for the hay to the total volume of the ark (1,518,750 cubic feet) calculated when we began this conversation. Answer two questions: (1) was there enough room for the food on the ark, and (2) what percentage of the total ark volume would be occupied by the food? Remember to show your math.

Response: there was not enough room for the food on the ark. The total volume of hay needed for the flock for one year exceeds the total volume of the ark by 143.98%
  1. Was There Enough Room for the Food on the Ark?
  • No, there was not enough room for the food on the ark. The total volume of hay needed for the flock for one year exceeds the total volume of the ark, which is 1,518,750 cubic feet.
  1. Percentage of the Total Ark Volume Occupied by the Food:
  • The percentage of the total ark volume that would be occupied by the food (hay) is approximately 143.98%.

These results indicate that the volume of hay needed to feed the flock for one year is about 143.98% of the available space in the ark, meaning there is not enough room for all the hay required.

Ouch. Using Answers in Genesis’ own numbers, there wasn’t enough room for the food. We are out of room to the tune of 43.98% of the ark volume (almost half!) But wait, let’s not forgot the animals had to be on board also.

Prompt: Let’s not forget the animals. You previously calculated we’d need 224,059.62 cubic feet for the sheep. Add this volume to the total volume required for the hay and repeat the last calculation, this time answering the question, “was there enough room for both the food AND the animals on the ark?” Tell me by what percentage the ark volume was exceeded when both food and animals are included

Response: This would result in a total occupation of 158.74% of the available ark space.

You’re correct. When considering the total volume occupied by both the sheep and the hay, it would exceed the ark’s total volume by 58.74%. This means that the combined requirements for the sheep and their food result in a total occupation of 158.74% of the available space.

So by AIG’s own numbers, the ark was 58.74% too small to hold the animals and their food.

Conclusion

We could go on forever. Astute readers will have noted that the ark was also supposed to have had room for eight humans and all their food and necessities for an entire year. Visit the Ark Encounter in Williamstown, KY (no, please don’t!) and you’ll see a roomy ship with room for individual sleeping quarters, workshops, an indoor garden, and more.

And yet, using the very data provided to us by the man who’ll be happy to charge over $50/ticket to view this imaginary floating world, we can see there wasn’t even enough room for the animals and their food.

Water, you ask? What about water for the animals and people? One can only assume Ken Ham will argue that it rained every day so the water could be collected… wait… no, it can’t be collected, there was nowhere to store it… perhaps all the living creatures were able to drink in real time, as the rain came down.

So, the prosecution rests. AIG didn’t really give us a lot of data to work with, but they did give us enough, and I believe we filled in any missing gaps fairly by, for example, using average animal sizes. I encourage readers to use this AI Prompt Engineering exercise as a starting point, not a final answer. Try dividing the 6,744 animals into half herbivores and half carnivores. Play with average daily nutrition requirements for, say, lions the size of sheep (as Ham claims) and work up a system for storing and providing enough meat for those creatures.

One final warning: with Artificial Intelligence, you are responsible for the results. ChatGPT did not always give me the expected answers as I worked through this exercise. I did sometimes have to go back and refine my prompts. Be careful in how you ask your questions. Be very clear about the data you’re providing, and be even more clear about how you expect the results to be presented. You’ll notice that sometimes I repeated numbers (like the volume of the ark) in subsequent prompts, even though we’d already calculated this value much earlier. In very long conversations, the language model can “forget” work that was done much earlier on.

With these caveats in mind, this is an exciting, developing technology. I don’t believe it will ever replace humans, but it can be a valuable helpmate in simplifying tasks such as debunking a con man who wraps himself in a cloak of God’s words to tell innocent little children lies, such as stories about humans walking with dinosaurs.

References

(1) How Many Animals Were on Noah’s Ark?
https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/ken-ham/2022/09/08/how-many-animals-were-noahs-ark/
Retrieved 07 Dec 2023

(2) Bale Sizes and Shapes — Picking What’s Right for You
https://www.agproud.com/articles/32770-bale-sizes-and-shapes-picking-what-s-right-for-you
Retrieved 07 Dec 2023

(3) Facts About Sheep (Live Science)
https://www.livescience.com/52755-sheep-facts.html
Retrieved 07 Dec 2023

(4) Bighorn Sheep (Ovid canadensis)
https://www.dimensions.com/element/bighorn-sheep-ovis-canadensis
Retrieved 07 Dec 2023