https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIN5uF6t4bs
The Number That Rules the Universe… And No One Knows Why…
At the heart of modern physics, amidst complex equations and monumental theories, lies a single, small number, yet so weighty in meaning that some scientists have described it as the most dangerous number in existence.
Not because it is large, nor because it is complex, but because it is terrifyingly fundamental.
This number is the precise structural constant, known by the symbol α, and its value is approximately:
1/137
A seemingly ordinary number… But if it were slightly different, neither this text, nor the reader, nor atoms, nor stars, nor even light as we know it would exist.
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What does this number actually do?
α is the number that determines the strength of the electromagnetic interaction, that is, the force that governs the relationship between light and matter, and between electrons and the nucleus.
It determines whether electrons will remain bound to atoms, or whether the fundamental structure of matter will collapse.
In simpler terms:
This number is what allows atoms to be stable, chemistry to function, stars to burn, and life to exist.
Without it…
There are no atoms.
There are no molecules.
There is no life.
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What's frightening isn't its role… but its origin.
The truly shocking thing isn't that the number is important,
but that no one knows where it came from.
Physics can tell you:
• What the number does
• Where it appears
• How it's used in equations
But it can't explain why its value is specifically 1/137.
Richard Feynman, one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, said something chilling:
“This number comes from somewhere we don't understand… It is one of nature's greatest mysteries.”
Even Einstein, who redefined space and time, tried to understand this number late in his life… and didn't succeed.
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What if the number changed slightly?
If the value of α were slightly larger or smaller, by a fraction of a thousandth:
• Electrons would not remain in their orbits.
• Atoms would disintegrate.
• Stars would not burn up.
• Chemical reactions would collapse.
In other words, the universe as we know it would cease to exist.
The precision here is not ordinary…
It's terrifying.
It's as if the universe is so meticulously designed that a slight change in this number transforms everything into chaos, impossible for life.
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Is this merely a coincidence?
This is where the real debate begins.
Some scientists say:
Perhaps this is simply a rare instance of cosmic luck.
Others see it as something deeper:
• Are we within one universe among many?
• Is this number the result of a deeper law we haven't yet discovered?
• Or is there a deeper level of reality that dictates these values with such precision?
The question is no longer just physical…
It has become philosophical and existential.
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Why does this number frighten scientists?
Because it stands halfway between what we know… and what we don't know at all.
A tiny number, without a definitive explanation,
but it governs the structure of the entire universe.
It's like a message written within nature saying:
"There is something deeper… and you haven't reached it yet."
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In conclusion
1/137 is not just a number.
It's a silent reminder that physics, despite its power, still doesn't know the big questions.
Just one number…
reveals that the universe is not as chaotic as we imagine,
nor as simple as we like to think.
And the question that remains open:
Will we ever understand why this number is 1/137?
Or are some of the universe's secrets… created to remain a mystery forever?
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