THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE. PART 8.

THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE, PART VIII.

CHAPTER VIII.

UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS.

Scientists have discovered a number of universal constants that are invariable and seem to operate throughout the universe. The three most basic universal constants which are well known are: Universal gravitation, the speed of light in a vacuum and the Planck constant. All three universal constants are interconnected and are fundamental to the laws that govern the universe.

The question one could asks is: Why are these universal constants invariable and how are they essential interconnected with each other? Is it possible that these constants can change over time in the universe? For instant: some scientists seem to say that the gravitational constant seem to change in time as the universe is expanding or with distance. However, this is only a theory and not a fact. As far as scientists can tell from observations all these laws are constant and operate throughout the universe.

The universal gravitational constant was discovered by
Isaac Newton who worked out the law of gravitation which is a force that acts between masses that are separated by a distant.
The formula of the force of gravity is:

F = (m1 m2 G) / d^2

where the term (G) is the gravitational constant and its value is:

6.67259 10^-11 N m^2kg^-2

Newton lived centuries before Albert Einstein discovered the laws of relativity's. Newton’s law of motions which initiated Newtonian mechanics, differ from the laws of relativity which are the basis for relativistic mechanics. Newton regarded time to be constant but Einstein discovered that time is relative depending on the speed of the object moving in relation to the observer. The faster the object is moving, the slower is its time factor and if it was moving as fast as the speed of light, its time factor would be zero. This meant that at slow speeds Newton’s mechanics can still be applied but if the speed of the objects were nearing the speed of light, Newton’s laws were not accurate and have to be replaced with Einstein’s laws of relativity.

Einstein regarded all objects in the universe as moving relative to each other with a speed or velocity less than the speed of light. This meant that the laws of relativity have strictly to be applied throughout the universe to all objects which have rest mass and which could only move slower than the speed of light. This is true if one looks at all the objects in the universe from the fourth or space-time dimension. However, one could look at the universe in its fifth dimension, the universe as a whole, where basic energy or electromagnetic radiation which consists of zero rest mass or virtual mass, move at a constant speed of light. From this particular point of view relativity time is zero and the universe as a whole forms its own independent energy system with its own state of reference where Newtonian mechanics can be applied.
To view the universe as a whole in its fifth dimension is important in order to understand the different universal constants and the interconnections that exists between them. If the universe as a whole is a non moving black-hole containing all energies and matter it would have its own frame of reference. In this particular case the Newtonian laws can be apply to those zero rest mass objects that move at the speed of light which are not bound by relative time. This would not violate the laws of special relativity but can be regarded as a special case. In this particular case then, the laws of Newtonian mechanics can be applied not only to the force of gravity, but also to the inertial force, gravitational and inertial energies and zero rest mass particles like the quanta particles and photons.

Another universal constant discovered is the speed of light which is:

c = 2.99792458 10^8 m s^-1

It took scientists a long time to work out the nature and speed of light. The finiteness of light was established in 1876 by Ole Roemer(1644-1710) who gave the first measurement. It was Isaac Newton who proposed a corpuscular theory of light which became popular among scientists. However, Thomas Young (1772- 1829) rediscovered the interference pattern of light and proposed a wave theory. Accepting this theory James Clerk Maxwell (1831- 79) showed that light forms part of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Michelson-Moreley experiment proved that light could travel in a non-detectable medium. Albert Einstein showed in 1905 that light consisted of a stream of discrete photons of electro- magnetic energy. The wave corpuscular nature of light was finally settled by the quantum theory and wave mechanics.

In order to work out the laws of special Relativity, Albert Einstein presumed that the speed of light in a vacuum was constant and it was time that was relative depending on the speed of the object. A vacuum exists where there are no mass objects that is, there are no objects which have rest masses. When light passes through a medium like water where there does exists rest mass objects, the speed of light is affected which can be observed and measured. However, a vacuum can exist where there is only electromagnetic radiation or pure energy which have only zero rest masses or virtual masses. Such a vacuum would be in the fifth dimension and the speed of light would be constant.

In order to show that the speed of light in the fifth dimension of the universe is constant, it is important to talk about the Planck constant. It is a fundamental constant which is denoted by the letter (h) and it relates the energy of a light photon to its frequency.

