1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 210 The Future King's School

After accepting Bohr as his doctoral student, Ridgway began to prepare for the doctoral entrance test.

It is called a test, but in fact it is not an exam. What Li Qiwei cares most about is their state of mind and their views on physics.

On the morning of May 1909, 5, all the people whom Ridgway had met privately arrived at the Department of Physics at King's College London on time.

In a classroom, seven young people seemed very excited, whispering to each other, and soon became familiar with each other.

Gregory knew from his appearance that he was the oldest. As the eldest brother, he said to the other six people, "Why don't we get to know each other?"

"As long as we are recognized by Professor Bruce, I think everyone should be able to pass."

Big Brother's words were always pleasant to the ears, and everyone was delighted.

"I'm probably the oldest here, so I'll go first."

"My name is Gregory. I'm 30 years old. I graduated from the Department of Physics at King's College London. After graduation, I have been working as an editor at Nature magazine."

"Wow." The others exclaimed after hearing it.

Journal articles are becoming increasingly important today, as Ridgway has transformed the scientific world.

Especially for those mid-level researchers, a good paper is enough to change their destiny.

As a result, more and more people began to submit articles, resulting in journal editors becoming increasingly important.

A mathematics professor at Oxford University once complained: "Lockyer has forgotten the difference between the editor of Nature and the author of Nature."

He was implying that the editors of Nature had god-like powers.

Because there are too many manuscripts, the editor can simply include A and abandon B.

This has resulted in many people being unable to publish papers in Nature.

They can only settle for the second best and publish their results in lower-level journals.

Therefore, one can imagine the status of journal editors, especially editors of top journals such as Nature, in the academic community.

After all, not everyone is a Nobel Prize winner and can ignore the editor.

Most people are little-known people, and it is a great honor to be able to publish an article in Nature.

Next, it was Bohr’s turn to speak: “My name is Bohr, I am 24 years old, and I graduated from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, where I currently have a master’s degree.”

Bohr's identity caused another round of exclamations.

Those present were all students majoring in physics, so they naturally knew Bohr's name.

They didn't expect that the person who wanted to challenge Professor Bruce would now become his doctoral student.

Really good fortune.

Gregory jokingly asked, "Bohr, will you overthrow your mentor in the future?"

Everyone laughed along with him.

Bohr touched his chin awkwardly and said uncertainly: "I believe that Professor Bruce, with his broad mind, would not care about this."

“Maybe he really hopes that I can achieve something.”

At this time, Chris continued: "I believe this. Professor Bruce is a person of noble character."

"Hello, my name is Chris. I graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge University, and I used to work at Philips."

Everyone was shocked again and asked quickly, "Is it the Dutch Philips company that developed the tungsten filament light bulb, medical X-ray tube, and radio?"

Chris nodded and said with a smile, "It was Professor Bruce who wrote the recommendation letter for me. It was the founder of Philips who personally interviewed me."

"You may not know that it was the professor who sold the patent for the tungsten filament light bulb to Philips."

“And technologies such as medical X-ray tubes and radios are all backed by the professor’s patents.”

"I previously worked in Philips' scientific laboratory, responsible for the development of these new products."

"The Americans developed the triode a few years ago. This thing has huge potential."

"It is very likely to change our lives. Philips is secretly researching many new products."

"The radio has now completed verification and is being shipped in small batches, so you will know."

"For the sake of professional ethics, I won't tell you about other products."

Everyone was envious again.

That’s the hottest company right now, Philips.

Its products basically use the most cutting-edge technology.

It is the best employment choice for these physics major students.

The salary is absolutely amazing.

At this time, Bohr asked: "Chris, you are doing so well at Philips, why do you want to study for a doctorate?"

Chris rubbed the back of his head and smiled, "Well, I came because Professor Bruce asked me to."

"I'm not afraid of you laughing at me when I say this, but before Professor Bruce became famous, I recognized him as my big brother."

Then, Chris talked to a few people about what happened between him and Li Qiwei.

The talk starts from Wilson's class and goes all the way to when Li Qiwei returns to his country.

Including Li Qiwei's publication of the photoelectric effect and his deeds of giving away chalk, they were all exaggerated and praised by him.

It was as if what was given was not a piece of chalk, but the holy relic of physics: the Pen of Truth.

Everyone who listened was fascinated.

Bohr finally understood why Chris was willing to give up his high-paying job and study for a doctorate just because of Professor Bruce's words.

To follow such a big boss, let alone study for a doctorate, even becoming a primary school teacher would be something that people would rush to do.

After graduating with a Ph.D., and with the status of Bruce's disciple, he had no difficulty finding a job.

I guess even little Philip doesn't even look at it.

Bohr suddenly felt very fortunate that he had come to visit Bruce, otherwise he would have regretted it for the rest of his life.

