How big is The Matrix?

It is easy to think of it as simulating the whole world. But much suggests it is more local than that.

It is 'the' city and 'the' mountains. I think it is also 'the' freeway in a literal sense. Everyone always seems to hack into the same place no matter where they go in their ships.

If Xion has a quarter of a million citizens and this is meant to be a 1% who do not accept the Matrix PLUS the natural born humans then the Matrix cannot have more than 25 million people in it. A big city alone can have millions; we know 'the' mountains are some 500 miles from the city- easily enough room to fit everyone.

So I think the Matrix covers a relatively small area, do you agree?

Yeh I guess I never thought about it that way - and if there are 6 billion people on earth, would that make most of them programs or what?

But then again I dont believe the 250 000 people are those that don't accept the program - they were just freed, am I right in saying this?

i have thought about it. The thing is. DOes it cover a part of space also?

I tried thinking about that... I think my brain hurts...

I hope Revolutions will reveal exactly how many people live in the Matrix, and I hope we get to see more of the machine world.

Only people who are suitable are freed. They don't free tham at random, only those who sunconsciously reject the programme.

I think there ISN'T a rest of the world in the Matrix, btw, programmes or otherwise. There is no 6 billion people. People don't notice this in the same way they don't notice that they have been through the end of the 20th/start of the 21st century several times.

well..i should think that the program renders the whole planet...in order for them to live questionless. let's say outer space is out of their tech possibilities

I think it does just cover a relatively small space, now that I think about it.

I think life would be different in the matrix if there would be only one town so I think its more than that, in the first matrix when neo came to work his boss said they had one of the most respectible companies in the world

Yes, but he only THINKS that. I don't think there is a rest of the world at all, I think it is all obfuscation. One city and the area around it thinking it is part of something bigger.

The Agents could easily block off the roads, and maybe the robots have instilled in them that they do not want to go to other countries or continents.

Easily done. They have control, after all.

Exactly. 🙂

Wow I never really thought about it. Now that you mention it, the numbers don't seem to add up? I'm going to ponder this some and hope my brain doesn't have a meltdown.

So what you're saying, Ush is a Dark City analogy. Seems really feasable. I've thought about it myself a little. First off, if it is one city, what city is it taking place in? I think it's fair to say it's in the US...(they drive on the right hand side of the road)

and as for the 1%...not everyone who won't accept the programming is freed. Plus you have to consider how many people die in Zion as well. I'm sure people die all the time in missions within the matrix.

Even if they have a thousand ships with eight-man crews and a horiffic 50% mortality rate a year that's still only 4000 a year. And as it is the casualty rate wouldn't be anywhere near that high; the ships they have are closer to 100, I think. So the death rate most likely does not have a huge impact.

Mind you, they are probably spawning like rabbits. What if fully HALF of Zion is natural born? The Matrix could be relatively tiny compared to the real world.

It is a US city because they are trying to re-create the height of late 20th/early 21st century civilisation and the US is the obvious place to do that. But that it is the ONLY city where anything seems to happen is a big hint, and as soon as Link said Neo was in 'the' mountains I became certain the Matrix was a relatively small construct.

What you guys are forgetting is what Morpheus said in the first film.

Quote, 'the machines have fields of billions of human beings which give off enough energy to power a lightbulb and combined with a form of fusion they have all the power they need'.

in that case explain how the matrix could only be a large city and mountains, I think oje of you got it wrong somewhere.

ANY MORE PLAUSABLE EXPLANATION?!? 😄😄💃💃

I agree. At some point it is said that approximately four billion people live in the Matrix so I think that the Matrix covers an entire world/globe rather than just a city - after all, people might think it a bit peculiar to leave the city and reach nothingness.

The fact brought up that the first film takes place in the one city is just to avoid confusion methinks, and allows people to connect with the area (like the Heart O' theCity Hotel as a main set) rather than everyone jumping around between cities all the time. As no name is given to this city, it could just be a random city allowing people to make up their own minds as to where it is.

Also, in my opinion people are getting to obsessed with the idea that 1% are rejected by the Matrix and 99% accept it. I think that the Architect just says 99% to indicate the majority, like I would say that 99% of the time I get up at 8am - I mean almost all the time rather than exactly 99 days out of a hundred. This is backed up by the numbers. If 250,000 live in Zion then there can't be billions of people in the Matrix. The Architects number is closer to 99.9999375% but it would be ridiculous for him to come out with a huge decimal, so he keeps it simple.

This matrix is a another matris .. good ?

good point