Why the number 137 is one of the greatest mysteries in physics, Global : Today Indya

Why the number 137 is one of the greatest mysteries in physics

Global

bigthink

Famous physicists like Richard Feynman think 137 holds the answers to the Universe.

Why the number 137 is one of the greatest mysteries in physics

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 --

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.

Article Original Source : https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/number-137-physics?rebelltitem=4#re...

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Video: Why A Ship’s Bottom Is Mostly Painted Red

Global

themaritimepost

Have you noticed how ships, both large and small tend to be painted a different color under the water, most often it is red but actually nowadays you can get any color you like.

A lot of people may think that there is no apparent reason for a ship to be painted in an area which is always under the waterline where nobody sees it. Either way, have you ever wondered why most of the ships are painted with red color on the bottom?

Well, one of the answers is tradition. Shipping is a tradition-oriented industry and as you must be aware that all ships are called ‘She’ based on an old nautical tradition. But tradition is not the only reason for painting the ship’s bottom red, there is science behind it.

The reason for it goes back to the earliest days of sailing ships, back in those days wooden sailing ships would travel around the world slowly, a combination of their slow speed and rough hull made them an ideal breeding ground for underwater growth. Just take a look under a pier, you will see the sort of growth these ships used to suffer, we are talking about the barnacles, worms, seaweed and other micro-organisms.

Now you might wonder, what’s the issue with such growth on the ship’s hull? Well, this muck not only impairs the vessel’s structure but also increases the drag. That means the ships wouldn’t move as fast as they could, or they might use more fuel while getting through the water.

The sailors in those early days, used to cover the hulls (the part sitting in the water) of their boats/ships with copper paint to protect the vessel from unwanted wood-eating worms, barnacles, sea-weed, etc. It was the copper that added a red tint to the paint. Thanks to this substance, ships could stay intact and wouldn’t be weighed down by all the unwanted stuff collected on the hull below the waterline.

Nowadays, you can add special ship-protecting ingredients (Anti-fouling coatings) to any kind or color of paint. But the hulls are still painted red to honor and maintain the old nautical tradition.

Another reason can be traced in the contrast of red hull to the sea water, which demonstrates if the ship is overloaded. The more cargo a ship is carrying, the deeper it enters the water and the red color is the demarcation line (Plimsoll line).

In the same context of ‘contrast’, the red color at sea can be very easily captured by passing-by helicopters in case of an emergency.

Here is a detailed video on this interesting subject: