α_s from Unification — The Strong Coupling as a Derived Quantity: Two inputs, one prediction. 0.1184 vs 0.1180. Miss: 0.33%.

α_s from Unification — The Strong Coupling as a Derived Quantity: Two inputs, one prediction. 0.1184 vs 0.1180. Miss: 0.33%. This paper is part of the HOWL research archive—a collection of physics papers exploring integer fraction derivations across multiple domains using exact arithmetic and automated comparison. Abstract The Standard Model has three independent gauge couplings: the electromagnetic coupling α_EM, the weak mixing angle sin²θ_W, and the strong coupling α_s. If the gauge forces unify at a single scale M_GUT, the three couplings are related by one condition — only two are independent and the third follows from the running. This paper tests this prediction using the Cabibbo Doublet framework. The inputs are α_EM = 1/137.036 and sin²θ_W = 0.23122 — two measured quantities from DATA-4. The output is α_s(M_Z), predicted from the unification condition with the CD modified betas (25/6, −13/6, −20/3). Six scenarios are computed at two perturbative levels (one-loop analytic, two-loop Euler integration) with two threshold treatments (no threshold, M_VL = 500 GeV). The best prediction is at two loops with the full SM+VL b_ij matrix and no threshold: α_s = 0.1184. The measured value is 0.1180 ± 0.0009. The miss is 0.33% — within the 1σ measurement uncertainty. No free parameters are tuned. The same integers (13, 20, 22) from the Cabibbo Doublet that produce sub-percent cosmological predictions also produce a sub-percent strong coupling prediction. Falsification Criteria All papers in this archive are subject to falsification through direct comparison to published experimental measurements. Each derived value is tested against independent data with explicit PASS/FAIL criteria. Any derived value that fails its comparison is documented and published alongside the successes. Research Context This archive documents an ongoing research program in integer fraction physics. The methodology is: derive values from gauge group integers using exact fraction arithmetic, compare to published measurements, and document all results including failures. The archive spans multiple physics domains connected through the soliton boundary framework described in the constituent papers. Package Contents manuscript.md: The complete derivation and supporting analysis. README.md: Navigation, dependencies, and citation (Registry: HOWL-PHYS-30-2026). Dependencies: HOWL-PHYS-1-2026, HOWL-PHYS-13-2026, HOWL-PHYS-21-2026, HOWL-PHYS-24-2026, HOWL-PHYS-25-2026, HOWL-PHYS-26-2026, HOWL-PHYS-27-2026, HOWL-PHYS-28-2026, HOWL-PHYS-29-2026 Motto: Derive. Compare. Publish.