A Man of Science and Engineering in Troubled Times Wandering in the Late Qing Dynasty

Chapter 177 Letter from Germany
Switzerland, Berne Patent Office.

Mr. Einstein, the third-level temporary patent officer, is carefully comparing Planck's 1900 paper and Li Yu's current paper. After reading it for a long time, he still feels more acceptable to Planck's "quantum of energy".

As for Li Yu, it is too advanced to directly use the term "quantum".

Einstein found the formula of Wien and Rayleigh and studied it carefully. At this time, he seemed to see something:

Wien's starting point is based on classical thermodynamics, and he obviously used Boltzmann's molecular and atomic hypotheses to obtain the Wien formula that is well adapted to high frequencies.

——To put it simply, Venn started from the perspective of particles.

As for Rayleigh, although it is also derived based on classical theory, Rayleigh's theoretical foundation is Maxwell's electromagnetic theory, thus obtaining the Rayleigh formula (strictly speaking, it should be called the Rayleigh-Jins formula) that is well adapted to low frequencies.

——To put it simply, Rayleigh starts from the perspective of waves.

One is a particle and the other is a wave?
It's all just part of it.

However, the theories of Li Yu and Planck are perfectly consistent with black body radiation.

This cannot be blamed on him, after all, who would have thought that quantum mechanics would develop so broadly in the future.

He was watching it with relish while drinking coffee, and he just finished reading it in one breath.

The more Planck thought about it, the more itchy he got, and suddenly thought: "Isn't it too much for me to send a telegram to Li Yu?"

He was holding a book in his hand, which was "Star Wars: A New Hope".

Li Yu had no choice but to reply: "Dear Professor Planck, I am honored that you like this science fiction work. I will write a sequel as soon as possible, so stay tuned."

University of Berlin.

Rubens said: "Very incredible results, but they are all astronomical discoveries."

They have already obtained great benefits, which far outweigh the losses.Then he borrowed flowers to give to Buddha, waived the rest of the compensation, and sold a good man again.

Kurban also said: "That's right! I heard that even Mr. Maher has gone to learn new theories."

Is it that?

But as we all know, diplomacy actually looks at comprehensive national strength. "A weak country has no diplomacy" and "Being backward will be beaten" are probably the two most profound and painful lessons in the modern history of the Chinese nation.

The so-called return of the boxer indemnity by the United States is just such a truth.

Li Yu nodded: "We can suggest that they use the refunded compensation for education."

Germany, Imperial Institute for Physics and Technology.

At that time, Planck had already become famous. In 1918, he said in a speech at the Prussian Academy of Sciences: "Even if the enemy deprives us of our national defense power, even if the crisis is happening before our eyes, there is even a more serious crisis coming. One thing is Enemies, both at home and abroad, cannot take it from us: the place of German science in the world! The first task of the Academy is to preserve this place, and if necessary, to defend it at all costs!"

As for the United States, it is still in the catching-up stage.However, after World War II, the scientific center was quickly transferred to the United States. One of the reasons was that many German scientists fled to the United States.

Liang Cheng thought to himself, "I'm afraid I'll offend the Americans."

Liang Cheng is a smart person, so of course this kind of thing should be handled diplomatically.

While Gusi was meditating, two researchers of the institute, Rubens and Kurban, came back.It was the two of them who discovered the low-frequency failure phenomenon of the Wien formula through experiments.

After closing the book, Plank was still reminiscing about the plot in the book, "It's kind of interesting, I don't know what will happen next in the story."

In the following ten years, he himself often warned others to use his theory and Planck's constant with caution.

Historically, Liang Cheng would not officially mention this matter until the next year or so, but the sooner the better.

The United States has demanded a total of more than 3200 million taels of indemnity, and China has already paid more than half of it.The so-called refund means that the remaining uncompensated ones are discarded, but the Chinese side still has to take out the money and use it according to their requirements, such as education.

Carl Siemens said: "Fortunately, that Planck is also our German. I heard that he is a professor at the University of Berlin. If not, I will give them a sum of money to continue this research."

Karl Siemens said: "Since this is the case, it means that it is still correct. Science is like starting a company. There is always a process for the acceptance of new theories, as long as you don't make mistakes."

