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From: Sue... on 10 Mar 2010 00:45
On Mar 8, 12:46 am, klausjen...(a)nordicnet.com (Klaus Jensen) wrote:
> I am doing research on the "fine-structure constant".
>
> Can anyone please explain the physical implication of the two numbers
> involved, 0.08542455, 1/137.03597 and how they might be used in a
> practical application?

Practically speaking, the numbers fourty-two, seventeen and next
weeks winning powerball are far more useful. ;-)

http://physics.nist.gov/cuu/Constants/alpha.html

Sue...

>
> Thank you,
>
> Klaus Jensen

From: glird on 10 Mar 2010 14:38
On Mar 8, 1:48 am, Sam Wormley <sworml...(a)gmail.com> wrote:

>    Ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_constant
>
> The fine-structure constant is the coupling constant characterizing
> the strength of the electromagnetic interaction.

Here is the entire quoted segment in Wiki:
"The fine-structure constant is of dimension 1 (i.e., it is simply a
number) and very nearly equal to 1/137. It is the "coupling constant"
or measure of the strength of the electromagnetic force that governs
how electrically charged elementary particles (e.g., electron, muon)
and light (photons) interact."

Pleases ask them how a number, all by itself, can measure the
"strength" of anything,
(If I ask "How strong are you" and you reply "57.087654785", what
would that mean?)

glird
From: Uncle Al on 10 Mar 2010 14:59
glird wrote:
[snip]

> Pleases ask them how a number, all by itself, can measure the
> "strength" of anything,
> (If I ask "How strong are you" and you reply "57.087654785", what
> would that mean?)
>
> glird

The units fall out by ratio, idiot.

Google
"dimensionless constants" 43,400 hits

idiot

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimensionless_physical_constant>

idiot

--
Uncle Al
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/
(Toxic URL! Unsafe for children and most mammals)
http://www.mazepath.com/uncleal/qz4.htm
From: Sam Wormley on 10 Mar 2010 16:02
On 3/10/10 1:38 PM, glird wrote:
> On Mar 8, 1:48 am, Sam Wormley<sworml...(a)gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coupling_constant
>>
>> The fine-structure constant is the coupling constant characterizing
>> the strength of the electromagnetic interaction.
>
> Here is the entire quoted segment in Wiki:
> "The fine-structure constant is of dimension 1 (i.e., it is simply a
> number) and very nearly equal to 1/137. It is the "coupling constant"
> or measure of the strength of the electromagnetic force that governs
> how electrically charged elementary particles (e.g., electron, muon)
> and light (photons) interact."
>
> Pleases ask them how a number, all by itself, can measure the
> "strength" of anything,
> (If I ask "How strong are you" and you reply "57.087654785", what
> would that mean?)
>
> glird

The number is a ratio. Units cancel. did you ever take a physics
course? What's the ratio of the mass of your brain to the mass of
your whole body?


From: John Polasek on 10 Mar 2010 16:47
On Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:59:54 -0800, Uncle Al <UncleAl0(a)hate.spam.net>
wrote:

>glird wrote:
>[snip]
>
>> Pleases ask them how a number, all by itself, can measure the
>> "strength" of anything,
>> (If I ask "How strong are you" and you reply "57.087654785", what
>> would that mean?)
>>
>> glird
>
>The units fall out by ratio, idiot.
>
>Google
>"dimensionless constants" 43,400 hits
>
>idiot
>
><http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimensionless_physical_constant>
>
>idiot
You mean that if you fiddle with the parameters e, h. c and e0 you can
finally obtain a quotient that is dimensionless, but it's not as
simple as "falling out". In fact it requires quite a bit of unguided
effort to finally make it work. And requires even more effort (and
innovation) to say just what it means.
From the above wiki reference: "at the risk of oversimplification, the
fine structure constant determines the strength of the electromagnetic
force. There is no accepted theory of why alpha has the value it
does".
That phrase "the strength of the electromagnetic force" is a bromide.
In SI units the numerator and a nominator indicate a ratio of :
alpha = e^2/4pi h c e0
the numerator being some kind of electrical Joule*meters that is 137
times stronger than the other mechanical Joule*meters I suppose.

The secret can most likely be found by a little analysis of Bohr's
hydrogen atom in which the electron travels at c*alpha.

In CGS practice e0 is omitted in which case I challenge someone to
show what, if any, dimensions would exist in the numerator and
denominator that would cancel so that the result is dimensionless.

John Polasek
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