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

In addition to this dialogue, Collins Publishing House in the UK also wants to invite Li Yu to publish a set of science fiction novels.

Many years later, Collins Publishing House in the United Kingdom merged with Collins Publishing House in the United States, collectively known as Collins Publishing Group, which is a very large publishing house in the English circle.

However, the two publishing houses are not related at all at present. Li Yu has signed a contract with Collins Publishing House in the United States, so he can only leave the publishing rights to the United States.

Moreover, there will be a war in Europe soon, and book sales will be greatly reduced.

Li Yu writes casually when he has time to take a boat or train, etc., and plans to slowly write the "Alien" series in the next few months.

"Alien" is a classic in the science fiction thriller series, especially the later prequel "Prometheus", which has a certain depth.

This kind of science fiction-themed work is more suitable for early publication at this time, because like "Star Wars", it is not hard science fiction. It mainly relies on the ups and downs of the plot to attract people, but it has a science fiction background.

No one in the early 20th century had ever seen this kind of subject matter, and it was bound to be a big hit after it was released.

——Of course some adaptations need to be made.

To a certain extent, the humanities can "learn from" the achievements of later generations, because the development of the humanities is relatively linear. Especially in literature, except for some ideological things, there are not many insurmountable gaps.

Science is different. There is almost no "leap-forward" development. Science is characterized by extreme rigor. It must have a solid foundation to slowly construct the superstructure, layer by layer.

If Li Yu told everyone at this time that there will be supercomputers capable of calculating tens or even hundreds of billions of times per second in the future, and that the secret of human body composition is the double helix structure of DNA, he would definitely be arrested and sent to a mental hospital.

Therefore, in terms of science, we can only publish the content a little in advance, or put forward the corresponding follow-up results after the previous step has been taken. Anyway, we cannot build a castle on the ground.

Li Yu had not published a paper related to astronomy for some time. Frank Watson Dyson, President of the Royal Astronomical Society, and Eddington, the new director of the Cambridge Observatory, invited Li Yu to come to Greenwich again.

Eddington is relatively famous. He is the astronomer who was asked by a reporter, "Are there only three people in the world who really understand the theory of relativity?" and then answered, "Who is the third person?"

This old man has since become a leader in the British astronomy community.

As for Frank Watson Dyson, some people may mistakenly think that he is the one who proposed the "Dyson Sphere". In fact, the two have the same name.

The most famous achievements of the British Dyson and Eddington were through astronomy to verify the conclusion in the general theory of relativity that massive celestial bodies can bend light (space), thus helping Einstein become a god.

It's just that this kind of astronomical observation cannot be done at any time. You have to wait for a total solar eclipse.

Dyson shook hands with Li Yu and said: "I am the new president of the Royal Astronomical Society. The previous president, Mr. Darwin (Darwin's son), once asked you to write a manuscript. Unfortunately, Mr. Darwin has passed away, so this matter fell on me. "

Li Yu said: "It's such a pity. Mr. Darwin is an excellent astronomer."

Dyson said: "We have read the materials. Mr. Darwin discussed the issue of planetary evolution with you more than two years ago. I don't know what progress Mr. Academician has made."

Li Yu said: "I analyzed a lot of data from the Harvard Observatory and sorted out the spectra. Now I can make certain assumptions about the composition of the Martian atmosphere."

Eddington said: "This is already a very exciting result. What conclusion did Mr. Academician draw?"

"Let me tell you something that everyone is more concerned about first, but you may be disappointed," Li Yu said. "The content of oxygen and water vapor in the atmosphere of Mars will not exceed one thousandth of that of the Earth."

Eddington said: "So, there is no possibility of human survival on Mars?"

Li Yu said: "It is impossible for life to exist, let alone advanced life like humans."

Dyson said: "Your research results destroyed countless people's illusions almost instantly."

Li Yu said with a smile: "Science is about objective facts. What is true is what it is."

Eddington asked again: "So what is the composition of the Martian atmosphere?"

Li Yu said: "The atmosphere of Mars is very thin, with a density less than 1% of the Earth's atmosphere, and the surface atmospheric pressure is only about Pa; its components are mainly carbon dioxide and nitrogen."

"Nitrogen?" Dyson felt like he saw a glimmer of hope again, "At least it's a little bit similar to the Earth."

