Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

The most mysterious number in physics

#1
Magical Realist Offline
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/...JzTBh2udFk

"Does the Universe around us have a fundamental structure that can be glimpsed through special numbers?

The brilliant physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988) famously thought so, saying there is a number that all theoretical physicists of worth should "worry about". He called it "one of the greatest damn mysteries of physics: a magic number that comes to us with no understanding by man".

That magic number, called the fine structure constant, is a fundamental constant, with a value which nearly equals 1/137. Or 1/137.03599913, to be precise. It is denoted by the Greek letter alpha - α.

What's special about alpha is that it's regarded as the best example of a pure number, one that doesn't need units. It actually combines three of nature's fundamental constants - the speed of light, the electric charge carried by one electron, and the Planck's constant, as explains physicist and astrobiologist Paul Davies to Cosmos magazine. Appearing at the intersection of such key areas of physics as relativity, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics is what gives 1/137 its allure.

Physicist Laurence Eaves, a professor at the University of Nottingham, thinks the number 137 would be the one you'd signal to the aliens to indicate that we have some measure of mastery over our planet and understand quantum mechanics. The aliens would know the number as well, especially if they developed advanced sciences.

The number preoccupied other great physicists as well, including the Nobel Prize winning Wolfgang Pauli (1900-1958) who was obsessed with it his whole life.

"When I die my first question to the Devil will be: What is the meaning of the fine structure constant?" Pauli joked.

Pauli also referred to the fine structure constant during his Nobel lecture on December 13th, 1946 in Stockholm, saying a theory was necessary that would determine the constant's value and "thus explain the atomistic structure of electricity, which is such an essential quality of all atomic sources of electric fields actually occurring in nature."

One use of this curious number is to measure the interaction of charged particles like electrons with electromagnetic fields. Alpha determines how fast an excited atom can emit a photon. It also affects the details of the light emitted by atoms. Scientists have been able to observe a pattern of shifts of light coming from atoms called "fine structure" (giving the constant its name). This "fine structure" has been seen in sunlight and the light coming from other stars.

The constant figures in other situations, making physicists wonder why. Why does nature insist on this number? It has appeared in various calculations in physics since the 1880s, spurring numerous attempts to come up with a Grand Unified Theory that would incorporate the constant since. So far no single explanation took hold. Recent research also introduced the possibility that the constant has actually increased over the last six billion years, even though slightly.

If you'd like to know the math behind fine structure constant more specifically, the way you arrive at alpha is by putting the 3 constants h,c, and e together in the equation --


[Image: 980x.png]
[Image: 980x.png]



As the units c, e, and h cancel each other out, the "pure" number of 137.03599913 is left behind. For historical reasons, says Professor Davies, the inverse of the equation is used 2πe2/hc = 1/137.03599913. If you're wondering what is the precise value of that fraction - it's 0.007297351."
Reply
#2
C C Offline
I can't remember the name or moniker of the guy who posted in alt.discuss.philosophy (WebTV) during the 2000s decade. Who was taking physics courses, but at the same time was an enthusiast of some contemporary version of sacred geometry. He'd routinely bring up this or that number items in an array of quantitative correlations and coincidences. If I remember right, he was also teaching flamenco guitar.
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Article Hidden connection that changed number theory + Pushing prime number barriers C C 0 73 Nov 5, 2023 07:16 PM
Last Post: C C
  Mathematicians outwit hidden number conspiracy C C 2 149 Apr 4, 2022 07:10 PM
Last Post: stryder
  ‘Magic Number’ that shapes cosmos nailed + K9 chemistry + Tire chemical kills salmon C C 0 277 Dec 3, 2020 10:02 PM
Last Post: C C
  Dissolving the Fermi Paradox + An infinite universe of number systems C C 2 174 Oct 21, 2020 11:06 AM
Last Post: Zinjanthropos
  String theory & number theory share + Why string theory is both a dream & a nightmare C C 0 354 Mar 4, 2020 01:40 AM
Last Post: C C
  Which physics question is most important? + Best explanation for everything C C 3 603 Dec 26, 2017 10:22 PM
Last Post: Syne
  Why Physics Is Not a Discipline: Physics is not just what occurs in Dept of Physics C C 0 869 Apr 23, 2016 05:46 AM
Last Post: C C
  The Omega number and why maths has no TOEs C C 0 736 Oct 28, 2014 05:08 AM
Last Post: C C



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)