1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 262 There is no physics in the United States now!

Chapter 262 There is no physics in the United States now!

November 1910, 11, Manhattan, New York.

In the future, this will be the city center of New York and the economic and cultural center of the United States.

From north to south, Manhattan can be roughly divided into three main areas: Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown.

Uptown has famous attractions such as Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Lincoln Center.

Midtown has major companies and commercial centers such as the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Times Square, and Broadway.

The downtown area is centered on finance, and Wall Street, the future financial center of the world, is located here.

On Liberty Island in downtown, stands the famous Statue of Liberty, watching countless immigrants who have come here with the American dream in their hearts.

However, Manhattan at that time was far from being as prosperous as it would be in later generations.

The Empire State Building had not yet begun construction, and Times Square was still under construction.

It was not until the 1920s and 1930s that this place truly became the center of the world.

But in 1910, Manhattan and even New York were still well-deserved megacity.

New York's population has exceeded 450 million.

In upper Manhattan is Columbia University, the fifth oldest university in the United States.

Columbia University was founded in 1754 and has produced many famous people.

Including 3 US presidents, 9 Supreme Court justices, and many business tycoons, etc.

Of course, there are also several Nobel Prize winners in physics.

The Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb was born here.

The American Physical Society was founded at Columbia University.

This place witnessed the birth of academic physics in the United States.

So in order to show the importance of this meeting and respect for Li Qiwei.

Michelson specifically arranged the exchange meeting at Columbia University.

In addition, Columbia University also has a very legendary Chinese Studies Department.

Famous Chinese figures such as Xu Zhimo, Wen Yiduo, and Tao Xingzhi all studied here.

It is rumored that the establishment of the Department of Chinese Studies was closely related to a Chinese worker named Ding Long.

Ridgway and his group, along with Richardson and Davidson, a teacher and student, came to New York from Princeton.

Richardson left Davidson with Ridgway and left.

Ridgeway let Bohr and others make their own arrangements.

Accompanied by Li San, he walked to Columbia University.

Li Qiwei's arrival was warmly welcomed by Columbia University's top management.

Although there are not as many flowers and students as at Princeton University.

But the leaders, led by the principal, still gave Li Qiwei the most grand welcoming ceremony.

Li Qiwei also saw many students with Chinese faces.

I guess they are students from the Department of Chinese Studies at Columbia University.

Li Qiwei greeted them with a smile and won warm applause.

After the greetings, Michelson led Li Qiwei to the Columbia University conference room.

That is where this academic conference is held.

Similar to the annual physics conferences in European countries, the annual physics conferences in the United States hold four academic conferences every year.

The time and place are not fixed.

The process of the meeting is that physicists take the stage to report their latest research results in order.

However, at this time, the American physics community, if it strictly followed Ridgway's definition and classification criteria for physicists.

There are probably no more than 10 people who can be called physicists.

The Physical Society has more than 100 members, most of whom are actually professors from various universities, not physicists.

To claim so to the outside world is purely to flatter oneself.

Therefore, Li Qiwei's arrival made all members of the Physics Society feel honored.

It is rare to see a top physicist like Ridgway among ordinary physics professors.

The gap between Li Qiwei and them is even greater than the gap between them and their students.

Therefore, everyone came with an attitude of learning to pay homage to this today's top physicist.

When Michelson brought Li Qiwei into the conference room, thunderous applause immediately broke out.

Li Qiwei took a quick look and saw that the conference room was full.

He guessed that almost all members of the American Physical Society were there.

Millikan, Carr, Bridgman, etc.

Unfortunately, Hubble and Compton were both small-time figures at that time, and the more powerful bosses were all little brats.

Otherwise, the meeting would have been more exciting.

Suddenly, Li Qiwei saw Edison in the crowd.

It was not because he had seen Edison's photo in later years, but because he was the only one who did not applaud.

Isn’t there a joke in later generations that goes like this: When the leader comes, if you applaud, he may not remember you; but if you don’t applaud, he will definitely remember you.

This is the situation with Li Qiwei now.

This was the first time he met Edison, who was sitting in the front row and obviously regarded himself as a big shot.

The look of disdain and disgust made Li Qiwei snort in his heart.

At this time, Michelson took Li Qiwei's hand, walked to the podium, and said with a smile:

"Everyone, I don't think I need to introduce Professor Bruce in detail."

"If we were to introduce Bruce's achievements in detail, today's meeting would probably last until late at night."

Everyone laughed and there was another round of applause.

"If anyone here didn't go to Bruce's speech at Princeton, it would be a big loss."

“Although the speech was mainly for students, it had a profound impact on me.”

“Bruce’s perspective on physics is unique and profound, and is worthy of study and learning for all of us.”

