---
_id: '1204'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: In science, as in life, "surprises" 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 "surprisingly" 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.
article_processing_charge: No
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: Ariel
  full_name: Amir, Ariel
  last_name: Amir
- first_name: Mikhail
  full_name: Lemeshko, Mikhail
  id: 37CB05FA-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
  last_name: Lemeshko
  orcid: 0000-0002-6990-7802
- first_name: Tadashi
  full_name: Tokieda, Tadashi
  last_name: Tokieda
citation:
  ama: 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>
  apa: 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>
  chicago: 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>.
  ieee: 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.
  ista: Amir A, Lemeshko M, Tokieda T. 2016. Surprises in numerical expressions of
    physical constants. American Mathematical Monthly. 123(6), 609–612.
  mla: 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>.
  short: A. Amir, M. Lemeshko, T. Tokieda, American Mathematical Monthly 123 (2016)
    609–612.
date_created: 2018-12-11T11:50:42Z
date_published: 2016-06-01T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2025-09-22T09:39:09Z
day: '01'
department:
- _id: MiLe
doi: 10.4169/amer.math.monthly.123.6.609
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '1603.00299'
  isi:
  - '000381754900010'
intvolume: '       123'
isi: 1
issue: '6'
language:
- iso: eng
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://arxiv.org/abs/1603.00299
month: '06'
oa: 1
oa_version: Preprint
page: 609 - 612
publication: American Mathematical Monthly
publication_status: published
publisher: Mathematical Association of America
publist_id: '6143'
quality_controlled: '1'
scopus_import: '1'
status: public
title: Surprises in numerical expressions of physical constants
type: journal_article
user_id: 317138e5-6ab7-11ef-aa6d-ffef3953e345
volume: 123
year: '2016'
...