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Nature Versus NATURE: How the World’s Top Science Journal Keeps Getting It Wrong on Fundamental Constants
September 25, 201812:00 pm – 1:00 pm (CDT)

Nature Versus NATURE: How the World’s Top Science Journal Keeps Getting It Wrong on Fundamental Constants

Speaker:

Michael Duff (Imperial College (London, UK))

Location:

Address:

Mitchell Physics Building

College Station, Texas 77843-4242

Event Details

If framed in terms of dimensionless numbers such as the fine structure constant, alpha, the laws of physics are independent of one's choice of units or measuring apparatus. Dimensional constants, on the other hand, such as h, c, G, e, k..., are merely manmade constructs whose number and values differ from one choice of units to the next. Similarly, the possible time variation of fundamental ``constants'' of nature is operationally well-defined only when they are dimensionless. Among scientific journals the worst offender, in my view, is NATURE whose policy is to accept varying-speed-of-light papers, for example, and reject those opposed.

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