1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 249: America is going crazy! Bruce is going to visit the United States!

If a historian of science wants to study the role of the United States in the advancement of human science in the 19th century and early 20th century.

Then he will be very disappointed.

This later superpower, however, experienced a long period of mediocrity.

Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, no achievements in physics were made on the American continent.

This is not just true for physics, but also for mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, and so on.

In all fields of natural science, the United States is insignificant compared to its European counterparts.

In real history, between 1901 and 1939, among the 128 Nobel Prize winners in natural sciences, only 15 were Americans.

This also includes people who were not educated in the United States.

An American critic at the time commented: "All the energy of this country is invested in material development. This atmosphere is not conducive to the birth of the highest level of wisdom."

In the United States, when people talk about a professor, they ask, "What does he know?"

Whereas in Europe people would ask, “Did he discover anything new?”

This gap reflects the huge gulf between the two.

This is also why Michelson was very anxious.

In fact, during the colonial period, the United States also had strong creativity in science.

A group of scientists emerged locally.

Although it cannot be compared with Faraday, Maxwell and others of the same period.

But at least we have our own pure science, or theoretical science.

But why did this tradition not continue after the founding of the People's Republic of China?

Most people believe that it is the rise of applied science that has hindered the development of theoretical science in the United States.

Americans gradually got used to absorbing the scientific achievements of Europeans without adding anything of their own.

The most typical example is the great inventor Edison.

Compared to studying theories, Americans are more interested in making money.

Therefore, theoretical science is far less valued than applied science in the United States.

Americans also do not have the passion of European aristocrats for deep knowledge, which is both rare and abundant.

In 1883, American physicist Rowland lamented: "The status and living standards of pure scientists are even lower than those of novelists, painters, etc."

This can be seen.

As the golden age of physics began in Europe, geniuses from all walks of life took turns to compete with each other.

Natural science entered its most prosperous period in history.

However, the United States, a country with growing national strength and even surpassing Britain, is dim.

Although American science now has a place in the world.

But its level is far from matching its own strength.

Therefore, the bigwigs of the American theoretical science community, led by Michelson, Millikan and others, held a meeting together to discuss.

America must make changes!

Michelson said excitedly at the meeting:

“The formation of a country’s tradition of scientific progress cannot rely on the achievements of individual scientists.”

“It’s about having a continuous, innovative and solid academic environment.”

"I once studied Bruce Lee's Spark Project."

“I think the name of this program is very meaningful.”

"Through small changes, gradually affecting the whole situation, this is the meaning of Spark."

"Qing is a country that is countless times weaker than the United States."

"Before Bruce returned home, his country didn't even have a decent university."

"But thanks to Bruce's efforts, science in that country is growing at an alarming rate."

"I know that everyone here may not even bother to understand the Qing Dynasty or its scientific level."

"But don't forget that the Qing Dynasty produced Bruce Lee."

"That man, with his own efforts, raised the level of natural science in the Qing Dynasty to a higher level."

"Although there haven't been any famous people produced there yet."

"But I once met an undergraduate student from Huangpu University of Technology."

"It is no exaggeration to say that his physics level is far beyond that of our American students."

"And the task of such talents is not to do scientific research, but to be a teacher."

"Because according to Bruce's plan, they want to spread the seeds of science across the country."

"My God, Bruce is so ambitious."

"He wanted to be the one person who completely changed the inertia of that ancient country."

"After lagging behind for hundreds of years, he will catch up in a few decades."

"Such ambition, doesn't it make people feel scared?"

Michelson's deafening words startled everyone present.

In many people's minds, Bruce Lee is just a genius scientist.

Although he has made remarkable achievements in physics, so what?
Compared with a country, no matter how great an individual's achievements are, they are insignificant.

But what Michelson said today broke everyone's inherent cognition.

Compared with his grand ambitions, the man's academic level is insignificant.

Bruce Lee wants to change the scientific destiny of a country!

Such a broad mind made those present feel ashamed.

They are still immersed in the dream of America's rise.

Not enough attention is paid to the coming scientific explosion.

At this time, Michelson's tone softened and he continued, "I know that some of you may not accept this."

"They think that we in the United States have the most cars, the longest telephone lines, and the most complete range of goods in the world."

"What does Qing have?"

"There is only ignorance, war and feudalism."

"but!"

"What good are too many cars?"