"Today, I invited him here for only one purpose."

"That is to let Bruce introduce us to the most cutting-edge physics today." "Although the first Bruce Conference and the subsequent Bohr notes recorded the content of the conference in detail."

"But that's dead knowledge."

"Not nearly as good as Bruce's own ideas."

"Although I also participated in the first session, I am not afraid of being laughed at. I just went there to make up the numbers."

“Besides, it’s been more than a year since the first session.”

"This year, the achievements in physics seem to be like a blowout, which is dizzying."

"X-rays, gamma rays, crystal diffraction formula, superconductivity, the periodic table, etc."

"Unfortunately, these results have nothing to do with us American physicists."

"So what is the reason for this?"

"I don't think it's because we Americans are stupid, but Bruce is hiding something."

"Today I will tell Bruce not to keep secrets."

After saying that, Michelson turned to Li Qiwei and said with a smile: "Bruce, for the sake of my old bones, you can't bear to hide it anymore."

Michelson's humor made everyone present laugh so hard that they couldn't stop.

It seems that I have learned a lot of useful information today.

Just because of Bruce's words, Laue was able to discover a Nobel Prize-level result.

Then wouldn't it be reasonable that if they listened to Bruce's speech in person today, they would be able to produce some Nobel Prize-level results?

Many people began to have wild thoughts.

Li Qiwei was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Michelson was really putting him on the fire.

It seems that I can't cope with today.

However, if he wants to get support from the United States, especially from the scientific education community, he has to come up with something real.

In fact, this may be a good opportunity to fool people.

"Professor Michelson, you are really wronging me by saying that."

"At the first Bruce Conference, I had already put all my thoughts out in the open."

"If I wanted to keep it secret, there would be no chance for Laue to discover the nature of X-rays."

"I think I will win all the Nobel Prizes in Physics in the future."

"I might as well move to Sweden so that it will be more convenient for them to notify me of awards and prizes in the future."

Wow!
Everyone burst into laughter at Li Qiwei's amusement.

They didn't expect Bruce to have such a humorous side.

It was purely out of curiosity, after all, not many people present had heard Li Qiwei's speech.

The West is very concerned about humor, and Li Qiwei has practiced it to perfection and can use it effortlessly.

Before the meeting even started, the atmosphere had already become lively and both the guests and hosts were having a great time.

However, in Edison's eyes, all this turned into Ridgeway's frivolous behavior and sensationalism.

At this moment, Edison was very displeased with Li Qiwei.

When he had communicated with Marconi before, he was already concerned about Ridgway's filament patent.

Then Li Qiwei publicly opposed what he had said in a speech, which made him even more unhappy.

In the end, the invitation I sent through Langmuir was also rejected.

This made Edison completely hostile to Ridgway.

Under this negative emotion, any action and any achievement of Li Qiwei were problematic in Edison's eyes.

In his heart, he looked down upon Li Qiwei.

"Humph, no matter how good your physics is, it's just something on paper."

"Relativity and quantum theory are just pure mathematical games to me."

"It's all just you academics entertaining yourselves."

"We get so much funding from the Ministry of Education every year, but there is no output at all."

Edison also secretly studied Ridgway's theories, such as relativity and quantum theory.

Unfortunately, with his IQ, he couldn't understand it at all.

Li Qiwei's thesis and Edison's inventions are completely in two different fields.

And since Edison built a huge laboratory, he rarely did experiments himself.

I have lost interest in learning scientific knowledge.

He is now interested in how to make money from his previous inventions.

This year, he just integrated all his factories and laboratories to establish the Thomas Edison Company, which has thousands of employees.

As the chairman and president of the company, he holds enormous power.

Edison gradually handed over the day-to-day operations of the laboratory to others and reduced original experimental work to focus primarily on improving existing products.

In other words, the great inventor is no longer keen on inventing.

Li Qiwei on the stage had already noticed Edison's expression, but he didn't care at all.

He is no longer the rookie Cambridge undergraduate.

Instead, he became a giant in the field of science.

Now he has the confidence to refuse and offend anyone.

If he is really pushed to the limit and Li Qiwei turns evil, it will be a disaster for the whole world.

So he stopped paying attention to Edison, sorted out his thoughts, and walked calmly to the center of the podium.

Looking at the more than 100 American physics elites below the stage, Li Qiwei suddenly felt that the Americans were so weak at that moment.

There are very few people here who can be remembered by name in later generations; they are all passers-by.

At this moment, he was full of ambition and ambition. In this life in America, his destiny was to be the second brother.

Li Qiwei's expression was serious, and his first sentence made everyone present break down.

“I think there is no real physics in America right now.”

boom!
Everyone in the house was shocked!

(End of this chapter)

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