Question 05/00

THE FIRST DIGIT

Back side of the front cover of the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics lists 18 important fundamental (dimensional) constants and non-standard units such as speed of light, charge of an electron, Stephan-Boltzmann constant, electron volt, etc. Values of SEVEN out of 18 constants begin with digit 1.

Why is digit 1 so prevalent in that list?

Will the situation change if instead of MKSA (SI) units we will use, say, inch, second, pound and electrostatic charge unit?

This question was suggested by Y. Kantor.

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