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Is It A Coincidence?
The ratio of the electromagnetic force to the gravitational force between two electrons is a large number N1=1039. Why not another number?
The estimated number of particles, called as the Eddington Number N=1079. This number is not far from the square of N1. The neutron is heavier than proton, but the difference is not much. Also, the mass of electron is less than the difference in masses of neutron and proton. The vacuum energy density of the universe is at least 120 orders of magnitude lower than some theoretical estimates.
As proposed by mathematician John Barrow and physicist Frank Tipler, WAP reads:
The observed values of all physical and cosmological quantities are not equally probable but take on values restricted by the requirement that there exists sites where carbon-based life form can evolve and by the requirement that the Universe be old enough for it to have already done so.
Anthropic Coincidences
The ratio of the electromagnetic force to the gravitational force between two electrons is a large number N1=1039. Why not another number?
The mass of electron is less than the difference in masses of neutron and proton. The neutron is heavier than proton, but the difference is not much.
The vacuum energy density of the universe is at least 120 orders of magnitude lower than some theoretical estimates.
Use WAP
If the Electromagnetic to the Gravitational force between two electrons were more comparable, stars would have collapsed long before life had a chance to evolve.
Mass of e-- :
Stable neutron will mean no proton and electron, i.e., no hydrogen fuel for the stars.
If neutron is little more heavier than it is in our world, they cannot bound in nuclei, where conservations of energy prevents neutron decay. So, NO HEAVY ELEMENTS, NO LIFE.
The vacuum energy density: if it was higher, the universe would have quickly blown apart. If it was much less, it would have collapsed into a big crunch before evolution of life.
ICE FLOATS ON WATER!!
Age of Universe
14.6 billion years. Why not 1.46?? It takes about that long for intelligent beings (us) to evolve.
The problem is that Be8 is very unstable with a time period of only 10-17 s.
Fred Hoyle, in 1957, suggested that the rapid collision between three alpha particles can lead to formation of C12 provided that there exists a resonance state of C12 that is equal to the energy of incoming alpha particle and the ground state Be8. Hence, the probability of C12 formation increases.
References
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking
The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by John Barrow and Frank Tipler
http://www.physics.sfsu.edu/~lwilliam/sota/anth/anthropic _principle_index.html