Topic awaiting preservation: The inverse of 137

Anybody remember the funny story about the inverse of 137 and the physisist that discovered it? I've been searching for it all week, but I can't seem to find where I read about it..


Code - CGI - links - DHTML - Javascript - Perl - programming - Magic - http://www.twistedport.com
ICQ: 67751342

Managed the name "Poliakov". Should help narrow the search.

edit:
With a closer look, it looks like Poliakov has something to do with gravity that uses 137 or something. Probably not the guy you are looking for.


[This message has been edited by warjournal (edited 01-30-2004).]

Sorry, it doesnt exist Inverse of 137

______________
Is This Thing On?

Bleah...

Maybe this is it? Nothing about the inverse in there but everything else kinda matches up.

edit: no siggage

[This message has been edited by cyoung (edited 01-30-2004).]

Im gonna shoot into the dark here for I knew nothing of 137 up until I've read the article posted by cyoung (not that I know much more about it now).

They say " This constant, 137, is the way physicists describe the probability that an electron will emit or absorb a photon."

so inverse is 1/137, IS that probability they're talking about... unless u mean something else by 'inverse'

What is the significance of the number 137 in physics?