WHY ARE WE CALLED 137?

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Well, because we know the answer to life, the universe, and everything – and it’s 137.

 

Ok, it’s actually 1/137.03599913. But this number, known to physicists as the “fine structure constant”, is special because it describes the strength of the electromagnetic force that governs the interactions between light and matter – and therefore determines how stars burn, how chemistry works, and whether atoms exist at all.

 

If the fine structure constant was ever so slightly bigger or smaller, life would not exist and we wouldn’t be here to ponder its meaning.

 

Now, we could warble on about the extent to which mathematics underlies reality or is merely a  powerful way to describe it. It’s fair to say, however, that 137 does a pretty good job of encapsulating the deep mysteries of the universe and the sheer audacity of our ongoing attempts to make sense of it all.

 

For us, it also symbolises the values at the core of our business in the sense that it invites curiosity, inspiring the quest for a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us, which is precisely what we think good science communication should do.

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