1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 115: There were civilian scientists in 1902?

As the influence of relativity gradually spread, more and more people began to pay attention to this theory.

In addition to practitioners in the field of physics, people in other natural sciences and even science enthusiasts are also eager to try.

Although relativity is a profound physical theory, the object it studies is the most common and ordinary space and time.

The nature and description of time and space have never been interrupted for thousands of years.

Researchers in any field have a unique sense of time and space.

Philosophers say: The world has a beginning in time, and in space, it is also finite.

A writer said: No matter how far you look, there is still infinite space outside; no matter how long you count, there is still infinite time that cannot be counted.

Politicians say: Time is life.

However, since the birth of natural science, the scientific system that can be falsified has become the only tool for people to study the world and correctly understand the world.

Physics, in particular, is an authority on the study of the material world.

People no longer believe in ideas that have no factual or logical basis, and instead seek evidence, experiments, and formulas.

However, physicists have never had a clear definition of the nature of space and time.

It’s not that I don’t want to, but that I can’t define it.

When Newton creatively proposed the laws of mechanics, people found that it was very applicable to the world.

In this stable space-time system, the laws of mechanics operate smoothly and logically like precision gears.

Therefore, physicists believe that space and time are fixed and absolute.

It does not need to be defined; it is a concept that has existed since time immemorial.

Just like a fish living in water, it is impossible to know what the essence of water is, water is just water.

The same goes for time and space.

Time flows forward at a constant speed like water. It can neither go backward nor speed up.

Space is extremely stable. It encompasses all material existence and is the basis of time.

This view of space and time, which is consistent with human intuition and experience and is harmonious with classical physics theory, has dominated the physics community for hundreds of years.

No physicist has ever thought that there is anything wrong with such space-time, and it cannot be wrong.

But the sudden emergence of the theory of relativity shattered all of this and broke people's inherent cognition.

It shows that space and time are not absolutely unchanging, but relative, time will slow down and space will shrink.

This shocking theory is well-founded.

The theory of relativity is not the fantasy of a madman, but the rigorous deduction of the world's greatest physics genius.

Therefore, even if physicists want to object, they have to find evidence that can be falsified, otherwise it would be nonsense.

This is an extremely difficult task.

However, for a certain group of people, the situation seems to be very different.

On April 4, Physics World, a little-known physics journal, published an article publicly.

The title is "The Error of Relativity: On the Finite and the Infinite".

Author: Huluan Xiabian.

Wow!
As soon as the article was published, countless people were shocked.

My goodness, the title of your paper is even more arrogant than the theory of relativity.

It has been a month since the theory of relativity was published. Although it has been questioned by many, no big shot has published a paper publicly yet.

Because the big guys need time to think and sort out the logic of their opposition.

Proving a theory wrong is no less difficult than creating the theory.

Now, an unknown tabloid and an unknown civilian can publicly prove the fallacy of the theory of relativity.

For a moment, everyone was attracted by this title and paid money to buy it for research.

Maybe this is a buried genius!
The boss of Physics World magazine did not expect that it would become such a hit, and he was grinning from ear to ear. The newspaper was in great demand that day.

Even Ridgway was alarmed and bought a newspaper.

I want to see who this big shot is and why I have never heard of him.

When he opened the first page of the paper, Li Qiwei knew that it was wrong, completely wrong, extremely wrong!
It’s not that the theory of relativity is wrong, but that he bought the wrong newspaper.

He really didn't expect that there would be amateur scientists in Europe in 1902.

This paper criticizing the theory of relativity does not contain any mathematical formula in the entire text.

The author starts from the so-called philosophical perspective, and after piling up a series of complex concepts, he directs and acts out the story himself and comes to a conclusion.

[Bruce Lee and Einstein neither understand the positive and negative ways of understanding the law, nor do they understand the relationship between absolute truth and relative truth.]

【Absolute truth is infinite, relative truth is limited. 】

【The universe is infinite, and humans are limited. 】

[The theory of relativity, which was thought out by finite humans, cannot be applied to the infinite universe. ]

[We need to think about the speed of light from an infinite perspective, using the infinite to include the finite, rather than using the finite to extend the infinite.]

To be honest, Li Qiwei was still very impressed after watching it.

It is a skill to be able to write nearly ten thousand words and convince the author himself.

Incorrect logical consistency is also a kind of logical consistency.

You have to be stupid yourself to write such a stupid article.

If you are not stupid, but force yourself to be stupid first, and then write such a stupid paper to cater to stupid readers, then it is definitely a skill.

Soon, scholars in other fields of physics also realized that this paper was purely self-congratulatory and had no reference value at all.

But it has set off a wave of enthusiasm among the people.

Countless tabloids were established to publish articles opposing the theory of relativity and attract attention.

They don't care about science or truth, they only care about money.

Events that are hot and controversial, and that everyone can participate in, are the favorites of media practitioners. For a time, various papers opposing the theory of relativity from strange angles appeared.

