12 Numerical Favorites: Exploring Constants

What might a scientist’s favorite number be?

For the sake of education, and in the name of science — let’s take a guess, and create a list!

Below, you’ll discover 12 figures that could very well hold a special place in the hearts of some scientists out there — and maybe even in yours.

Let’s begin with “Avogadro’s Number.”

#1. “Avogadro’s Number”​

• 6.022×10²³ particles
• denoted by NA

Answers the Question of: Avogadro’s number refers to the number of particles in any given sample ( substance*).

#2. “Planck’s Constant”

• 6.62607015×10−34 joule seconds (J·s)
• denoted by ℎ

Answers the Question of: Planck’s constant relates the energy of a photon to its frequency.

#3. “Boltzmann’s Constant”

• 1.380649×10–²³ joules per kelvin (J/K)
• denoted by k

Answers the Question of: Boltzmann’s constant relates the average kinetic energy of particles in a gas to its temperature.

#4. “The Fine-structure Constant”