Why Does Physics Use 1/e for 'Lifetimes'?

[vasel]

The quantity 1/e is one that I've seen quite a bit in physics. Especially when describing 'lifetimes' of various things (ie radiative lifetimes). I'm curious about why this value is used. I've heard explanations about how it's a probabilistic thing or that it's just a sort of 'standard candle' for measuring these quantities.

To put my question in another form: The value of 1/e is close to that of 1/3. So why don't we just use 1/3 instead. What is it that makes 1/e more useful or preferred.

Thanks!

 

[Petr Mugver]

Nothing special about e, as using another basis simply corresponds to a change of scale of the exponent:

e^x=b^y\qquad\Leftrightarrow\qquad y=x\log_be

I think the practical reason we use e is that

\frac{de^x}{dx}=e^x

instead of

\frac{db^x}{dx}=e^x\log b

 

[Vanadium 50]

Petr is right - sometimes we use different exponents (decibals, half-lives) but usually the math just works out so much easier with e that people use that one.