Liang Cheng said: "I take it to heart, and I will definitely bring it up when I have the opportunity."

The two have never met, but have been linked through quantum theory.

Carl Siemens obviously thought of the mistakes made by Livien at the institute at that time.

Kohlrausch said: "The Royal Society of England has awarded Li Yu a foreign academician, and I think the Brits have good vision."

Well, Li Yu couldn't laugh or cry when he received this telegram.

Kurban said: "I first read the paper on extragalactic galaxies, just as rigorous as he was when he discovered Pluto. The paper was so wonderful that I even wanted to go to the observatory to see it."

The Secretary of State has always been an extremely important position in the American political arena, at least ranking fifth or sixth in real power.

"That is to say, it's all true?" Karl Siemens asked.

Li Yu said: "Of course we have to fight for this matter. In addition, the ambassador can also propose that the United States stop demanding Boxer indemnity."

Li Yu said: "This is not a rebellion. Now that the Chinese Exclusion Act in the United States has hindered the dumping of its products, they also want to make up for it in other ways. Besides, does the United States seem to be short of money?"

Liang Cheng said with a wry smile: "The Qing Dynasty is too poor now, how can I have the money to hire any servants."

Like Siemens and others, Planck believed that Germany was the center of science in the world, and he was even more proud of it.

The founder of Siemens, Werner von Siemens, has passed away, and the current head is his younger brother and two sons, of course still named Siemens.

Kohlrausch said: "At present, there is no problem."

Liang Cheng excitedly said: "Little friend Li Yu said it very well! Your suggestion is exactly what I want!"

The two researchers Kurban and Rubens said: "Director, we have seen it a long time ago, and it is indeed in perfect agreement with the test results."

Planck's constant later became one of the three basic physical constants that constitute the universe (the other two are the speed of light and the gravitational constant), and its status is so detached.

Planck was very interested in literature and music when he was young, especially good at playing the piano, but eventually his interest turned to physics.

After staying in the United States for so long, Liang Cheng, the Qing ambassador to the United States, finally got the opportunity to meet with American President Theodore Roosevelt.

Hay received a strict university education, and studied law, which is very useful for politics. He followed Lincoln in his youth and was his personal secretary.He was awarded the rank of colonel during the Civil War, and has been active in politics since then. He is a very mature politician and diplomat. In addition, he also helped the United States obtain the right to dig the Panama Canal.In short, among the secretaries of state in the history of the United States, he is top-notch.

This trick of diplomacy is really very clever and clever, making many people feel that the United States seems to have done a great thing and praised it.

However, Wayne obviously didn't want to continue to delve into Baron Rayleigh's or even Li Yu's thesis, he still wanted to continue to improve his own theory.

Karl Siemens did not understand physics like his brother, and asked again: "Why? I heard that black body radiation is one of the most concerned theories in physics today."

According to the actual situation, when the United States decided to return the Boxer indemnity, the Qing government had already paid more than half of the compensation.

However, the great powers were not willing to lag behind other countries, so they competed to blackmail, and finally concocted a huge amount of Boxer indemnity together.

Since the founder, Werner von Siemens, is very passionate about physics and he is also a physicist, the investment in the Imperial Institute of Physics and Technology is really not small. The first shot was 12.5 US dollars. Of course, the German Parliament later funded a lot .

Liang Cheng originally wanted to open up the educational channels between the two countries. Hearing what Li Yu said, he felt that it was indeed feasible.

He never imagined that the first telegram from the dignified Planck to himself was actually a reminder!Turns out he likes science fiction too!

Wayne really wanted to refute, but couldn't find a good starting point for a while, so he kept silent.

Liang Cheng was originally a child studying in the United States, and he understood the importance of education. If so much money can be spent on education, it will definitely be a good thing for the country and the people.

At the end of the telegram, Planck finally remembered the "business" and added: "If you can come to Germany, you must discuss the deepest mysteries of physics with your husband face to face."

They are all experts in experimentation, so there must be no problem.

