Constants of Nature / Les Constantes de la nature

The constants of Nature are the numbers that define the ultimate structure of the Universe and tell us how strong its forces are: the strength of gravity and magnetI'm, the speed of light, the masses of elementary particles. These constants encode the deepest secrets of the Universe. Although scientists can now accurately measure the value of these constants, they are unable to deduce any of them. There are thus no theories that can predict or explain them, and the greatest secret of physics remains as opaque as ever.In this book, John D. Barrow examines each one of these constants and looks back on how scientists have searched in vain to combine them in an effort to uncover the ultimate structure of the Universe.John D. Barrow is Professor of Mathematical Sciences in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University. He is the author of many books of popular science, including Why Is the Universe Mathematical? (Pourquoi le monde est-il mathématique? Odile Jacob, 1996), Theories of Everything: The Quest for Ultimate Explanation (La Grande Théorie, Flammarion, 1996) and The Origin of the Universe (Les Origines de l?univers, Hachette, 2000).