1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 419 Li Qiwei’s ultimate goal: I am the god of physics and the master of the world!

November 1919, 11, Royal Society of London.

The lecture hall was unusually lively today.

After four years of terrible war, people finally realized the beauty of peace.

For scientists, peace means a stable scientific research environment that allows them to calm down and delve into their respective fields.

More importantly, scientists can communicate with each other frequently and spark new ideas.

In just the first year after the war, physics produced so many important results, and everyone felt that the golden age of science was about to come.

Therefore, many academicians in the hall were smiling happily and sharing their research results and interesting stories.

Today is the Royal Society's annual meeting.

At the annual meeting, all academicians elect new board members to assist the president in handling the affairs of the society.

In addition, the Royal Society of London also stipulates that the term of office of the president shall not exceed five years.

Thomson served as president from 1915 to 1920, exactly five years.

Therefore, this annual meeting needs to elect a new president in advance to facilitate the handover next year.

And starting with Thomson, all subsequent presidents of the Royal Society have been Nobel Prize winners.

It can be seen that involution began more than a hundred years ago.

After the election, another highlight of this annual meeting was the reports by Li Qiwei and Rutherford.

Thomson was the president of the Royal Society, but he cared more about his identity as the former director of the Cavendish Laboratory.

There he discovered two unrivaled geniuses in the field of physics.

This was the thing he was most proud of in his life, even more so than winning the Nobel Prize for his discovery of the electron.

In 1919, the first year after the war, Ridgway and Rutherford published results that shocked the academic world.

This is undoubtedly a great encouragement to the scientific community.

It represents that after the war, the prosperity of the scientific community will come again!
So Thomson wanted Ridgway and Rutherford to give a public speech to showcase the new spirit of the Royal Society.

At the same time, it also shows that under his leadership, the Royal Society of London has achieved even more extraordinary results.

Only Thomson could do this effortlessly.

If it were someone else, it would probably not be easy to invite both Li Qiwei and Rutherford at the same time.

Many academicians lamented:
"It's because Professor Thompson has two good apprentices."

At this moment, under Thomson's introduction, Li Qiwei was getting to know the academicians in the hall.

As a foreign academician and having been away from the UK for more than five years, Li Qiwei is not very familiar with the new academicians added in these five years.

Thomson pulled an old man who was about his age and said:
"Bruce, this is Professor Sherrington from Oxford University."

“He has made outstanding achievements in physiology and neuroscience.”

"Professor Sherrington has always wanted to meet you, but there has never been a suitable opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Li Qiwei looked at the other party and understood in his heart.

Sherrington, 62, is a big shot in the UK's life sciences field.

His research interests are mainly in neurology.

Its most important contribution was the first use of the word "synapse" to describe the contact point between two neurons.

And it is believed that neurons communicate information through synapses.

Sherrington won the 1932 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on the nervous system.

In real history, Thomson's next president was Sherrington, and Sherrington's next president was Rutherford.

It seems that Thomson already knew that the other party would serve as the president, so he introduced him to Li Qiwei in advance.

This made Li Qiwei feel a little touched.

Even though he himself is already the first in the field of science.

But Thomson still thought about him in detail.

Because of his identity, Li Qiwei could only be a foreign member of the Royal Society.

As for becoming the president, there is no need to even think about it.

Since Li Qiwei is doing business in the UK, he naturally has to establish good relations with the British scientific community.

The Royal Society is the highest authority in the British scientific community.

Therefore, Thompson hopes that even if he is gone, Li Qiwei will not be constrained.

This is related to the question of strength.

Given Li Qiwei's current status in the scientific community, it can be said that he is unique.

No one can make him feel wronged.

However, these are the powers of fame, not power itself.

Even though he is a four-time Nobel Prize winner and the greatest scientist of his time.

If there was a conflict between the Royal Society and Ridgway, the consequences would be unpredictable.

In real history, Einstein was hunted down, and even when he went to the United States, he was still monitored by Americans.

So, this is why Li Qiwei must be independent and start the Pangu Project.