Einstein felt a flash of inspiration, and quickly read Li Yu's paper again, feeling more and more enlightened in his heart, so it is!
-

The name "Li Yu" was so familiar to Wayne, he raised his head and asked, "Why did he go to the United States again? What new discoveries?"

This is the core of the study of black body radiation at the end of the [-]th century, and many data, images, and experiments were made here.

It was here that Wien developed his own Wien formula and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1911.

When the Eight-Power Allied Forces discussed the amount of compensation, the United States felt that the number was a bit high, because the current policy of the United States is not in the nature of military expansion, but still hopes to engage in trade.Therefore, out of consideration of their own long-term interests, it is recommended that the amount of compensation be set within a reasonable range, so as to avoid the collapse of China's economy, otherwise everyone will be left behind.

Li Yu said: "Compared to other countries, the United States is the best to fight for. If this matter is completed, it will definitely be a great event for the community."

"Have you read it?" Rubens said, "This Chinese man named Li Yu is really indescribable. He just explained the formula of black body radiation, and he has made so many astronomical moves in the United States."

-

How to say this kind of thing, let’s use an analogy:

Even after World War I, Germany suffered extremely heavy losses, and it was almost wiped out, and the amount of compensation was so large that there was almost no upper limit; it was also rejected by the international scientific community. From 1919 to 1925, 275 of the 165 scientific conferences held The Germans were not invited.

Hay was chatting with several senior officials at this time, and upon seeing Liang Cheng, he said, "Ambassador Liang, please wait a moment, Mr. President will be free soon."

-

Hay seemed to be in a good mood, and chatted: "Master Li Hongzhang from your country came to us in the United States. I remember that he was surrounded by people and had many servants. Why is it different, sir?"

Wayne is still having a headache with many theories and formulas, and he feels a little discouraged when he hears it: If Mach and Ostwald don't have the strength to fight back, I don't know whether I should continue to search for the theory of Planck and Li Yu. loopholes.

"Cut!" Karl Siemens disdainfully said, "Now the center of science should be in our Germany. I will write to Li Yu now, and I can also build a new research institute for him in Germany."

Karl Siemens asked: "Why not agree?"

But Xiao Ming relied on force to make an agreement with you, asking you to pay 1 yuan in compensation.

Li Yu had also received an invitation from Hilbert University of Göttingen before, and he would definitely go to Germany, so he replied: "I will definitely go to Germany to ask the professor face-to-face."

As the first person to open the door to quantum theory, Planck was indeed a bit conservative in his thinking.After all, his previous studies were all classical thermodynamics and electromagnetism.

Rubens held a magazine in his hand. Although it was written in English, in the academic world, no matter what the major is, people generally understand several languages.

Li Yu said: "The United States proposed the Boxer indemnity to make up for its losses in the Boxer Rebellion, but obviously the more than 3000 million taels of silver that the United States asked for far exceeded their actual losses."

It can only be said that the world lost an excellent musician, but gained a pioneering scientific master.

After seeing Li Yu, Liang Cheng said to him: "This meeting is very important. Westerners always value first impressions. We must show our best performance and try to get the United States to agree to recruit our foreign students again."

Liang Cheng was surprised: "Stop Gengzi's compensation?! How is it possible."

Kohlrausch said: "I'm afraid that Mr. Planck will not agree."

Director Kohlrausch said: "Mr. Siemens, the funder of the Institute, said that this problem that has plagued the Institute for many years has been solved. He is very happy and wants to fund this outstanding emerging scientist, but he needs enough correct evidence. Since The test fit perfectly, so I can tell him the truth."

Planck replied: "Must be as soon as possible! I haven't read such an interesting science fiction work for a long time, and the imagination really amazes me! The grand scene is as fascinating as Beethoven's piano music."

Anyway, with the current status of the Qing Dynasty, Liang Cheng sincerely can only wait for other people's free time.

As for the reason, it is up to everyone to judge for themselves.

Hay also said: "Back then, Master Li Hongzhang admired our skyscrapers very much, and hoped to build them in your country."

You may not have heard of this Lord, but you must be familiar with the policy of "opening the door and sharing interests" that he strongly advocated.

Rubens said: "That's why I say it's unbelievable! And look at his recently published article refuting Professor Ostwald, it is also very exciting, the logic of the writing is as natural as the wind in spring, it seems that he has already guessed What others say."

