A quick question concerning constants and planck units

In summary, the physical constants that I am interested in are the speed of light, the reduced Planck constant, the gravitational constant, and the Boltzmann constant. I discovered that the Boltzmann constant is 1064 times larger than it should be, and after trying to find the temperature constant for Boltzmann's gas, I hit a roadblock. However, the other constants all came out the same as expected and it was interesting to see that the constants could be created using Planck's units in some manner.
  • #1
FysixFox
Gold Member
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Recently I have taken an interest in physical constants (and, through it, an interest in SI units and the upcoming redefinition of the kilogram). I actually have a list of almost all of them now, standard uncertainties included. After a bit, I decided to have a bit of fun messing around with the constants just to see what popped out.

Upon dividing Planck length by Planck time, I was surprised and intrigued to discover that the answer is the speed of light. I then began to wonder if there could possibly be other relations like this that, using Planck units, give such constants. Planck energy times Planck time gave me the reduced Planck constant, 1.0545717×10-34 J×s. Planck length cubed divided by the product of Planck mass and Planck time squared gave me the gravitational constant, 6.67384×10-11.

But oddly, upon dividing Planck energy by Planck temperature in an attempt to arrive at the Boltzmann constant, I hit a... strange roadblock. The Boltzmann constant DID technically come out the other side... but it came out 1064 times larger than it should have. Instead of 1.38065×10-23, I was getting 1.38065×1041. Why is this?
 
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  • #2
You must've made a silly mistake.
Planck energy: EP = 1.9561 × 109 J
Planck Temperature :TP = 1.416 8 × 1032 K

EP/TP = 1.9561 × 109/1.416 8 × 1032 J/K = 1.38 × 10-23 as expected. By the way, this is not surprising at all. Planck's units are carefully defined with that exact property in mind. It is that way by design.
 
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  • #3
dauto said:
You must've made a silly mistake.
Planck energy: EP = 1.9561 × 109 J
Planck Temperature :TP = 1.416 8 × 1032 K

EP/TP = 1.9561 × 109/1.416 8 × 1032 J/K = 1.38 × 10-23 as expected. By the way, this is not surprising at all. Planck's units are carefully defined with that exact property in mind. It is that way by design.

Ah! I see! It seems that the × 1032 part of the denominator migrated to the numerator somehow, likely an error on my part rather than the calculator's. Silly me. :-p

And interesting that the constants would come out like that. It kind of makes me wonder if some of the more complex constants could also be created using Planck's units in some manner. I'll continue to mess around with these constants for a while longer.

Thanks!
 
  • #4
FysixFox said:
Ah! I see! It seems that the × 1032 part of the denominator migrated to the numerator somehow, likely an error on my part rather than the calculator's. Silly me. :-p

And interesting that the constants would come out like that. It kind of makes me wonder if some of the more complex constants could also be created using Planck's units in some manner. I'll continue to mess around with these constants for a while longer.

Thanks!

As I said, the constants come out like that by design. Planck length, mass, time ,etc were chosen with that very property in mind. What that means is that all these constants are equal to 1 (exactly, by definition) in Planck units. To be surprised or amazed by that is equivalent to being surprised that the heat capacity of water is 1 cal/(g.°C). The unit calorie was defined that way.
 
  • #5
dauto said:
As I said, the constants come out like that by design. Planck length, mass, time ,etc were chosen with that very property in mind. What that means is that all these constants are equal to 1 (exactly, by definition) in Planck units. To be surprised or amazed by that is equivalent to being surprised that the heat capacity of water is 1 cal/(g.°C). The unit calorie was defined that way.


I'm kind of a noob at this whole physics thing, I was surprised that the definition of the meter is why the speed of light is an exact number instead of an estimate. :P
 

FAQ: A quick question concerning constants and planck units

1. What are constants and Planck units?

Constants are values that do not change and are used in mathematical equations to represent physical quantities. Planck units are a system of units based on fundamental physical constants, such as the speed of light and the gravitational constant.

2. Why are Planck units important?

Planck units are important because they allow us to express physical quantities in terms of universal constants, making them more fundamental and applicable in different areas of physics.

3. What is the significance of the Planck length?

The Planck length is the smallest possible length that can exist in the universe, based on the fundamental constants of nature. It is a key concept in theories of quantum gravity, which attempt to reconcile the theories of general relativity and quantum mechanics.

4. How are Planck units used in theoretical physics?

Planck units are used in theoretical physics to simplify and unify different theories, such as general relativity and quantum mechanics. They also provide a way to study the fundamental properties of the universe at a very small scale.

5. Can Planck units be used in everyday life?

No, Planck units are not practical for everyday use because they are extremely small and far outside the range of measurements we encounter in our daily lives. They are mainly used in theoretical physics and cosmology to describe the fundamental properties of the universe.

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