“If alpha [the fine-structure constant] were bigger than it really is, we should not be able to distinguish matter from ether [the vacuum, nothingness], and our task to disentangle the natural laws would be hopelessly difficult. The fact however that alpha has just its value 1/137 is certainly no chance but itself a law of nature. It is clear that the explanation of this number must be the central problem of natural philosophy.”
Quote by Max Born
Author
Max Born
Max Born, a German physicist born on December 11, 1882 in Hamburg and died on January 5, 1970, played a significant role in the development of quantum mechanics. He is particularly known for his work on wave functions and the Schrödinger equation. Born was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 for his contributions to quantum mechanics. more
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