While researching electromagnetism, I came across a number called the fine structure constant. The fine structure constant is a physical constant that represents the strength of the electromagnetic force of an atom, and its value is 0.00729735256, which is close to 1/137.
Electromagnetic force is one of the four forces that exist in nature, and seems to be related to static electricity, magnetic fields such as magnets, and electromagnetic waves such as light. The four forces interact with each other, and electromagnetic force is also called electromagnetic interaction, which refers to the interaction between an electromagnetic field and electric charge. Electric charges can be positive or negative, and the same charges repel each other while different charges attract each other. The higher the charge, the stronger the force, and the farther the distance, the weaker the force. The fine structure constant is included in the formula for calculating this force.
If this number is small, the atom becomes hollow and the molecular bonds are easily broken, but if it is large, the atomic nucleus will break apart. It is an exquisite number, I guess.
Also, the speed of the electron in a hydrogen atom is called the Bohr speed, and is said to be about 1/137 of the speed of light. It is the speed of light x fine structure constant x number of protons. In gold, which has 79 protons, it is about 79/137 of the speed of light. Therefore, when the number of protons exceeds 137, the speed of the electron exceeds the speed of light, so 137 is approximately the maximum number of protons for a stable atom. It’s amazing that the number 137 may determine the existence of matter.
The fine structure constant is an exquisite number, but it seems that the value of the constant may be different depending on the location in the universe. According to recent observations, the electromagnetic force is stronger in a certain direction in space and weaker in the opposite direction. If that’s the case, the number of about 1/137 may only apply to the Earth and this area.
There are various theories about the age of the universe, including one that says it’s about 13.7 billion years. I wonder if there’s some connection between the micro and macro. The unit of year is the time it takes for the Earth to go around the Sun once, so it may be an observation or calculation result unique to the Earth. About 1/137 is amazing. The Earth is amazing.