Science represents power, but it is not power itself.

If everyone didn't tear each other apart, then Li Qiwei would be invincible at this moment.

The king is a guest of honor and interacts with bigwigs in various fields.

With this identity, there is no possibility of any danger.

But if some big countries lose their shamelessness, they will have to have nuclear bombs in hand.

Some things can be done without, but are necessary.

This way, the enemy won’t dare to tear off your face, but can only tear off your name tag.

One man rules all the countries!

I am the God of physics and the Lord of the world!
Li Qiwei is not far from this goal.

Today might even be the beginning, because he is going to predict the existence of the neutron.

And neutrons are the secret to unlocking the atomic bomb.

Sherrington had been observing the man in front of him.

He felt that the other party's mood was always fluctuating, but suddenly his momentum changed, and he even felt scared.

The famous Professor Bruce!

A living legend in the field of physics!
Only scientists can understand the weight of this statement.

That is the limit of human intelligence.

Although Sherrington knew that he should be the next president of the Royal Society.

But he had no pride.

Because he was elected president, it may be a tacit understanding among the members of the society.

The Royal Society of the United Kingdom is divided into the fields of material science (mathematics, physics, chemistry, etc.) and biological science.

Then we can't always let mathematicians and physicists serve as presidents.

Those of them who study biology must also share the benefits equally.

So, generally speaking, the president rotates between the two major areas.

For example, the next person after Rutherford was the biology giant who discovered vitamins.

Sherrington was very moved, thinking that it would be a pity if Professor Bruce in front of him was British.

He didn't even dare to imagine how high the other party's status was.

A mere president of the Royal Society, all you need is a hand.

At this moment, Sherrington was impressed by Li Qiwei's aura, and took the initiative to extend his hand and said with a smile:
"Professor Bruce, I finally meet you today."

"I have been fascinated by this for a long time."

Li Qiwei also came back to his senses and said with a smile:
"Hello, Professor Sherrington, I am impressed by your synaptic theory."

Sherrington was surprised. He didn't expect that Li Qiwei actually knew about his achievements.

But when I thought that the other party was the originator of the gene mutation and gene chain hypothesis, I felt relieved.

"Professor Bruce, I was also impressed by your proposal that consciousness comes from quantum effects."

"I have dissected the brains of many animals, but I have never found the organ or tissue that controls consciousness."

"Unfortunately, neurons are only the carriers of consciousness, but not the cause of its formation." Li Qiwei nodded, "Consciousness is indeed wonderful."

"I envy you, Professor Sherrington. Neurological research is very interesting."

The two of them flattered each other and talked freely.

The big guys around him were full of admiration.

Professor Bruce, a physicist, was chatting enthusiastically with the biology expert, and he looked very professional.

Astronomy, chemistry, biology, literature.
Why does the other party have so many side jobs?
This made many old academicians in their sixties and seventies sigh with emotion.

"We are living like dogs at our age."

Then Thompson introduced other people to Li Qiwei.

Soon, Li Qiwei sat down like everyone else.

He was surrounded by old acquaintances: Rutherford, Wilson, Bakla, old Bragg, etc.

Wilson kept winking at Li Qiwei, as if to see how awesome I was recently.

Li Qiwei responded to him with his eyes: Noob.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Thompson slowly walked up to the podium.

He began in a solemn tone:

“The 1919 annual meeting is destined to be of special significance.”

"The people of Europe have experienced unimaginable misery over the past four years."

"This is the most terrible and darkest moment in human history."

"It is no exaggeration to say that I may be the most stressed president in the history of the Royal Society."

"Because during my tenure, science reached its darkest hour."

"I even worried that human civilization would be destroyed and science would cease to exist."

"I will never be able to forgive myself for that."

There was a sudden sigh of empathy from the audience.

They understood Thomson's difficulties all too well.

"but."

"Even in such dark conditions, I still saw the dawn of civilization and science."

"Professor Bruce's novels and the Physics Olympiad."

"These were the lights of reason during the war and deserve to be remembered by history."

