Life as we know it would not exist without this highly unusual number

I'm pleased to finally be able to read something simple about this complicated-sounding constant. Thanks!

I suppose the value of pi would be another example of an important and dimensionless number.

Hmmm...We have "pi" day (March 14), so can we make May 18th "Fine" day (137th day of year)? :) [We already have the song...."One Fine Day" (Carpenters) ;)]
 
The cosmological constant is another very unusual number too in GR and 4D space expansion. Gravity is another, G. Alan Guth inflation has replusive force moving 4D space faster than 10^20 c velocity for a brief period. Just think what happens to Earth moving around the Sun if G today was repulsive and pushing matter and things apart, really, really fast :) The problem here could be seen as a design parameter in the universe allowing biological life to exist on Earth. Others will invoke the multiverse I think to avoid design implication. Perhaps there are more constants like the fine-structure constant that plays a critical role in allowing life to exist on Earth. A published list is needed.
 
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Perhaps there are more constants like the fine-structure constant that plays a critical role in allowing life to exist on Earth. A published list is needed.
IIRC, Dr. Pamela Gay likes to use 26 parameters of importance. I think many may depend on the value of one another.

The overarching idea, however, is just how fine-tunned our Universe really is.

Here is a simple article on this by an astrophysicist (Siegel).
 

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