Li Yu received Liang Cheng's telegram and hurried back to Washington from New York.

In short, Li Yu still believes that the only thing to be grateful for is the wisdom and hard work of diplomats like Liang Cheng.

So you still have to transfer the remaining 4000 yuan to the account, and then Xiao Ming hired a lawyer to supervise. The money can only be used to pay your tuition fees and cannot be used for other purposes.

When they came to the White House, they first met John Hay, then Secretary of State of the United States.

Liang Cheng sighed, "I understand, but..."

Kohlrausch explained: "Although this is the case, there are too many opposition voices. Now I have searched the country, but I can't find many supporters of Planck. His theory is too subversive, but the man named Li Yu The derivation given is so perfect that no problem can be found.”

Xiao Ming rushed into your house, smashed and robbed, and you stained Xiao Ming's clothes because of your struggle, and Xiao Ming lost 100 yuan on his clothes.

Even though Liang Cheng had just taken office, he understood that this was an extremely difficult diplomatic event.

Although the returned boxer indemnity did indeed do practical things, building famous schools including Tsinghua University.But the money is still our own.

If it is in later generations, the status of an ambassador to the United States is very high.

Just do what you said, Planck drew up a pen and wrote a telegram to Li Yu:
"Mysterious and great star of eastern science, the paper you wrote surprised me! But what I want to know more now is the book "Star Wars: A New Hope", the evil galactic empire and the mighty Darth Vader. What's next, did Luke Skywalker end up with Princess Leia?"

Liang Cheng naturally knew the strength of the United States, and the United States did not seem to have any colonies. Compared with the European powers, it seemed a little more "harmless to humans and animals".

Before he could decide what to say, Cole Rausch, the director of the research institute, came and said after entering the door, "Have you understood Li Yu's article?"

However, at this moment, Planck did not continue to do research. As a somewhat simple or old-school prudent scientist, he did not get involved in the debate with other opponents. Basically, Li Yu was "talking against the Confucians".

Of course, German science is indeed very strong at this time, there are too many big names, and even Einstein was originally a German nationality.

Liang Cheng said, "There is Mr. Lao Haiyi."

Although Li Yu knew that Liang Cheng would definitely be able to do it in the future, as a party involved, Liang Cheng still had no idea.

Wayne was stunned: "Astronomy! How could he be interested in astronomy while studying such a difficult problem of black body radiation?"

"Very good." Cole Rausch nodded.

But German science continues to advance by leaps and bounds, with great progress being made in several fields.

Later, when you paid 6000 yuan in compensation, ask Xiao Ming to ask for it back.

Many European companies now like to sponsor scientific research projects. Later, the famous Copenhagen School represented by Ball was sponsored by the brewer Carlsberg.

He was over 40 years old when he proposed the quantum hypothesis. He was not a passionate young man, and even if he did not have a high reputation, he was at least a university professor and a member of the Academy of Sciences, so he tried to be prudent in everything he did and could not make mistakes.

"Mr. Planck doesn't seem ready to shout about his outrageous theories," Kohlrausch said.

So Xiao Ming said: I will not refund the 6000 yuan that has been paid to me.I can waive the remaining 4000 yuan, but only in name!You have to transfer the money to an account in the bank called an "education subsidy" account.

He was really excited at this time, and anyone who saw his research results being accepted would be extremely happy.He is also much luckier than Boltzmann's fate. At least in his lifetime, he will be able to see quantum mechanics sweeping all directions and opening up thousands of miles.

Liang Cheng continued to sell miserably: "All the money from the state treasury has been used to pay the indemnity, so how can there be money for construction? The common people are miserable, and their spending power has almost been lost."

Hay opened his mouth, the United States did not want to see this, after all, they still want to sell goods to China, he sighed: "The indemnity paid by the Qing Dynasty to the United States has indeed far exceeded the actual losses suffered by the United States in the Boxer Incident. "

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

Li Yu had already vaccinated Liang Cheng before, and when he said this from the US Secretary of State, Liang Cheng believed in Li Yu's judgment even more.

(End of this chapter)