Science > Physics > New York Times: "The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome"
| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"George Orwell" |
| Date: |
07 Mar 2005 01:58:34 AM |
| Object: |
New York Times: "The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome" |
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/01/science/01eins.html
March 1, 2005
The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome
By DENNIS OVERBYE
[just a few snips]
"Einstein changed the way physicists thought about the universe in a
way the public could appreciate," said Dr. Michael Turner, a
cosmologist from the University of Chicago and the director of math
and physical sciences at the National Science Foundation.
[...]
Dr. Turner said he hoped and expected that there would continue to be
Einsteins. One way to measure their impact, he suggested, was by how
long it took society to digest their discoveries and move on.
By this metric, he said, Isaac Newton beats out Einstein as the
greatest of all time (or at least since science was invented).
Newton's world lasted more than 200 years before Einstein overthrew
it.
"Einstein has lasted 100 years," he said. "The smart money says that
something is going to happen; general relativity won't last another
200 years.""
.
|
|
| User: "Morituri-|-Max" |
|
| Title: Re: New York Times: "The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome" |
07 Mar 2005 03:35:29 AM |
|
|
"George Orwell" <nobody@mixmaster.it> wrote in message
news:1c58c0ce34d9f5af4dc88601fa75a7df@mixmaster.it...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/01/science/01eins.html
March 1, 2005
The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome
By DENNIS OVERBYE
[just a few snips]
"Einstein changed the way physicists thought about the universe in a
way the public could appreciate," said Dr. Michael Turner, a
cosmologist from the University of Chicago and the director of math
and physical sciences at the National Science Foundation.
[...]
Dr. Turner said he hoped and expected that there would continue to be
Einsteins. One way to measure their impact, he suggested, was by how
long it took society to digest their discoveries and move on.
By this metric, he said, Isaac Newton beats out Einstein as the
greatest of all time (or at least since science was invented).
Newton's world lasted more than 200 years before Einstein overthrew
it.
"Einstein has lasted 100 years," he said. "The smart money says that
something is going to happen; general relativity won't last another
200 years.""
Doesn't mean anything.. If Einstein had come along 10 years after Newton,
then that doesn't say much for the idea that the length between discoveries
is due to any great talent on the part of the previous genius. It could be
500 years or 5 years before a new discovery is made that makes both Einstein
and Newton take a backseat to the next great mind.
.
|
|
|
| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: New York Times: "The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome" |
07 Mar 2005 03:42:49 AM |
|
|
In article <BfVWd.49575$Qz1.768@fe2.texas.rr.com>, "Morituri-|-Max" <newage@sendarico.net> writes:
"George Orwell" <nobody@mixmaster.it> wrote in message
news:1c58c0ce34d9f5af4dc88601fa75a7df@mixmaster.it...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/01/science/01eins.html
March 1, 2005
The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome
By DENNIS OVERBYE
[just a few snips]
"Einstein changed the way physicists thought about the universe in a
way the public could appreciate," said Dr. Michael Turner, a
cosmologist from the University of Chicago and the director of math
and physical sciences at the National Science Foundation.
[...]
Dr. Turner said he hoped and expected that there would continue to be
Einsteins. One way to measure their impact, he suggested, was by how
long it took society to digest their discoveries and move on.
By this metric, he said, Isaac Newton beats out Einstein as the
greatest of all time (or at least since science was invented).
Newton's world lasted more than 200 years before Einstein overthrew
it.
"Einstein has lasted 100 years," he said. "The smart money says that
something is going to happen; general relativity won't last another
200 years.""
Doesn't mean anything.. If Einstein had come along 10 years after Newton,
then that doesn't say much for the idea that the length between discoveries
is due to any great talent on the part of the previous genius. It could be
500 years or 5 years before a new discovery is made that makes both Einstein
and Newton take a backseat to the next great mind.
