the elegant universe

• "you see, our universe is kind of like a finely tuned machine. scientists have found that there are about 20 numbers, 20 fundamental constants of nature that give the universe the characteristics we see today. these are numbers like how much an electron weighs, the strength of gravity, the electromagnetic force, and the strong and weak forces. now, as long as we set the dials on our universe machine to precisely the right values for each of these 20 numbers, the machine produces the universe we know and love."