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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsWhy the number 137 is one of the greatest mysteries in physics
https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/why-the-number-137-is-one-of-the-greatest-mysteries-in-physics<snip>
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 - ?.
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.
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gratuitous
(82,849 posts)Of course, if they're really advanced, they'd know that that's what we use. What would we make of contact from an extraterrestrial that resolved to the number 137?
Amishman
(5,559 posts)A repeating string of 137 pulses would work.
10001001 would be easy to express as well, would be fairly universal
Small-Axe
(359 posts)Last edited Tue Nov 6, 2018, 12:05 AM - Edit history (1)
Ptah
(33,034 posts)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabic_numerals
Small-Axe
(359 posts)when you are wrong?
Here is how Arabs write numerals:
Ptah
(33,034 posts)I'm never wrong.
Chellee
(2,101 posts)sakabatou
(42,170 posts)is the same in Hebrew.
Small-Axe
(359 posts)as is much of the vocabulary.
Both Semitic languages.
Sgent
(5,857 posts)use the same underlying alphabet -- much like English, French and Spansih all use the Latin alphabet.
sakabatou
(42,170 posts)grantcart
(53,061 posts)Small-Axe
(359 posts)I fixed it. Thanks.
lapfog_1
(29,219 posts)almost any advanced civilization will understand binary
marylandblue
(12,344 posts)And if we broadcast 137, we are just announcing that we are dummies, ripe for plunder?
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)mitch96
(13,924 posts)VOX
(22,976 posts)Its more of that sense of *AWE* things that the human mind can take so far, then the road ends...but there is still territory ahead.
Thanks for posting this, its a nice break from all the election-saturation.
panader0
(25,816 posts)Move over 137.
Buns_of_Fire
(17,192 posts)42.
DiverDave
(4,886 posts)Made me laugh...42. Yep. The magic number for sure.
eleny
(46,166 posts)And he figured out why The Challenger exploded.
We lost him way too young.
renate
(13,776 posts)He was such a fascinating guy. I'll look forward to watching this after Election Day--thanks!
StarryNite
(9,459 posts)For me it's the number 48 because pops up all the time and I have no clue why. This has been going on since the early 1970s.
rownesheck
(2,343 posts)just melted. Thanks guys.