Li Yu said: "But it is absolutely impossible to find life forms on Mars. The environment there is unimaginably harsh. There is no oxygen, no water, a huge temperature difference between day and night, and no possibility of growing crops. Transforming Mars would be worse than It is more practical to think of ways to transform the vast deserts on the earth."

Eddington wondered: "Does anyone really want to terraform Mars?"

Dyson spread his hands: "Someone will believe it."

Eddington asked again: "What about the other planets?"

Li Yu said: "Through spectroscopy and astrophysics, I have revised the results of predecessors and found that the surfaces of Jupiter and Saturn are not thick ice shells, but gaseous planets."

Dyson said: "Another amazing conclusion! But if Jupiter and Saturn were gaseous, how could they maintain such beautiful spherical shapes in observations?"

Li Yu said: "It's very simple, because of gravity."

Eddington asked: "Is there really no rock surface?"

Li Yu said categorically: "No."

Eddington thought deeply for a while and said: "It is indeed a very great astronomical achievement. Before, it was difficult for me to imagine that a planet could be in a gaseous state."

At this time, astronomy was still stuck in the research model of Galileo, Newton and others, which relied on observation and mathematical calculations.

Astronomers must have good eyesight and must be very good at mathematics. We don’t need to mention Newton’s mathematics level. If anyone were to judge the world’s top four mathematicians, Newton would definitely be on the list. Galileo was also very good at mathematics, and Kepler was also very good.

Because mathematics is not good, it is impossible to calculate the orbit data of the planet.

The Eddington in front of him has been engaged in mathematics since the beginning. He has an excellent foundation in mathematics and can even be called a Cambridge mathematics genius.

When Eddington first entered Cambridge, he took a long-standing Cambridge mathematics examination. Rumor has it that because students in the early days had to sit on a three-legged stool to answer questions during the exam, the exam was also called the "mathematical three-legged stool." It has always been famous for its difficult questions and high intensity (the exam lasted for multiple days, 6-8 hours a day).

The student who wins first place will be awarded the title of "Senior Wrangler" and is hailed as the smartest person in the UK. Some of the winners' hometowns will organize their fellow villagers to take to the streets to celebrate.

Many of the top students in the "Mathematics Three-legged Stool" exam over the years have become famous scientists.

Eddington came first in the exam, becoming the first person in the exam's history to earn the title of "Senior Wrangler" just two years after enrolling. However, he had already studied for four years as an undergraduate before entering Cambridge University, and was more experienced in mathematics than a Cambridge undergraduate.

Even so, being able to achieve this achievement at Cambridge University, where there are many masters, is enough to prove his extraordinary mathematical ability.

Relying on his mathematical talent, Eddington quickly distinguished himself in the field of astronomy, and participated in a total solar eclipse photography, which played a big role in his future verification of the theory of relativity.

But it will be almost ten years before astronomy will enter a new stage: astrophysics.

Physics naturally cannot be separated from mathematics, but the research ideas have changed greatly. A typical example is that after the development of spectral analysis and atomic physics, people have figured out the laws of stellar evolution through physics. Li Yu studied astrophysics, of course, and was an era ahead of current astronomers.

Li Yu went back and compiled these contents into two papers and submitted them to the Royal Astronomical Society. As Li Yu, there was no need for any mentor to sign. The magazine was eager for Li Yu to contribute.

It turns out that this kind of paper attracts more attention.

Everyone pays special attention to the few planets around us, and the academic community is also very emotional: Three hundred years have passed since Galileo invented the telescope, and even the few planets around us have not been studied clearly, let alone more distant galaxies.

After the article that Jupiter was a gaseous planet was published, many astronomers began to speculate on its formation, and some even thought that it was a failed star.

After seeing Li Yu's article, France immediately invited him to give a lecture and sent invitation letters through Marie Curie and Lang Zhiwan.

Their face must be given.

France happened to be very close. We took a ship across the English Channel and then along the Seine River to Paris.

It's just that this time Li Yu didn't have a translator, so he had to find Cai Yuanpei, who had just arrived in France, for help.

"As expected, Shucai came to Europe," Cai Yuanpei said. "It's really a joy to meet an old friend in a foreign country!"

Li Yu went to a small restaurant with him and asked, "Brother Jiemin, do you know any Chinese who speak French well?"

