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Scientists Calculate Most Precise Measurement of Electron's Mass
sciencehabit writes "A team of physicists has produced the most precise electron mass measurement ever made. Instead of trying to measure the mass directly, the researchers bound a single electron to a bare carbon nucleus and placed the resulting atom in a uniform electromagnetic field called a Penning trap. The team's new measurement is 13 times more precise than previous efforts, with an uncertainty of just 0.03 parts per billion. The group's precise result will help physicists more accurately calculate the fine-structure constant, an important value in tests of the standard model of particle physics, which shapes our understanding of the basic building blocks of the universe."
...if the authors of TFA and TFS are aware that there's a difference between "precise" and "accurate".
TFA seems to be trying to use "precise" to mean "both precise and accurate", TFS just summarizes TFA without noticing that there's a distinction to be made.
DO remember that there IS a difference:
3.14159 is much more precise than 3.14.
But if the actual value is 3.141, then 3.14 is more accurate than 3.14159.
And I'm betting that at least one /. entity is going to focus like a laser on 3.14159 being an approximation of pi, and therefore 3.141 is NOT accurate at all. Alas for that entity, I picked 3.141 as the target number purely arbitrarily, and the only relation to pi is the lemon meringue on one of my keys from dessert.
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
So, what is the new value of the fine structure constant?