The recent discovery that the speed of light is not
a constant has created
quite a stir - and rethinking - in both physics and cosmology. (Although
the spate of recent articles always fails to credit Barry Setterfield for
calling this to our attention over a decade ago!) However, there does appear to
be at least two intrinsic constants in the universe: p
and e.
We all met p ("pi") in school when we had to deal
with the circumference of a circle and similar matters. "Pi are squared"
sounds like bad grammar, but it is correct geometry for the area of a circle,
pr2. We approximated it with 22/7,
until we got into engineering circles where we learned that, more precisely, it
was 3.141592654... (It has recently been calculated to a trillion
decimal
places!1) As we have previously mentioned in several
of our materials, p is also a "hidden treasure" in the Hebrew text of
1st Kings 7:23.2
When one corrects the letter values for a variation of
the spelling, the 46-foot circumference of Solomon's "molten sea" is specified
to an accuracy of better than 15 thousandths of an inch
!
Natural Logarithms
Perhaps less well known to most of our less technical
subscribers is the base of Naperian ("natural") logarithms, e . It shows up in myriads of places in advanced
engineering and mathematics such as:
| In wave mechanics, |
X = Ae kt |
| Or electrical theory, |
Q(t) = Qe-t/RC |
| In advanced math, |
Eix = Cos x +iSin x,
where i = (-1)1/2 |
| And the distribution of prime numbers: |
A(x) = x/logex |
| It is defined by |
e = lim (1 + 1/n)n
n->
¥ |
and it is usually approximated by 2.718281828…
A Rabbinical
Tradition
The ancient Hebrew sages believed, of course, that God
created the heavens and the earth. However, some of them believed that
the Word of God was the very template
with which He did it. This strikes some of us as simply a colorful
exaggeration that goes beyond any direct evidence. there are hints
here and there… There are two well-known references to the creation in the
Scripture: Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1. Let's look "underneath" the text of
each of these.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth.
In Hebrew:
If you examine the numerical values of each of the
Hebrew letters, and the numerical value of the words (see chart), and apply them to this
formula:
The number of letters x the
product of the letters
The number of words
x the product of the words
You get 3.1416 x 1017. The value of p to four decimal places!
Hmm.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
In Greek:
This time if you take the numerical value of each of the Greek letters (see chart), and the numerical value of the words, and apply them to the same
formula:
The number of letters x the product of the
letters
The number of words x the product of the
words
You now get 2.7183 x 1065, the value of e. Curious!
Significance?
Each of these is another of those puzzling ostensible
"coincidences" that are too astonishing to dismiss, and yet present challenges
in suggesting any real significance.3
And taken together, they do evoke some conjectures.
There are, however, at least two problems: why just four decimal places (they
both deviate from the fifth place onwards) and what do you do with all the
"extra zeroes"?
I frankly don't know. Nevertheless, I thought it
would be an excellent conversation piece as we return to our academic schedules
this month. The rabbis would suggest that each of these may simply be a
remez
, a hint of
something deeper.
Let me know if you have any suggestions. Meanwhile, let's continue to
praise our Creator-Savior for His marvelous Word!
* * *
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