Although people in the field of physics don't care about these sensationalists at all.

But people in other industries don’t know this, especially ordinary people. They don’t understand anything and think whoever has the loudest voice is right.

How could Li Qiwei alone be comparable to countless people?

Moreover, in addition to those opposing essays that were full of textual concepts, there followed essays with formulas.

Some are even written by professors and students at certain universities.

Such as:

【V=V+V1, V is the speed of light, V1 is not equal to 0, middle school students know that this equation is wrong. Taking a wrong equation as a premise, you will draw a wrong conclusion.】

[Relativity theory has no basic philosophical logic. It is a means for top physicists to fool ordinary people and ask for research funding.]

[Light is an electromagnetic wave and cannot be compared with the speed of an inertial object.]

【.】

Faced with overwhelming opposition and doubts, Li Qiwei was not angry at all.

Instead, he was in high spirits and bought a copy of all the critical tabloids, just to read the jokes and social phenomena.

Compared with Xuanyuan Anti-Entropy Operating System 2.0, Lei Mechanics, etc., these are just child's play.

The amateur scientist has three small goals: to invent a perpetual motion machine, to overthrow the theory of relativity, and to prove the Goldbach conjecture.

Moreover, in later generations, Li Qiwei has seen even more outrageous operations and views than this.

For example, using the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theories as a framework, the limitations of the theory of relativity can be demonstrated.

You know, this was not written by some unknown person, but the masterpiece of a university professor.

In this era, the theory of relativity had just been published. Even if there were some unreasonable doubts, at least they were understandable and reasonable.

Li Qiwei would at most just laugh it off, but he could never understand the latter situation.

It is unbelievable that a person who has received orthodox higher education could write such a paper and publish it openly.

However, as the incident escalated, although Ridgway himself did not care, Nature editor-in-chief Lockyer could no longer sit still.

He wrote to Ridgway, complaining: "Bruce, you need to write an article to refute these heresies."

"This is extremely detrimental to serious and orthodox scientific journals like us. The impact is too bad."

"Moreover, the sanctity of physics in the eyes of the public will be destroyed."

Li Qiwei felt helpless, but he still followed Lockyer's advice and decided to curb this farce.

So on May 5, Li Qiwei’s cover article was published on the front page of Nature.

This is the first time he has publicly faced doubts in more than two months.

The only difference is that the target is not all physicists, but so-called physics enthusiasts.

The full text is very short, only a few hundred words:

"I am very happy that so many people are paying attention to physics and the theory of relativity."

"In order to distinguish these people from orthodox physicists, I gave them a name: civilian scientists."

“Science cannot be separated from doubt and innovation, otherwise it is just an imposed concept.”

“No physical theory can be said to be absolutely correct, but it is developing and improving through continuous verification.”

“The same is true of relativity.”

“Anyone can criticize it and find faults in it.”

"But the research methods used must be scientific and reasonable, not fabricated."

"But physical theories require rigorous logical reasoning and scientific experiments, rather than relying on so-called associations, analogies, or even going back and forth in the history of philosophy."

“I believe that the emergence of modern natural science is based on two great achievements.”

"The first is the system of formal logic invented by Greek philosophers."

"Euclidean geometry is the pinnacle of this."

“Starting from a few simple, self-evident axioms and through rigorous logical deduction, we can derive the brilliant and vast Euclidean geometry system.”

"The second is the verification system that was gradually improved, represented by Galileo, which is to analyze the cause and effect relationship between things through systematic experiments."

“The former provides the right thinking tools, and the latter provides a trusted means of verification.”

“Anyone who despises and ignores these two basic principles will go astray, whether in the field of natural science or social science.”

"Therefore, criticism of the theory of relativity requires rigorous logical reasoning and scientific experiments, rather than relying on simple thinking such as so-called association and analogy."

“Some people even jump back and forth between philosophy, history, and physics.”

"I don't want 'min scientia' to become a derogatory term in the future, used to mock those who don't follow logic and experiments."

"So, if you really want to discuss the theory of relativity, please maintain the minimum respect for science."

"I'm at the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. You're welcome to come and discuss with me."

boom!
Li Qiwei's article instantly resonated with countless people.

Physicists in particular were impressed by his breadth of mind and courage.

His mind is as high as the sky and as broad as the sea.

Faced with overwhelming unreasonable demands, Bruce Lee did not get angry, but responded politely.

And they also affectionately call folk enthusiasts: folk scientists.

What a respectful word!
He spoke sincerely and with clear logic, explaining the basic requirements of science to everyone, just like a teacher who guides everyone step by step.

At this moment, even people outside the physical field were in awe of Li Qiwei.

Because his words apply to any subject and anything.

Li Qiwei thought to himself: Yes, that’s what I thought, and you interpreted it very well.

Subsequently, these nonsensical and illogical papers became less and less common.

(End of this chapter)