March 12, 2025 - Reading time: 7 minutes

       A transcript of the YouTube video story  The Fine Structure of the World.

If the universe did not emerge from an infinite chaos of random possibilities, then it must be woven with abstract patterns and intrinsic regularities - faint traces of a grand design. The laws of nature are but glimpses of a deeper blueprint, waiting to be uncovered. And we, beings with consciousness, guided by the same vision that shaped this design, are here to reveal its mysteries.

Here is just one example among many. Imagine measuring the radius of our solar system. We typically define this radius as the distance between the Sun and the most distant planet, Neptune. Distances in the solar system are measured in Astronomical Units, defined as the average distance from Earth to the Sun - approximately 150 million kilometers.

After the measurement, we obtain a strikingly simple result: the distance to the edge of the solar system, marked by Neptune, is exactly 30 Astronomical Units - an integer number. But isn't it strange that dividing two vast, seemingly arbitrary decimal numbers - the distances between the Sun, Earth, and Neptune - yields a nearly perfect integer?

Even more intriguing, imagine that this number, 30, is a fundamental constant across the galaxy. You cannot escape it in your calculations. It surfaces in any natural law governing cosmic phenomena.

In practice, the distances from the Sun to the planets in our solar system, when expressed in Astronomical Units, are never exact integers. Even Neptune's distance is not exactly 30 Astronomical Units, but it is remarkably close - within the uncertainties of measurement and underlying assumptions. These distances are decimal numbers, making it statistically improbable that the arrangement of the eight planets would yield a clean, whole number like 30 purely by chance.

In physics, however, we are dealing with an astonishing phenomenon. When four fundamental physics constants are combined in a simple ratio, the result is an almost perfect integer: 137

Unlike our solar system example, which involved only two astronomical distances, this constant arises from four vastly different values, spanning an enormous range from 10^(-34) to 10⁸. For instance, it includes the incredibly small elementary charge (~1.6×10^(-19) C) and the immensely large speed of light (~3 ×10⁸ m/s). These constants have different units of measurement, which cancel out in the ratio, leaving behind a pure, dimensionless number - much like the mathematical constant π≈3.14.

Is it not remarkable that such a simple integer, like 137, arises in this expression? Given the countless ways four constants in such an incredibly huge range of values could combine, one might expect an extremely large or tiny number - something far distant from human intuition. Yet, here we find 137. The inverse of this number is known as the fine-structure constant

It is very striking that this simple dimensionless constant governs nearly every aspect of the microscopic world. It determines the strength of the interaction between electrons via photons, or between matter and light, and the structure and sizes of atoms. This constant defines much of what we observe at the quantum level.

Even more striking, this dimensionless constant governs nearly every aspect of the microscopic world. It determines the strength of the interaction between electrons via photons, the structure of atoms, the behavior of light interacting with matter, and defines much of what we observe at the quantum level.

For nearly a century, physicists have debated what this peculiar numerical harmony reveals about the universe.

An Austrian theoretical physicist and a pioneer of quantum physics, Wolfgang Pauli joked that his first question after death would be - "Why 1/137?". He wrote: "I believe that in the natural sciences, a different, opposite approach will emerge, which will be connected with ancient mystical foundations".

An American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate , Richard Feynman, said: "It's one of the greatest damn mysteries of physics: a magic number that comes to us with no understanding by man. You might say the 'hand of God' wrote that number, and 'we don't know how He pushed his pencil'.

In reality, recent measurements show that this constant deviates slightly from the perfect integer 137, with a more precise value of 137.036. Yet, this deviation is minuscule - so small that in nearly every calculation, using 137 alone still provides remarkably accurate predictions of natural phenomena.

What is even more astonishing is that the exact measured value, 137.036, can be derived from π=3.141592, the king of all fundamental constants: 4π³+π²+π = 137.03639

This remarkably simple expression provides an astonishingly precise approximation of the fine-structure constant. But why should π, which defines the properties of circles and spheres - such as circumferences and volumes - have any connection to the probability of interactions between charged particles like electrons, as governed by the fine-structure constant?

But what does this have to do with geometry?

Indeed, one could attempt to explore numerous expressions involving the number "π" in search of the value of the fine structure constant. However, one would be hard-pressed to find a formula as simple and elegant as the one presented above. If we embrace the inherent beauty of mathematics, such a connection to geometry may not be merely coincidental.

Even more mysteriously, consider this curious numerical relationship: Taking the digits of π (up to six decimal places: 3.141592) and applying a pattern of exponentiation, we get: 3²+1¹+4⁴+1¹+5²+9²+2² = 137

We have already discussed in our previous stories that the number 6 is truly special - it is embedded in the very fabric of our Universe, from the Big Bang to the structure of carbon, the building block of life. This rare pattern cannot be explained by science - it is a symbolic mark within decimal numbers, as perceived by us. The connection between the number 6, the constant π, and the fine-structure constant is a mystery beyond our understanding.

As humans, we uniquely recognize patterns and interpret rare occurrences through the lens of perception. In doing so, we unveil a universe woven with symbols and signs, leaving it to us to assign meaning. Unlike computers, we possess a consciousness that discovers beauty in the seemingly unrelated - subtle echoes of a grand design to which we belong.

by S.V.Chekanov

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This is a full transcript of the video https://youtu.be/BmX6J7vfUBQ?si=SY-V0kxMLqvwTFAk created by the DesignedWorld YouTube team using the book "The Designed World of Information: Unveiling the Incredible Realm Beyond", by Dr. Sergei V. Chekanov, 466 pages, ISBN: 9798990642836; Hardcover 9798990642843, eBook ISBN 9798990642829; Book webpage: https://ermislean.org/designed-world/