In fact, if anything can be used as (admittedly crude) measure, it is
not so much the number of years as the number of "man-years" of
scientific work. Much more relevant. And I would guess that the
number of man-years since Newton to Einstein exceeds this since the
beginning of civilization till Newton. And the number of man-years
since Einstein till today, exceeds both, by a large margin.
And none of this means much.
Mati Meron | "When you argue with a fool,
meron@cars.uchicago.edu | chances are he is doing just the same"
.
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: New York Times: "The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome" |
07 Mar 2005 02:07:55 AM |
|
|
In article <1c58c0ce34d9f5af4dc88601fa75a7df@mixmaster.it>, George Orwell <nobody@mixmaster.it> writes:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/01/science/01eins.html
March 1, 2005
The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome
By DENNIS OVERBYE
[just a few snips]
"Einstein changed the way physicists thought about the universe in a
way the public could appreciate," said Dr. Michael Turner, a
cosmologist from the University of Chicago and the director of math
and physical sciences at the National Science Foundation.
[...]
Dr. Turner said he hoped and expected that there would continue to be
Einsteins. One way to measure their impact, he suggested, was by how
long it took society to digest their discoveries and move on.
By this metric, he said, Isaac Newton beats out Einstein as the
greatest of all time (or at least since science was invented).
Newton's world lasted more than 200 years before Einstein overthrew
it.
"Einstein has lasted 100 years," he said. "The smart money says that
something is going to happen; general relativity won't last another
200 years.""
The smart money says that the breakthroughs, by their very nature, are
unpredictable. The above is empty talk for public consumption.
Mati Meron | "When you argue with a fool,
meron@cars.uchicago.edu | chances are he is doing just the same"
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Josef Matz" |
|
| Title: Re: New York Times: "The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome" |
07 Mar 2005 07:45:56 AM |
|
|
We should not ask if Newton was the greatest or not. They have been
important all both and also other ones. And Newton lasted not only 200 years
he stll is actual and in the scool books, in the classical mechanical theory
and in the base courses at the universities. Same with Einstein. And as long
as mankind will exist, the Name of Einstein will be a synonym for very much
fundamental laws, so fundamental as the gravity law of Sir Isaac Newton and
differential analysis. So if GR will be identified to be wrong in the sense
that the idea that mass curves the room is wrong, it would not be the end of
GR. If the universe has had a beginning, GR will live further on.GR would
reduce to easy laws because only the time is able to curve the room and the
room might be infinite and the beginning energy might be infinite. GR would
redue to something which is very easy and one could interpret it in terms of
simple pictures.
Indeed there will be some body who identifies the mistakes in the old
theories and who gives a picture how the different parts of physics hang
together.
Probably a very easy picture as i think. But once that took place and was
identified to be true, there only can be found some forgotten special
solutions of the known fundamentals or there might be identified some
workout mistakes. There probably only is one Einstein or Newton possible and
necessary in the future physical scene.
Now is the time for experimentators identifying more and more things which
withspeak present theory. The time will come when this last Newton or
Einstein comes. And then we are damned to accept the everlasting truth.
Josef
"George Orwell" <nobody@mixmaster.it> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:1c58c0ce34d9f5af4dc88601fa75a7df@mixmaster.it...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/01/science/01eins.html
March 1, 2005
The Next Einstein? Applicants Welcome
By DENNIS OVERBYE
[just a few snips]
"Einstein changed the way physicists thought about the universe in a
way the public could appreciate," said Dr. Michael Turner, a
cosmologist from the University of Chicago and the director of math
and physical sciences at the National Science Foundation.
[...]
Dr. Turner said he hoped and expected that there would continue to be
Einsteins. One way to measure their impact, he suggested, was by how
long it took society to digest their discoveries and move on.
By this metric, he said, Isaac Newton beats out Einstein as the
greatest of all time (or at least since science was invented).
Newton's world lasted more than 200 years before Einstein overthrew
it.
"Einstein has lasted 100 years," he said. "The smart money says that
something is going to happen; general relativity won't last another
200 years.""
.
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