Cai Yuanpei asked doubtfully: "Is it possible that Shucai's French is not up to par?"

Li Yu said bitterly: "I can't learn French."

Cai Yuanpei said: "There are a group of students in the Work-Study Society in France, but they are also currently tutoring French... By the way! I thought of a student with extremely high language talent. He happens to have nothing to do and can help a group of talented brothers."

Li Yu asked: "Who?"

Cai Yuanpei said: "This man's name is Chen Yinke, whose courtesy name is Heshou, and he is from Jiangxi. It is said that he knows more than ten languages ​​and is a 'walking dictionary'."

"So he is in France?" Li Yu said, "I never knew about it before."

Cai Yuanpei asked: "Do you recognize this gentleman?"

Li Yu could only say: "I heard something."

In the afternoon, Cai Yuanpei found Chen Yinke, who was only in his 20s.

Although Chen Yinke is young, he has been studying abroad for many years. He has been traveling in various countries all year round since he was twelve years old.

As one of the four giants of Tsinghua University in the future, Chen Yinke is still accumulating a lot, and it will take more than ten years to accumulate before he can make a debut.

Chen Yinke was not yet famous, but he was very respectful after meeting Li Yu, who was already famous all over the world: "Mr. Academician, it is a great honor to serve you."

"I'm honored too," Li Yu said with a smile, "Besides, I'm curious, how can you learn so many languages ​​so easily?"

Chen Yinke said: "I don't know how I learned it. It's as if these words ran into my mind by themselves and I learned it unconsciously."

Well, asking is equivalent to asking in vain.

Just like Ramanujan said that his mathematical formulas were told to him by the goddess.

Li Yu asked again: "Which school in Europe are you studying at?"

Chen Yinke said: "I was at the University of Berlin in Germany, then went to the University of Zurich in Switzerland, and now I am studying at the Ecole Supérieure d'Etudes Politiques in Paris, France."

Li Yu said: "Why did you go to so many schools? Drop out of school and leave?"

Chen Yinke said: "After learning what I want to learn, there is no need to stay."

No wonder Chen Yinke has never had any academic qualifications and is simply a "real study tour".

Li Yu asked again: "Which scholar is following France now?"

Chen Yinke said: "This man is called Pelliot, and he is the first sinologist in France and even Europe."

Pelliot was the Dunhuang cultural relic thief in history.

Li Yu had met Pelliot and Kozlov in France before.

Because of Li Yu's intervention, Pelliot was not able to go to Dunhuang and steal a large number of precious cultural relics as in history. His achievements in Sinology alone were not particularly surprising. At most, he was a normal professor.

However, this guy is really talented in languages ​​and knows many languages. It is easy for Chen Yinke to learn from him.

Chen Yinke's principle in learning foreign things is to directly learn their language and then read it for himself.

This ability to read first-hand information was even more precious in the early 20th century. After all, there were not many translators, and no one could translate academic monographs for you.

In the following ten years, Chen Yinke learned many languages ​​and became rich. After arriving at Tsinghua University, even Liang Qichao paid high respect to this junior.

Li Yu said: "I will entrust you with the trip in France these days."

Chen Yinke patted his chest and said, "It doesn't matter which country you meet."

Li Yu wanted to learn French more than once before, but he really didn't have the energy and it was troublesome to learn French, so he had to give up in the end.

Li Yu first went to the French Academy of Sciences to give a lecture and discussion on a planetary paper that had just been published.

Although the speech can be in English again, this is the French Academy of Sciences after all, not the University of Paris. The university has a somewhat liberal atmosphere, but that is not the case at the Academy of Sciences.

The French have always been very arrogant about their own language. They think that compared to English, French is like a nobleman and a country farmer. How can English be allowed to be spoken in formal occasions? It is better to speak Chinese directly to show personality.

Chen Yinke was very helpful and it only took a short time to learn the additional terminology needed.

In his speech, Li Yu continued to elaborate on some "conjectures" about Jupiter's most prominent feature, the Great Red Spot. Of course, Li Yu knew what it was, but at this time he could only use the word "conjecture."

The attendees were all shocked when they heard that this was most likely a terrible storm cyclone that was big enough to fit two or three Earths into it.

It is a pity that the existing means cannot conduct in-depth research.

It is estimated that it will generate some creative inspiration for some literary and artistic workers.