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Quote by John Archibald Wheeler

“But some numbers, called dimensionless numbers, have the same numerical value no matter what units of measurement are chosen. Probably the most famous of these is the "fine-structure constant," .... Physicists love this number not just because it is dimensionless, but also because it is a combination of three fundamental constants of nature.”

Book:Geons, Black Holes and Quantum Foam: A Life in Physics

Work

Geons, Black Holes and Quantum Foam: A Life in Physics

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Author

John Archibald Wheeler

John Archibald Wheeler was a renowned theoretical physicist known for his contributions to the fields of general relativity and quantum mechanics. He also conducted significant research in atomic nucleus physics, particle physics, and cosmology, which had a profound impact on the development of modern physics. more

“there are no arbitrary constants ... nature is so constituted that it is possible logically to lay down such strongly determined laws that within these laws only rationally determined constants occur (not constants, therefore, whose numerical value could be changed without destroying the theory).”

Science Nature Physics Fine Structure Constant Constants Of Nature Fundamental Constants

Book:Autobiographical Notes

Source: Autobiographical Notes

“Arnold Sommerfeld generalized Bohr's model to include elliptical orbits in three dimensions. He treated the problem relativistically (using Einstein's formula for the increase of mass with velocity), ... According to historian Max Jammer, this success of Sommerfeld's fine-structure formula "served also as an indirect confirmation of Einstein's relativistic formula for the velocity dependence of inertia mass.”

Physics History Of Science Fine Structure Constant

Book:Making 20th Century Science: How Theories Became Knowledge

Source: Making 20th Century Science: How Theories Became Knowledge

“We have one real candidate for changing the rules; this is string theory. In string theory the one-dimensional trajectory of a particle in spacetime is replaced by a two-dimensional orbit of a string. Such strings can be of any size, but under ordinary circumstances they are quite tiny, ... a value determined by comparing the predictions of the theory for Newton's constant and the fine structure constant to experimental values.”

Physics String Theory Fine Structure Constant Constants Of Nature

Author:Edward Witten

“Calculate the fine structure constant from first principles.”