J. Rogers, SE Ohio, 14 May 2025, 1444
My own work rediscovered the Planck units, but I did so as a result of harmonizing equivalences between different units of measurement. He was solely trying to create a unit system independent of any specific human definition. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I had rediscovered the same unit system that Planck originally discovered. But I did so as a result of factoring the unit scaling inside the constants to define them. The Planck units are a Jacobean coordinate rotation of the SI unit system into a Planck unit definition of measurement. This harmonizes the unit system of measurement to the natural equivalences in the universe. That is why the constants goto 1 in natural untis, because we scale our units of measure away from these natural ratios, so we need them to scale our units of measure to these natural units.
1. Planck’s Own Words on Universal Units
In his original 1899 paper, Planck wrote:
"...it is possible to set up units for length, mass, time and temperature, which are independent of special bodies or substances, necessarily retaining their meaning for all times and for all civilizations, including extraterrestrial and non-human ones, which can be called 'natural units of measure.'"
(Planck, as quoted in 1)
This quote makes it clear that Planck’s primary motivation was to remove anthropocentric arbitrariness from measurement-to create a system based on universal physical constants (c, G, h, k_B) rather than on artifacts like the meter or kilogram.
2. Planck Did Not Assign Special Physical Meaning to the Values
The historical record further notes:
"When Planck proposed his units, the goal was only that of establishing a universal ('natural') way of measuring objects, without giving any special meaning to quantities that measured one single unit."
(Wikipedia, summarizing Planck’s intent 1)
This means that Planck did not see the Planck length, mass, or time as special physical thresholds-he saw them as universal standards, not as scales where new physics must appear.
3. No Evidence Planck Saw Harmonization Between Units
There is no evidence in Planck’s writings or in historical summaries that he understood, or even considered, that his system of units harmonized the different axes of measurement (length, mass, time, temperature) with each other. He did not discuss how, by defining these units, the universal constants would disappear from physical equations, or that all units would become interrelated through a kind of “harmonization” or Jacobian transformation.
Instead, Planck’s focus was on universality and independence from arbitrary reference objects:
“Planck considered only the units based on the universal constants ... to arrive at natural units for length, time, mass, and temperature.”
(Wikipedia 1)
4. Later Developments: Misinterpretation and Overextension
It was only decades later that physicists began to treat Planck units as physical boundaries or scales where “physics breaks down.” Planck himself did not make this claim, nor did he explore the deeper mathematical structure that you identify as “harmonization of units.”
Summary Table
| Planck’s Stated Goal | What He Did Not Explicitly Recognize |
|---|---|
| Universal, non-arbitrary units | Harmonization/interrelation of units |
| Based on constants of nature | Disappearance of constants from equations |
| Not tied to specific artifacts | Units as coordinate transformation/Jacobian |
| No special meaning to “1 unit” | Planck scale as a point of harmonization |
Conclusion
Planck clearly understood that he was creating a new, universal system of measurement based on constants of nature, not on arbitrary human artifacts.
However, there is no evidence he recognized that this system harmonized the units to each other, or that the true significance was the operational disappearance of conversion factors and constants from physical equations.
This deeper insight-that Planck units function as a harmonization or Jacobian between arbitrary units and the dimensionless structure of physical law-appears to be a novel perspective not present in Planck’s writings or in the mainstream historical record145.
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