E = f h
This means that the energy of a quantum particle has a frequency and a quantity of energy; it shows both the particle nature of light to its wave nature. Its measurement is:

h = 6.6260755 10^-34 Joule seconds.

It was Max Ernest Planck (1858-1947) who first proposed in 1900 that electromagnetic radiation was emitted and absorbed only in definite units of energy which he called quanta. It was Albert Einstein who then suggested that electromagnetic radiation which included light, are actually individual particles known as photons. A photon is thus a particle with zero rest mass or a quantum of electromagnetic radiation. It consists of a unit of energy which is measured by the Planck constant times the frequency of the radiation in hertz. Thus:

photon = h f

The smallest quantity of energy is a quantum particle with a frequency of one. However, it is a fundamental law of modern mechanics that energy cannot be created or destroyed. This means that as energy is constant or conserved, the energy of a quantum particle with a frequency of one is constant or conserved. If a quantum particle of energy is constant than the energy of a photon particle which consists of a definite number of quanta particles depending on its frequency, must also be constant unless it increases or decreases its frequency.

These are three universal or fundamental constants discovered in the universe, mainly, the gravitational constant, the speed of light in a vacuum and the Planck constant. There are a number of other fundamental constants like the charge on an electron, the electric constant and the magnetic constant whose strength does not change and is thought to be the same throughout the universe. Here, however, we will only look at the first three constants to see how they are related in the context of the universe.

According to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, all matter can be changed into energy and energy can be changed into matter. Following Einstein’s theory of relativity and applying it to the universe as a whole, the total gravitational energy is equivalent to its inertial energy. This would mean that the total energy of the universe consists of the sum of its total gravitational and inertial energies. Thus:
M c^2 = ((M c^2) / 2) + ((G M^2) / R)

From this formula we can get the formula:

R = 2 G M / c^2

where (R) stands for the radius of the event horizon of the universe. However, energy can also be measured by frequency and the Planck constant:

E = f h

This enables us to convert the mass function of the universe into a frequency and Planck constant function.

M = f h / c^2

Applying this function to the formula of the radius of the event horizon of the universe the formula would become:

R = ( 2G f h ) / c^4

This is a very important formula because it not only gives the radius of the event horizon of the universe, but it also shows the connection of the three fundamental constants of the universe. If the gravitational constant, the speed of light in a vacuum, and the Planck constant are truly constants and universal than they form one universal constant for the whole universe. This would mean that the radius of the event horizon of the universe is directly dependent on the frequency of the universe. Since the frequency of the universe is dependent on the quantity of energy in the universe and since the quantity itself is constant, this would mean that the radius of the universe is constant or static. It cannot expand or contract.

Another very important formula which can be extracted from the radius formula, is the frequency of the universe as a whole. If the astronomers could measure the radius or extend of the universe than the frequency of the universe could also be found because it is directly dependent on the radius. The formula for the frequency of the universe would be:

f = (R c^4) / (2G h)

If the above theory of the close relationships of the various constants is correct, it reveals a beautiful harmony in the universe. It also would strongly indicate that the universe is static and cannot expand for ever or contract into a singularity because it cannot gain or loose energy which is its most basic element.

The question which still needs to be asked is "why are the universal constants at a value that they have and why are they so closely interrelated?" I feel that this question should not be asked in the field of physics since it is rather a rational or metaphysical question. We do not ask why in mathematics, is the sum of one plus one, two. (1+1=2) We accept it as a self evident statement. Similarly, we do not question the existence of something which exists. It is a self evident truth. I know that I exist, it is self evident.

Like ways, when examining the universal constants, it seems to be self evident that the fundamental constants are what they are because that is their nature. Similarly, the universal constants are so closely related and interconnected to each other because that is the nature of things. It is a self evident truth that has to be accepted. It has to be accepted that energy, quanta particles or electromagnetic radiation existed from the beginning of time otherwise the fundamental laws of physics break down eg. "Energy can not be created or destroyed." To ask the question why this is so or where does energy come from is outside the field of physics. The question however, could be asked in the fields of philosophy or theology.