"As long as the money is sufficient and the people are in place, is there any country in the world that won't make cars?"

“Are there any difficult scientific theoretical problems to be solved about cars?” “Ignorance will be eliminated and wars will end.”

"Sooner or later, the Qing Dynasty will have countless cars."

"Even with their huge population, it would be easy for them to surpass the United States in terms of the number of cars they have."

"But there is one thing that the Qing Dynasty had that we in the United States will never have at this point."

"That's the man Bruce Lee is."

"I don't think I need to elaborate on his genius."

"Recently, physics in Europe has been changing rapidly, with countless new theories and phenomena being discovered."

"These are all closely related to Bruce."

“It’s no exaggeration to say that if you spend an afternoon communicating with Bruce, maybe you’ll win the Nobel Prize in Physics next year.”

Laughter broke out in the venue.

"Don't laugh, isn't Laue an example?"

"Just by reading a sentence from Bohr's notes, he conducted an experiment to prove the nature of X-rays."

"Is there anything more incredible than this?"

"As for creationism, that's even less worth mentioning."

"Anyway, I'm not qualified to comment."

“Perhaps in the future, Bruce will create even greater theories.”

"These theories will make Qing Dynasty's technology the leader in the world."

"What's so great about cars?"

"Maybe Bruce can invent a car that flies in the sky."

"He may even be able to fly to the moon or Mars one day."

Suddenly there was a burst of surprised sounds in the meeting hall.

Everyone felt that Michelson's boasting was a bit exaggerated.

But everyone present had fully understood his meaning.

If the United States continues to rest on its laurels, it will sooner or later be surpassed by others.

If Michelson had a deep understanding of Chinese culture, he would definitely say: Born in adversity, die in comfort.

At this time, all the American scientists present were in awe of Michelson.

This old man, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics, is 58 years old this year and has received enough honors.

Even if he does nothing now, it will not affect his life and status.

His position in the American physics community is unique.

But Michelson continued to fight for the future of American science.

What he cares about is not his own small interests, but the greater interests of the entire country.

It seems that Li Qiwei's Spark Project really stimulated Michelson.

In this era, if we only talk about the level of science.

The United States and the Qing Dynasty are the older brothers, so they should not laugh at the younger brothers.

In the eyes of European scientists, they are all inferior and there is no need to classify them.

That's why Michelson was anxious.

He carefully studied Li Qiwei's series of actions after returning to China.

The more I looked, the more frightened I became.

If someone else had done this, Michelson would have certainly sneered.

Can a country’s scientific literacy be improved by just one person?
But if it's Bruce, it's different.

In Michelson's opinion, Bruce has surpassed the concept of a scientist.

It is no longer possible to judge that man based solely on his academic level.

What the other party is going to do is something unprecedented.

Michelson believed that even Newton, Maxwell and others were far inferior to Bruce.

Of course, only someone like Michelson, who cares about the fate of a country, can understand the depth and layout of Ridgway.

What followed was endless admiration and respect.

At this time, Michelson's younger brother Millikan saw that the time was almost right, so he said:
"Professor, how should we change that?"

Michelson paused and said, "Only by learning from excellent people can we make progress."

"What kind of person is Bruce Lee?"

“Why does he have such an accurate intuition about physics?”

“He can even achieve extraordinary results across fields.”

"Such a great scholar in the field of science is worthy of learning for all of us."

“So, I invited Bruce to come to the United States for a study visit and exchange.”

"And he has agreed to it. The date is set for November 11st."

"Considering Bruce's time and other considerations, his speech will be held at Princeton University."

"When the time comes, I hope that science and engineering students from universities across the United States can go there to audit the lectures."

“Princeton University has reached out to me privately.”

"Their school has made this visiting scholar program its top priority and has made adequate preparations."

boom!
Michelson's news caused a sensation in the audience.

No one expected that Michelson was so influential that he could invite Bruce.

Given the other party's current status and position, even if the president stepped in, it would be useless.

If they want to come, they can come. If they don’t want to come, it’s useless no matter who invites them.

Previously, almost all scientific conferences were held in Europe.

That is the center of science.

But there are not many people in the United States who are qualified to attend conferences in Europe.

So, many people are curious about those great scientists.

After all, learning about it from the newspaper and meeting it in person are completely different feelings.

And now, the world's greatest physics genius is finally coming to the United States.

When news of today's meeting broke, the whole country went crazy.

(End of this chapter)