Picking Physicists' Locks
From Scientific American:
Measured to be equal to 1/137.03599976, or approximately 1/137, [the fine-structure constant] has endowed the number 137 with a legendary status among physicists (it usually opens the combination locks on their briefcases).
So now you know, too.
Anonymous • June 15, 2005 8:35 AM
Oh, great. So now they’re going to have to change the constant to keep their locks from being opened by strangers, and this will change the nature of the universe to render fusion impossible, the stars will shut down, and we’ll all die. Thanks for nothing, Bruce.