Paul Valletta: – Thanks! -cvj

Lee Smolin:

Its hard to disagree with the choise of Newton’s Principia

I think it would have been nicer for people to expand on why they choose instead of following like sheep? Sore looser here.

All and all, a good learning exercise. Thanks Clifford

Lee,

You still have the opportunity write the greatest physics paper ever. None of the top 5 can.

Elliot

By “the original,” are you hoping we read the Principia in Latin? I don’t think that even my German is up to the Einstein and Noether papers.

Congratulations to Isaac Newton. He has not only made the greatest breakthrough, but he was also the smartest guy. I wonder whether it was politically correct to choose Newton, given the fact that his brain was also the most male brain among all.

Did you ever wonder whether Newton, if revived from his DNA, would be able to help us with string theory? Would he like it? I think that he would be thrilled by the modern developments.

while this is an impressive list, i am quite surprised and somewhat dissapointed that it omitted maxwell

Newton cloned from his DNA, and with the same development cues that he had in his mother’s womb would probably be close to the original, otherwise not.

I think Newton is highly overrated. If he didnt do it, someone else would have done it. Someone else did the calculus better, someone else did the optics and as well the [some of the] dynamics although he tended not to develop his ideas to full fruition. Robert Hooke, I speak of. Newton was very vain and ultrasensitive.

If Hooke was already so close I do not think Newton’s acheivement more remarkable than that he did so first. It is so far in the past that most people do not notice but much of the hard work required in the paradigm shifts had already been undertaken by Galilieo (mathematics into Natural philosophy, exprimentation) , Descartes (his coordinate system), Huygens (suceeded Galileo +descartes predynamics), Pascal, Cavalieri and Fermat (furtherers of forerunner calculus). I could go on.

X^2 said:

“I think Newton is highly overrated. If he didnt do it, someone else would have done it.”

Sure…maybe…… but the bottom line is that he did do it. So he deserves a lot of credit. There are always several other people working on similar things at the time of the vast majority of breakthroughs…..then history tends to forget about the also-rans and takes the person who was “first past the post” and makes them into a super-visionary giant who saw way further than everybody else. I think that is often true. Newton might deserve a bit more credit than just being a “first past the post” -er because he was first (or first-ish) past the post on so many different topics and techniques all at once…. That was pretty special.

But either way…. it was he who wrote the Principia, and so that is what we were giving credit for. If it were Hooke who wrote it, then….

Cheers,

-cvj

Einstein and Newton had some form of autism

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2988647.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3380569.stm

This condition is believed to be a consequence of an extreme male brain.

http://www.google.com/search?q=%22extreme+mail+brain%22

Newton was exceptional and if he did not make his discoveries, 5 other people would had to collectively make the same discoveries 50 years later or more, if at all. You won’t find a second person who would be as irreplacable as Isaac Newton – or you won’t find too many of them.

Chad Orzel’s dismissive comment about Newton’s alchemy is completely absurd. Newton’s alchemy was the best chemistry that was available in his era, and whoever humiliates this portion of Newton’s interests is equally ignorant as someone who does not understand why we study string theory today.

The thing that bothers me about Newton is his nastiness toward Leibniz, who probably did develop calculus first (with a vastly superior notation), and who was completely right on the matter of the existence of a global stationary reference frame. To my understanding, Newton simply smeared Leibniz until he got his way, due to his reputation.

Now, most of my complaint is that Leibniz gets too little credit, rather than NEwton getting too much, but the one is related to the other.

Lubos,

I find it strange that Dirac isn’t mentioned in these articles about Autism.

See here an interview of Dirac in the Wisconsin State Journal

“Dirac’s introversive style and his interest in abstract theory were rather foreign to the scientists at the University of Wisconsin. They recognized his genius but had difficulties in comprehending his symbolic version of quantum theory. The Americans also found him a bit of a strange character. A local newspaper, the Wisconsin State Journal, wanted to interview the visiting physicist from Europe and assigned this task to a humorous columnist known as ‘Roundy’. His encounter with Dirac is quoted here in extenso because it not only reveals some characteristic features of Dirac’s personality but also is an amusing piece of journalism:

‘I been hearing about a fellow they have up at the U. this spring — a mathematical physicist, or something, they call him — who is pushing Sir Isaac Newton, Einstein and all the others off the front page. So I thought I better go up and interview him for the benefit of the State Journal readers, same as I do all the other top notchers. His name is Dirac and he is an Englishman. He has been giving lectures for the intelligensia of the math and physics department — and a few other guys who got in by mistake.

So the other afternoon I knocks at the door of Dr. Dirac’s office in Sterling Hall and a pleasant voice says, “Come in.” And I want to say here and now that this sentence “come in” was about the longest one emitted by the doctor during our interview. He sure is all for efficiency in conversation. It suits me. I hate a talkative guy.

I found the doctor a tall youngish-looking man, and the minute I see the twinkle in his eye I knew I was going to like him. His friends at the U. say he is a real fellow too and good company on a hike — if you can keep him in sight, that is.

The thing that hit me in the eye about him was that he did not seem to be at all busy. Why if I went to interview an American scientist of his class — supposing I could find one — I would have to stick around an hour first. Then he would blow in carrying a big briefcase, and while he talked he would be pulling lecture notes, proof, reprints, books, manuscripts, or what have you, out of his bag. But Dirac is different. he seems to have all the time there is in the world and his heaviest work is looking out the window. If he is a typical Englishman it’s me for England on my next vacation!

Then we sat down and the interview began. “Professor,” says I, “I notice you have quite a few letters in front of your last name. Do they stand for anything in particular?”

“No.” says he.

“You mean I can write my own ticket?”

“Yes,” says he.

“Will it be all right if I say that P. A. M. stands for Poincare Aloysius Mussolini?”

“Yes,” says he.

“Fine,” says I, “We are getting along great! Now doctor will you give me in a few words the low-down on all your investigations?”

“No,” says he.

“Good,” says I. “Will it be all right if I put it this way — ‘Professor Dirac solves all the problems of mathematical physics, but is unable to find a better way of figuring out Babe Ruth’s batting average’?”

“Yes,” says he.

“What do you like best in America?” says I.

“Potatoes,” says he.

“Same here,” says I. “What is your favorite sport?”

“Chinese chess,” says he.

That knocked me cold! It sure was a new one to me! Then I went on: “Do you go to the movies?”

“Yes,” says he.

“When?” says I.

“In 1920 — perhaps also 1930,” says he.

“Do you like to read the Sunday comics?”

“Yes,” says he, warming up a bit more than usual.

“This is the most important thing yet Doctor,” says I. “It shows that me and you are more alike than I thought. And now I want to ask you something more: They tell me that you and Einstein are the only two real sure-enough high-brows and the only ones who can really understand each other. I won’t ask you if this is straight stuff for I know you are too modest to admit it. But I want to know this — Do you ever run across a fellow that even you can’t understand?”

“Yes,” says he.

“This will make great reading for the boys down at the office,” says I. “do you mind releasing to me who he is?”

“Weyl,” says he.

The interview came to a sudden end just then for the doctor pulled out his watch and I dodged and jumped for the door. But he let loose a smile as we parted and I knew that all the time he had been talking to me he was solving some problem no one else could touch.

But if that Professor Weyl ever lectures in this town again I sure am going to take a try at understanding him! A fellow ought to test his intelligence once in a while.’

Count Iblis:- That was a longer quote in comment than we would normallly prefer, but I enjoy Dirac stories so much, I left it in…thanks!

-cvj