“Here, I hope everyone can give Professor Bruce a round of applause.”

“Thank you for your contribution to science.”

Wow!
Thunderous applause immediately broke out in the hall and lasted for a long time.

What Ridgway did for Europe during the war was widely known.

Everyone was impressed by his broad-minded spirit, which was a respect that transcended nationality.

Li Qiwei stood up very gentlemanly and took off his hat to greet.

At this time, Thompson's tone became cheerful.

"Similarly, we at the Royal Society have lived up to our responsibility as scientific authorities."

"In the past year, Professor Bruce and Professor Rutherford have made major breakthroughs in the field of physics."

“It gives us all confidence.”

“So, today I invite two professors to give a report.”

"Besides, I have good news for you all."

"That was the second Physics Olympiad. After discussion and selection, the UK was finally awarded the right to host it."

"It will be held at Cambridge University in July next year."

"This time, we have made careful preparations to ensure that it will be more exciting than the first one."

Wow!
Thompson's words immediately caused a commotion.

In Li Qiwei's previous life, the Physics Olympiad would not have even entered the eyes of the bigwigs.

Not to mention it was announced at such a high-end occasion as the Royal Society.

But in this era, the significance of the Physics Olympiad is too great.

It is not only a competition of academic background among countries.

It is a scientific competition born in blood and fire, and represents the most noble scientific spirit.

Although there will be more authoritative competitions in the future, none of them can replace the significance of the Physics Olympiad.

Because it is connected with the times.

Those present are all bigwigs in various fields.

Their vision is not limited to their own little piece of land.

Instead, we should think about the issue of cultivating young people from the perspective of the country.

There is no doubt that the Physics Olympiad is a test of the training results.

Although it's not accurate enough, it's better than nothing.

Li Qiwei was also slightly surprised.

Before he returned to Britain, he had already discussed this with academic leaders such as Thomson and Planck.

He hopes that countries can take turns hosting the Physics Olympiad.

Given the current situation in Borneo, it is still difficult to hold large-scale competitions.

Whether it is the level of the competition venue, the examination system, the choice of question types, etc., there is still much room for improvement.

And these changes can only be achieved with the capabilities of a country.

Li Qiwei just wants to make a start, and the follow-up still needs to be formalized.

So after he changed hands, he no longer paid attention to it.

I didn’t expect that the second session would be hosted by the United Kingdom.

He thought it would be Germany, the team gold medalist in the previous Olympics.

Maybe it’s because Germany’s current situation is rather embarrassing.

Li Qiwei was too lazy to analyze these political matters.

Anyway, in more than ten years, everything will be nothing in front of his Pangu plan.

When the time comes, he will let those so-called people in power see how terrible scientists can be when they go crazy!
Suddenly, Li Qiwei's expression looked a little strange.

The second Physics Olympiad was held in July 1920.

Doesn't it mean that those tough guys might be able to participate in the competition?

Pauli, Heisenberg, Dirac
Now they should all be undergraduates and fully qualified to participate.

"Wow, it feels like the gold, silver and bronze medals are going to be reserved."

Li Qiwei suddenly felt a little sad for the others.

Fortunately, Wu Youxun is not from the same generation as these people, otherwise, if his destiny is in China, he would probably be slapped in the face.

Soon, Thomson's passionate speech came to an end.

Next up is the Royal Society's general election.

Not surprisingly, Sherrington was elected with a high vote to become the new president of the Royal Society of London and will take office next year.

Li Qiwei saw that there was no loss in Thompson's eyes, but instead a hint of relief.

He knew that from today on, this super boss in the field of physics would truly retire.

It is no longer like before, when even if I don’t do academic research myself, I will still guide students.

The other party once said that after retirement he wanted to be a gardener, specializing in pruning flowers and plants.

He headed the Cavendish for thirty-five years and the Royal Society for another five years.

It can be said that Thomson has achieved the ultimate in both personal academic achievements and talent cultivation.

His life is worthy of being called a legend.

And now, the legend ends.

But the new legend has just begun.

(End of this chapter)