At this time, Bohr, Gregory and Chris all looked at the other four people at the same time.

Because they have one thing in common, they all have oriental faces.

One of the young men, who looked very calm and handsome, said with a smile in fluent English:

"Hello, the four of us and Professor Bruce are from the same hometown, all from China."

"We are government-funded students sent by China to study in the UK." "This policy was promoted by Professor Bruce in our country."

“He is a mentor to all of us.”

"My name is Qian Wushi, I am 25 years old and graduated from the University of Birmingham."

Then, the other three said in turn:
"My name is Qian Huzhou, I'm 24 years old and graduated from the University of Leeds."

"My name is Deng Huaining, I am 23 years old and graduated from the University of Liverpool."

"My name is Yu Yin, I'm 23 years old and graduated from the University of Bristol."

Teacher Qian Wu was the representative of the four people. He continued, "Originally, we were going to continue our studies in our respective schools."

“But Professor Bruce approached us and asked if we would like to do his PhD.”

"Of course, so we came here right away."

Bohr and others immediately showed respect, because it turned out that he was an international student and from the same place as Professor Bruce.

Maybe I can become the next Professor Bruce in the future.

At this time, Chris, who was proactive, smiled and asked, "Qian, because of Professor Bruce, I also know a little Chinese."

"Your name is so weird."

"Does Wusishi mean five military divisions?"

"Uh." Teacher Qian Wu was a little embarrassed and said, "I am the fifth child in my family, and my parents hope that I will become a teacher in the future."

“So that’s how the name came about.”

“It has nothing to do with the military.”

Chris nodded, and suddenly smiled and said, "Master Qian Wu, study with Professor Bruce. Maybe in the future, with your knowledge of physics, you can really be as good as five masters."

The humorous words made everyone laugh, and everyone treated it as a joke that fit the situation.

At this time, Bohr asked again: "Master Qian Wu, are you related to Qian Huzhou?"

Bohr couldn't even speak English fluently, let alone Chinese. He finally managed to ask a question after stuttering.

Master Qian Wu smiled and said, "We are not related, we just happen to have the same surname."

As several people introduced their identities, everyone quickly became familiar with each other.

Since we were all young people, we had a lot of common topics and had a great time chatting.

They also guessed what kind of questions Professor Bruce would give, hoping that they would not be too difficult.

Ten minutes later, Li Qiwei walked into the classroom, followed by Delia.

Delia held some papers and a pen in her hands.

The seven people immediately stopped their discussion, sat upright with serious expressions, and attached great importance to the next test.

Li Qiwei looked at everyone with a smile, very satisfied.

Especially when he saw the four people led by Master Qian Wu, he looked dazed and had endless daydreams in his mind.

God bless China!

He smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, this test is different from what you think."

“As long as you answer carefully, everyone can pass.”

After saying that, he gave Delia a look, and the latter began to distribute the test papers.

When everyone got it, they were all dumbfounded.

Because there was only one question on the entire paper: "Tell me what you want to study and how you see the future of physics."

There is no other question except this one.

Bohr and others looked at each other, and only felt relieved after confirming that everyone had the same question.

Then, I felt secretly happy.

No wonder Professor Bruce said that as long as you answer carefully, you will pass.

If I fail this exam again, it means I just don’t want to pursue a PhD.

So, several people began to think quietly and examine their own hearts.

Everyone suddenly realized that this unusual question seemed to have a very profound meaning and was by no means as simple as it seemed.

For a moment, no one dared to write rashly, but thought carefully.

If Li Qiwei knew what they were thinking, he would definitely laugh and say, "Don't think too much. I just want to know what your interests are so that I can give you a topic."

"If the school hadn't stipulated that doctoral admissions must be tested, I wouldn't have been willing to waste a few pieces of paper."

Even in this day and age, paper is a precious commodity.

Although Li Qiwei is the specially recruited head of the Physics Department and has a lot of autonomy, there is no need for him to deliberately go against the school over such a small matter.

Although it is entirely up to professors to recruit PhD students, there are certain rules that must be followed.

An hour later, all seven people finished answering the questions, and Delia collected the papers.

Li Qiwei said: "Thank you for your answers. I will inform you of the results in three days."

“I hope everyone can pass the test and become my doctoral student.”

"Perhaps in the near future, a school of physics will emerge, called the King's School."

Li Qiwei handed over a big pie, which made several people excited and eager to make a move.

That's a school of thought.

Nowadays, the term "Cavendish School" has gradually been used in the physics community.

These three days will be the three days that will determine their future.

And with only seven people, Professor Bruce still needed three days, which shows how much he valued and was cautious.

Li Qiwei smiled slightly and ended today's test.

The result could obviously be announced on the spot, but he still had to go through a process.

I can use these three days to deal with another important matter.

(End of this chapter)