• SuddenDownpour@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    45
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 year ago

    “The nature of this elementary particle is best expressed through these thirty equations.”

    “Ok, ok, but what do those actually mean in reality?”

    “Reality?”

    • ShranTheWaterPoloFan@startrek.website
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      18
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      Most of those equations are full of things that can make sense, and then there is a fine structure constant.

      It’s all over particles, but we don’t know what it is. It has no units. It’s just a number that is needed for physics to work.

      • DudePluto@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        [The Fine-structure Constant] quantifies the strength of the electromagnetic interaction between elementary charged particles.

        Why the constant should have this value is not understood, but there are a number of ways to measure its value.

        Sounds like we know what it is, we just don’t know the reason for its value. (Edit: Unless I’m misunderstanding what you mean)

        Wikipedia link

        • ShranTheWaterPoloFan@startrek.website
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          7
          arrow-down
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          The strangeness of the Fine Structure Constant isn’t it’s value, it’s that we don’t know what it is.

          Other constants have units that explain what they are doing. Like converting miles to meters we multiply by meters/miles. But this is just a number that is needed. That’s so strange I can’t think of another example.