How have we figured out the Plank length of the universe?

In summary, the Planck length is the smallest measurement of length that has any meaning, defined as the scale at which classical ideas about gravity and space-time cease to be valid and quantum effects dominate. It is roughly equal to 1.6 x 10^-35 meters or about 10^-20 times the size of a proton. The Planck length was defined from several other physical constants and has no current physical significance, as there is no way to currently measure lengths that small. While it is believed that quantum gravity becomes important at a scale of around 10-20 Planck lengths, this is just a statement about the relative sizes of fundamental physical constants.
  • #1
hsdrop
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how have we figured out plank length of the universe ?and know its that size ?
 
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  • #2
This makes no sense. It's like saying "have we figured out the radius of an apple for a skyscraper?".
 
  • #3
lol sorry ok i know we have a Planck length i was wondering how we found it
 
  • #4
Like we "found" the foot or the meter. We defined it.
 
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  • #5
hmmmm it always the easy questions that are the most difficult to answer,lol. i know we have a minimum length that we can mescher SA particles with i was just wondering how we came up with it or how we knew that it was the smallest light we can mescher by sorry for not being more chear with my question and thank you for replying
 
  • #6
hsdrop said:
hmmmm it always the easy questions that are the most difficult to answer,lol. i know we have a minimum length that we can mescher SA particles with i was just wondering how we came up with it or how we knew that it was the smallest light we can mescher by sorry for not being more chear with my question and thank you for replying

Plank length was defined from several other physical constants. PL, versus lengths we can actually currently measure are several orders of magnitude apart. I think the last thing I read had the smallest length measured somewhere around 10^-18m. Which is incredibly small, but no where near PL at 10^-35m.

So PL has use in theory, but we don't have any way to currently measure lengths that small. It would also be wrong to say it is the minimum length that can be measured - we can't yet test that experimentally.
 
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  • #7
Vanadium 50 said:
Like we "found" the foot or the meter. We defined it.

I don't think we did.

The Planck length is the scale at which classical ideas about gravity and space-time cease to be valid, and quantum effects dominate. This is the
'quantum of length," the smallest measurement of length with any meaning.

And roughly equal to 1.6 x 10-35 m or about 10-20 times the size of a proton.
 
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  • #8
Algr said:
The Planck length is the scale at which classical ideas about gravity and space-time cease to be valid, and quantum effects dominate. This is the
'quantum of length," the smallest measurement of length with any meaning.

And roughly equal to 1.6 x 10-35 m or about 10-20 times the size of a proton.

The quote seems like gobblygook. There is no current physical significance of PL, and no way to actually test what happens when you measure lengths that small. For all we know QG could very well require other physical constants than c, G, ##\hbar##. Plank just happened to define this length a certain way.

I don't think it correct to say
This is the "quantum of length" the smallest measurement of length with any meaning

Without experiments, no physics. Just half-blind speculation.
 
  • #9
Student100 said:
The quote seems like gobblygook.

For good reason.

Planck units have no mystical power. The Planck charge is 11.7 electron charges. The Planck resistance is 30 ohms. Nothing magic happens there. It's probably true that quantum gravity becomes important at a scale of perhaps 10 or 20 Planck lengths, but that's just a statement about the relative sizes of h, c and G.
 
  • #10
Vanadium 50 said:
The Planck charge is 11.7 electron charges. The Planck resistance is 30 ohms.

The Planck flavor is Blueberry Fudge. The Planck address is 1325 Maple st. But that doesn't invalidate EVERYTHING Max Planck did.

BTW, Some of the formatting was lost in that quote (Those are supposed to be exponents, not ranges.) Let's see if this works:

https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/41c085ebc8add3aad57122d5d1487068b21154bd
 
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  • #11
Algr said:
The Planck flavor is Blueberry Fudge. The Planck address is 1325 Maple st. But that doesn't invalidate EVERYTHING Max Planck did.

BTW, Some of the formatting was lost in that quote (Those are supposed to be exponents, not ranges.) Let's see if this works:

[PLAIN]https://wikimedia.org/api/rest_v1/media/math/render/svg/41c085ebc8add3aad57122d5d1487068b21154bd[/QUOTE]
hay you have his phone number I want to call him up and ask how "small" he really is
 
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  • #12
hsdrop said:
hay you have his phone number I want to call him up and ask how "small" he really is

What is that supposed to mean? Are you implying that Max Planck had a small member? That is a horrible joke (though telling).
 
  • #14
hsdrop said:
how have we figured out plank length...
hsdrop said:
I want to call him up and ask how "small" he really is
Well, now you've done it !... :olduhh:

You're on Max's "really, really bad" list... he's likely to whop you on the head with a big board ...[COLOR=#black].[/COLOR] lol

See... he doesn't look very happy about being made sport of...[COLOR=#black].:oldgrumpy:[/COLOR]

800px-Max_Planck_1933.jpg


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Planck
 
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1. What is the Plank length?

The Plank length is the smallest possible unit of length in the universe. It is approximately equal to 1.616 x 10^-35 meters.

2. How was the Plank length discovered?

The Plank length was first proposed by physicist Max Plank in the early 1900s as a fundamental unit of length based on the principles of quantum mechanics. It was later refined by other scientists and is now considered a key component of many theories in particle physics and cosmology.

3. How is the Plank length related to other units of length?

The Plank length is much smaller than any other unit of length currently in use, including the meter, centimeter, and nanometer. It is thought to be the smallest possible length that can be measured in the universe.

4. How does the Plank length relate to the size of the universe?

The Plank length is thought to be the smallest possible unit of length in the universe, and it is used to describe the tiniest particles and distances in space. However, the universe itself is thought to be infinitely large and constantly expanding, so the Plank length does not have a direct relationship to the overall size of the universe.

5. Can the Plank length be measured?

The Plank length is far too small to be measured directly with current technology. However, it is used in theoretical calculations and is thought to be a fundamental building block of the universe. Scientists are constantly working to develop new technologies and methods that may one day allow for the measurement of the Plank length.

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