Arrive at a reasonable estimate of N, the number of intelligent civilizations in our galaxy-the whole point of Drake's equation.
N = R* • fp• ne• fl • fi • fc• L
fi: The fraction of planets with life on which "intelligent" life evolves.
fc: The fraction of intelligent civilizations with technology capable of being detected from space.
L: The effective lifespan for such technological civilizations.
However, as is probably obvious to you upon a moment's reflection, it is essentially impossible to come up with an estimate for these factors; we can really only guess.
The same applies to fi and fc; there is no way to determine the "correct" value or really any kind of estimate that you can state with certainty. So, when working on an estimate N, we must be sure to explain the reasoning for the values used for the terms fi, fc, and L. What assumptions were made? Make some reasonable assumptions and briefly discuss their implications for the final value of N.
Please help get me a reasonable estimate of N. Please explain and reach answer in paragraph form backing up why these assumptions were made. Use at least a paragraph. I am pretty confused.