This episode of the Hourlings Podcast was one I could only contribute to in indirectly. We have a new YouTube channel, Channel 137—which I hope you will follow—and you may be wondering where the 137 comes from.
As an author, as well as a Physicist and Scientist, I have an affinity for the wonders of the physical world—and so does host Martin Wilsey. The number 137, or more specifically it’s approximate reciprocal, 0.007 297 352 569 3(11), which is about , is important to Physicists. It represents the Fine Structure Constant, ⍺, a ratio between the square of the Fundamental Charge and Planck’s Constant, the Speed of Light, and the Permittivity of Free Space:
Originally, it was a was of defining the distance between spectral lines but has been found in many other physical properties. It’s quite a number!
Which is why we will be ending each meeting with a note about how it was so finely structured!
Hope you enjoy the episode despite my lack of tales of intelligent octopuses and planetary colonists suffering technological attrition. Oh, well.
I’ll be back next week though so keep writing and hope to see you there!