article published yes Ariel Amir author Mikhail Lemeshko author 37CB05FA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A870000-0002-6990-7802 Tadashi Tokieda author MiLe department In science, as in life, &quot;surprises&quot; can be adequately appreciated only in the presence of a null model, what we expect a priori. In physics, theories sometimes express the values of dimensionless physical constants as combinations of mathematical constants like π or e. The inverse problem also arises, whereby the measured value of a physical constant admits a &quot;surprisingly&quot; simple approximation in terms of well-known mathematical constants. Can we estimate the probability for this to be a mere coincidence, rather than an inkling of some theory? We answer the question in the most naive form. Mathematical Association of America2016 eng 1603.00299 00038175490001010.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609 1236609 - 612 Amir A, Lemeshko M, Tokieda T. Surprises in numerical expressions of physical constants. <i>American Mathematical Monthly</i>. 2016;123(6):609-612. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609">10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609</a> A. Amir, M. Lemeshko, T. Tokieda, American Mathematical Monthly 123 (2016) 609–612. A. Amir, M. Lemeshko, and T. Tokieda, “Surprises in numerical expressions of physical constants,” <i>American Mathematical Monthly</i>, vol. 123, no. 6. Mathematical Association of America, pp. 609–612, 2016. Amir, Ariel, Mikhail Lemeshko, and Tadashi Tokieda. “Surprises in Numerical Expressions of Physical Constants.” <i>American Mathematical Monthly</i>. Mathematical Association of America, 2016. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609">https://doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609</a>. Amir, Ariel, et al. “Surprises in Numerical Expressions of Physical Constants.” <i>American Mathematical Monthly</i>, vol. 123, no. 6, Mathematical Association of America, 2016, pp. 609–12, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609">10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609</a>. Amir, A., Lemeshko, M., &#38; Tokieda, T. (2016). Surprises in numerical expressions of physical constants. <i>American Mathematical Monthly</i>. Mathematical Association of America. <a href="https://doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609">https://doi.org/10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609</a> Amir A, Lemeshko M, Tokieda T. 2016. Surprises in numerical expressions of physical constants. American Mathematical Monthly. 123(6), 609–612. 12042018-12-11T11:50:42Z2025-09-22T09:39:09Z