Melvin Prueitt
There are certain physical constants that appear to be exactly fixed in value, and if we could change the value of a particular physical constant all across the universe, then stars and galaxies could not exist. There is the Anthropic Principle that states that if certain physical constants were different than what we see in our universe, then intelligent beings could not exist. There is a paragraph on Anthropic Principle in this Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_constant
Main article:
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Some physicists have explored the notion that if the dimensionless physical constants had sufficiently different values, our Universe would be so radically different that intelligent life would probably not have emerged, and that our Universe therefore seems to be fine-tuned for intelligent life. The anthropic principle states a logical truism : the fact of our existence as intelligent beings who can measure physical constants requires those constants to be such that beings like us can exist. There are a variety of interpretations of the constants' values, including that of a divine creator (the apparent fine-tuning is actual and intentional), or that ours is one universe of many in a multiverse (e.g. the Many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics ), or even that, if information is an innate property of the universe and logically inseparable from consciousness, a universe without the capacity for conscious beings cannot exist.”
Below is a list of fundamental physical constants. If some of those are changed, the universe as we know it would not exist.
Let us take an example. A proton is 1836 times as heavy as an electron, but protons and electrons have exactly the same magnitude of electrical charge, although the proton has a positive charge and the electron has a negative charge. Why doesn’t the proton have a larger charge than an electron, since it is so much heavier? Does it matter? Suppose a physicist develops a machine that can increase the charge of an electron by onethousandth of one percent. He tells you that you can push a button on his machine, and it will increase the charge of all electrons on the earth by one-thousandth of one percent.
You say that that is impossible. He says that it is a new “quantum effect” in which the machine increases the charge of a few electrons in the machine, but those electrons bump into other electrons and the effect quickly spreads throughout the world. You know he is crazy, so to keep him quiet, you push the button. The earth suddenly explodes in a great super nova that spreads out across the solar system. Imagine that the change in the electron charge is only one-thousandth of one percent.
Take a look at the following physical constants. Most people had no idea that there were so many physical constants that govern their existence. A few of the constants listed here are not universal constants. For example, the Acceleration due to gravity g = 9.80665 m/s 2 is the value on earth, but it would be different on Mars or Venus.
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Planck constant h
6.6260755·10 -34 J·s h / (2 ) = 1.05457266·10
-34
J·s
Boltzmann constant k
B
1.380658·10 -23
J/K ( = 8.617385·10
-5
eV/K )
Elementary charge e
1.60217733·10 -19
C
Avogadro number N
A
6.0221367·10 23 particles/mol
Speed of light c
2.99792458·10 8 m/s
Permeability of vacuum
0
0
= 4 ·10
-7
T
2 ·m 3
/J
12.566370614·10 -7
T
2 ·m 3
/J
Permittivity of vacuum
0
0
= 1 / (
0
c 2 )
8.854187817·10 -12
C
2 /J·m
Fine structure constant
1 / 137.0359895
Electron rest mass m e
9.1093897·10 -31
kg
Proton rest mass m p
1.6726231·10 -27
kg
Neutron rest mass m n
1.6749286·10 -27
kg
Bohr magneton
B
B
= e h / (4 m e
)
9.2740154·10 -24
J/T
Nuclear magneton
N
N
= e h / (4 m p
)
5.0507866·10 -27
J/T
2

Free electron g factor g e
2.002319304386
Free electron gyromagnetic ratio e e
= 2 g e B
/ h
1.7608592·10 11
1/s·T e
/ (2 ) = 28.024944 GHz/T
Electron magnetic moment e e
= -(1/2) g e B
-9.2847701·10
-24
J/T
Proton gyromagnetic ratio (H
2
O) p
2.67515255·10 8
1/s·T p
/ (2 ) = 42.576375 MHz/T
Proton magnetic moment p
1.41060761·10 -26 J/T
Proton-electron ratios m p
/ m e
= 1836.152701 e
/ p
= 658.2106881 e
/ p
= 658.2275841 (protons in water)
Charge-to-mass ratio for the electron e / m e
1.75880·10 11
C/kg
Atomic mass unit amu
1.66054·10 -27
kg
Bohr radius a
0
5.29177·10 -11
m
Electron radius r e
2.81792·10 -15
m
Gas constant R
R = N
A
k
B
8.31451 m
2 ·kg/s 2 ·K·mol
Molar volume V mol
22.41383 m
3
/kmol
Faraday constant F
F = N
A
e
3

9.64846·10 4
C/mol
Proton g factor (Landé factor) g
H
5.585
Gravitational constant G
(6.673 +- 0.010)·10 -11 m 3 /kg·s 2 (CODATA)
6.67390·10 -11
m
3 /kg·s 2
+- 0.0014 % (Jens Gundlach, Univ. of Washington; from:
Der Tagesspiegel 2000-05-08)
(6.6873 +- 0.0094)·10 -11 m 3 /kg·s 2 (Schwarz et al., Science 282 , 2230 (1998))
Acceleration due to gravity g
9.80665 m/s
2
Compton wavelength of the electron c c
= h / (m e
c)
2.42631·10 -12
m
Another Website that lists some constants: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/tables/funcon.html
After looking at all these constants, we may wonder: Who defined all these numbers so that the universe can exist?
