1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 39 The Physics Era
In September in London, the weather is already late autumn, with a few light rains and a hint of chill in the air.

On the streets, pedestrians look hurried, busy with their daily lives.

However, in the field of physics that many people cannot access, a conference that will be worshipped by countless people in later generations is about to begin.

At the strong call of Lord Kelvin, the world's top physicists, professors, students, and enthusiasts all gathered in London.

The conference was hosted by the Royal Society of London and was unprecedented in scale. The British government even dispatched a large number of police to maintain order.

It is no exaggeration to say that if the conference venue was hit by a bomb, the development of world physics would be set back at least 100 years, which is something no one can afford.

As the 25th approached, more and more people came to London, causing the hotels near the Royal Society to be full.

Many people who study chemistry, biology, and medicine are extremely envious. Physics is indeed the top natural science, and this status is simply unmatched by other subjects.

At first, Lord Kelvin was troubled by the organization of the meeting, and he told Ridgway about his concerns.

With so many scholars coming, it is impossible for everyone to speak on stage, and when there are too many people, the discussion will become unclear.

Unexpectedly, Li Qiwei wrote to him and came up with a good idea.

However, when Lord Kelvin finished reading it, his expression suddenly became strange, and he didn't know how to describe it.

It turned out that Li Qiwei said in the letter that since the conference was to discuss the right and wrong of quantum mechanics, the authors of the paper should face everyone's questions.

He was willing to stand in the center of the venue with Professor Planck and answer questions from any physicist.

The questioner raises his hand and is called upon by the host. Questions must be professional, and he and Planck can choose to ignore those who are asking unreasonable questions.

Lord Kelvin smiled knowingly when he saw this. Bruce really hasn't changed at all and is still so extremely confident.

He alone has to deal with countless top physics experts. He is worthy of being the one who proposed quantum mechanics.

Since the protagonists agreed, Lord Kelvin had nothing to say, so he agreed to hold the meeting according to this suggestion.

Soon, the time finally came to September 1900, 9.

The meeting hall of the Royal Society of London was crowded with people, and the breath of knowledge was overwhelming.

If undergraduate students spend a few minutes here, they won’t have to worry about their graduation thesis anymore.

This was a conference without precedent and no description of it could overstate the case.

It is a demarcation conference between classical physics and modern physics and will surely go down in history.

Several years later, MacArthur, a famous American five-star physics critic, said this in an interview:
"If the Berlin Physics Conference in 1900 was the debut of Bruce Lee, the God of Physics, then the London Conference in the same year marked his true rise and officially opened a new era in physics."

The conference was full of stars. Later generations summarized the following people who were already big names when they attended:
Britain: Lord Kelvin, Baron Rayleigh (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1904), Thomson (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1906), Rutherford (Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1908), Henry Bragg (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1915).

德国：伦琴（1901年物理诺奖）、维恩（1911年物理诺奖）、玻尔兹曼、普朗克（1918年物理诺奖）、能斯特（热力学第三定律、1920年化学诺奖）、布劳恩（1909年物理诺奖）、鲁本斯、卢梅尔。

France: Becquerel-Curie (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903), Madame Curie (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911), Lippmann (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1908).

Netherlands: Lorentz (1902 Nobel Prize in Physics), Onnes (superconductivity, 1913 Nobel Prize in Physics).

Switzerland: Guillaume (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1920).

United States: Michelson (Nobel Prize in Physics 1907), Millikan (Nobel Prize in Physics 1923).

As for Einstein, Grossmann, Wilson, von Laue, Lang Zhiwan and others, they were all unknown people at the moment.

Not to mention, there are countless professors, lecturers, graduate students, etc. from various universities in the UK.

As for undergraduates, if they were not brought by someone, no one would be qualified to attend this meeting. At the entrance of the venue, Lord Kelvin shook hands with every important figure who arrived to express his welcome.

"Hi, Roentgen, you are finally here. I want to tell you that your discovery of X-rays is a great achievement."

Roentgen smiled and said, "My Lord, do you finally think that this is not a farce?"

“When I wrote to you to share my achievements, your response really hit me hard.”

Lord Kelvin laughed and said, "It's all my fault. Look, someone is going to attack me now."

"Hahaha." Roentgen and others laughed.

He added: "This must be Planck, he looks quite young."

Planck stepped forward and said respectfully, "Thank you for your invitation, my lord. This will surely be a world-shaking meeting."

Lord Kelvin smiled and said, "Your good apprentice, have I told you the rules of the meeting?"

Planck was helpless. "That little guy is always so unconventional and arrogant."

Lord Kelvin said: "It's good to be young. We are all old now. Let the stage be given to the young people."

After saying that, he let them enter the venue.

After a while, the Curies and Becquerel also arrived.

Lord Kelvin quipped: "Oh, look, here comes our little physics girl."

In the entire academic community, perhaps only a few people, such as Lord Kelvin, dare to call Madame Curie like this.

"My Lord, you are still so strong and healthy. I wish today's meeting a great success." Madame Curie said with a smile.

"Thank you for giving us this opportunity," Becquerel also said.

Lord Kelvin was delighted after hearing this, and looked even more radiant.

People arrived in wave after wave, and everyone was very respectful to him and thanked him for the invitation.

Because he is too old.

Lord Kelvin, who was born in 1824, belonged to the same era as such great figures as Maxwell, Hertz, Clausius, Joule, Lenz, Faraday, and Helmholtz.

But now he is the only one left in the world.

Looking at the countless younger generations passing by, Lord Kelvin sighed in his heart: "What a rich research field they have opened up for the future!"

"What a revolution they have made in the scientific worldview! How small and inadequate I am compared to them!"

From now on, he can't teach, he can only learn.

At this moment, a younger figure came into view. Just like before, his eyes were sharp and he looked down on all living beings.

Under his dazzling light, even people like Roentgen and Madame Curie seemed to be abandoned by the times.

Lord Kelvin took a deep breath, strode forward, took the initiative to extend his hand, and smiled:
"Bruce, you're finally here."

"Yes, sir, I am here," Li Qiwei replied firmly.
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(When writing this chapter, Lao Xu felt very sad. Without Li Qiwei, how could China in countless parallel worlds surpass the West? Although our economic output is far ahead, our scientific foundation is still far behind.)
I ask all book lovers to collect and read this book more. If you have any good suggestions, you can also leave a message in the book review section.

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(End of this chapter)