light quanta
The equation explained
In wordsThe constant α of Planck's formula is 6.10 × 10⁻⁵⁶, as the paper prints it.OverviewThe first constant of Planck's formula, with the value the paper prints. It sets the height of the whole spectrum, and with β it will give the number of molecules in a gram-equivalent.Full explanationThe paper prints the two constants of Planck's formula on lines of their own, without units. multiplies in the numerator of Planck's formula, so it sets the height of the whole spectrum. The paper's argument uses it only through the ratio , the coefficient of the long-wave form of the formula, from which it finds .Every stepThe value as the edition reads it on p. 136, with the German decimal comma.Where it acts: the paper uses only through this ratio, the coefficient of the long-wave form .Historian's marginAs the edition reads the plate of p. 136, the exponent of α is −56. With the paper's β and the usual values of the time for R and L, which it does not print, the formula for N gives the printed 6.17 × 10²³ only with α = 6.10 × 10⁻⁵⁷; with −56 it gives a tenth of that. The provenance receipt records the plate reading, from a single witness, as watch-alpha-exponent (docs/provenance/ap-17-132.md), and the edition's historical constant set uses 10⁻⁵⁷ (content/quantities/constant-sets/einstein-1905-light-quanta-printed.yaml, cross-referenced there to the Collected Papers, vol. 2, doc. 14, p. 154).Also