When you think about it, maybe there should not be a universe. Perhaps there should be nothing. But if there is "nothing" that means that there is no God, either. If there is no
God, there would be nothing to create "anything." There would be no space, no time, no matter, and no energy. If there is no time, then nothing can ever happen to create anything. After all, if something happened to create something, then there must have been
"time" before and after that creation. If there is no time, then nothing can ever exist. A human being may think, "Well, I exist." But if the molecules of your brain allow you to think that thought, SOMEONE must have defined the physics numbers in those molecules so that you can think.
If there was ever a "time" in which nothing existed, then nothing will ever exist. You may ask, how did God become created? My answer is, "There must be a Higher Level of
Existence that human beings cannot comprehend." That does not solve the problem for us, but if God is Eternal, then there was never a time in which there was nothing.
Let us assume that there is a God, and God not only made the physical constants exactly right so that the universe exists. Not only that, but God made some changes in our earth so that considerable value was extended to the people of earth. Consider “petroleum.” It is something that I call “transportation fluid.” Petroleum contains gasoline, diesel, and kerosene. These provide vast energy reservoirs to power cars, trucks, buses, and jet airplanes. The petroleum also contains oil to lubricate engines for transportation vehicles.
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The petroleum contains grease for vehicle axles. Beyond that, it contains asphalt with which we have created millions of miles of roads and highways for our vehicles to travel on. Furthermore, many plastics can be produced from petroleum, and those plastics form parts that are used in vehicles. Our civilization would not be in its present condition if petroleum did not exist in our planet’s crust.
There are many other minerals that exist in veins in the earth. Without them, we would not have computers or television. Where did all these materials come from? The universe is mostly hydrogen and helium. Imagine trying to make a TV with hydrogen and helium.
When gravity pulled together large masses of hydrogen and helium to form huge stars, the high pressure in the centers of the suns caused fusion among the light-weight atoms and that produced heat that caused the suns to radiate light. The fusion created heavier atoms. As time passed and lighter elements were burned, less heat was produced, and that meant that the pressure in the centers of the stars reduced. When the pressure was no longer strong enough to sustain the huge forces of gravity acting on the outer layers of the stars, there was a sudden collapse as huge masses of matter collapsed to the center. The pressure in the center of the stars increased dramatically and caused the fusion of heavier elements. The amount of energy released was staggering, and this caused even heavier atoms to fuse. There was a supernova. One single star suddenly created more power than all the power of a whole galaxy containing hundreds of billions of stars. During that brief time of the supernova, huge quantities of heavy elements were formed. There was iron with which we can build cars and beams to build skyscrapers. There were elements for building computers and violin and piano strings so we could create music. Then gravity pulled these elements together to form planets.
Even though the universe is mostly hydrogen and helium, our earth has very little hydrogen and helium. It consists mostly of the heavier elements that were generated in a matter of seconds in supernovas. There is iron, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, calcium, and even some uranium. With all these fine elements, we have created television sets with brilliant colors that let us see the beauty of our world. Without supernovas, the universe would still be mostly hydrogen and helium, and there would be no solid planets on which we could live.
The next time you stand on a mountain peak and look across the green valley to the mountain range beyond, remember that everything you see was once generated in a matter of seconds in a star that was destroying itself and giving you the material for a marvelous world to live upon. Doesn’t it seem strange that you can stand on that mountain because many physics constants just happened to come out with the exact numerical value to allow the universe to exist.
It was no accident, it is all by design by a higher divinity, a true and everlasting GOD who perfectly designed this experience we call life. I thank my Heavenly Father for the important constants in my life, which gave me life, which will forever be my life.
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