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

After returning from Krupp, Einstein handed Li Yu an envelope: "Professor Hilbert in Göttingen is going to hold a meeting in a few days, and the content is about physics."

Li Yu wondered: "Professor Hilbert? Physics?"

Einstein said: "In the past two years, Professor Hilbert suddenly became very interested in physics for some reason, and held a week-long conference on physics every year. I was originally going to go, but now I can't get away. "

"It's interesting. I would like to know how good Mr. Hilbert's physics level is." Li Yu wanted to see Hilbert again anyway.

Einstein smiled and said: "Maybe it's just a conventional level. Physics can't be understood in just a few years! I think Professor Hilbert is just bored and wants to change directions temporarily. He must think physics is simpler than mathematics. But as long as you learn it, you will understand that it is not what he thought."

Li Yu collected the envelope and said, "I'll go and feel it."

-

Since he was in no hurry and went to Göttingen immediately, Li Yu planned to visit Rathenau to solicit funds and projects.

Before his assassination in 1922, the Jew Rathenau had always held a high position of power, especially in Germany's industrial and energy fields.

It was this old man who pushed anti-Semitism in Germany to its peak.

Because after the end of World War I, Germany did not admit that it had lost at all. After all, the war did not burn on its own land, and many people did not feel the horror of the war.

Since they "did not lose", they signed such an armistice treaty that was so humiliating and humiliating to the country. Naturally, the Germans could not accept it.

At that time, Rathenau was Germany's Minister of Reconstruction and Minister of Foreign Affairs. In the eyes of the people, this Jewish plutocrat, who drove a Mercedes-Benz and lived in a mansion, mercilessly agreed to all the Allied Powers' demands for compensation, causing the Germans to lose all their colonies and 75% of their iron ore, and the currency devalued crazily.

While the German people were suffering from hunger and cold due to the Allied blockade, the Jews who controlled the financial industry took advantage of the currency depreciation to repay debts, accumulating wealth and living extremely luxuriously.

The huge contrast stimulated the rise of extreme right-wing forces, and then brewed the next world war.

It is obviously impossible for the current Rathenau to realize the seriousness of the problem.

Li Yu knocked on the door of Rathenau's office and saw someone else there when he entered.

Rathenau said: "It turns out to be Mr. Li Yu."

Li Yu said: "I hope I didn't disturb your work."

"No delay," said Rathenau, and then introduced, "This is Herr Bergius, professor of chemistry at the University of Hannover."

Bergius later won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Li Yu shook hands with him and said, "Nice to meet you."

Bergius had long heard of Li Yu's name: "Mr. Academician is a bright star in today's academic world."

Rathenau asked them both to sit down, and then said: "Mr. Li Yu came just in time. Mr. Bergius was talking to me about a story that sounded very much like the Midas touch."

"It's not the Midas touch, it's real chemistry," Bergius said.

Rathenau said: "If your method can really convert coal into gasoline, I will definitely arrange enough resources for you to use."

Bergius pointed to the documents on the table: "I have confirmed through experiments that by first mixing coal and crude oil into a paste, and then hydrogenating it with the help of a catalyst at 180 atmospheric pressure, one ton of bituminous coal can produce approximately Gallons of motor gasoline.”

Rathenau asked: "Mr. Li Yu, is this true?"

Li Yu nodded: "Technically speaking, there is indeed no problem."

Rathenau said: "Germany is a country short of oil. If we can use technology to break this deadlock, Mr. Bergius, you will become an unparalleled hero."

Bergius vowed: "I will continue to strengthen the research and development of refining technology to expand the production limit of this technology."

Their thinking is obviously still too optimistic.

Germany had been engaged in the process of coalizing petroleum during World War I and World War II, and had produced millions of tons of gasoline, but this amount was still insignificant compared to direct mining, and the key costs were too high.

Otherwise, Mustache would not have launched a crazy war against the Soviet Union during World War II, risking his life to get the Soviet Union's Baku oil field in the Caucasus.

But oil is valuable to everyone. Mustache wanted to take away the Baku oil field from the Soviet Union by harvesting bear bile alive, but he overestimated himself.

The failure of the Battle of Stalingrad made Mustache completely lose interest in the Baku oil field. Until the end of the war, he could not get a ton of oil from there.

In short, Germany has reason to pay attention to coal-to-oil technology.

After Bergius left, Li Yu took out his carefully prepared second-round loan plan and introduced the radio factory plan, engine factory plan, new pharmaceutical factory plan and other projects with added details.

The most important thing is that a very generous interest plan is listed. Li Yu is willing to accept 7 points, such an unprecedented high interest rate.

Rathenau was a Jew and very shrewd. In his heart, money was the highest priority. Li Yu's property in the United States had soared to nearly 100 million US dollars, which was completely guaranteed.

After reading the contract plan, Rathenau felt that there was no trap, so he agreed: "It will take me three to four months to raise this loan of 3000 million marks."

Of course I can afford to wait three or four months. Li Yu said, "Thank you, Minister."

Rathenau said: "We still have a concession in Qingdao. If we take the opportunity to slowly increase investment in the Far East, I don't think the emperor will object."

Thinking that the Japanese would be more difficult to deal with in the future, Li Yu was not in a good mood. He said casually: "Capital expansion is what the minister should pay most attention to. As long as you have capital, anything can be said."

Rathenau smiled and said: "Mr. Academician actually understands economics. You are so right! Money is the essence of the world!"

Li Yu said: "It is indeed important, but there is something more important."

Rathenau said: "It doesn't matter what country or land, as long as we have money, we Jews can still live a happy life. Although some people hate us, so what?"

Li Yu could only smile awkwardly and remain noncommittal.

-

Rathenau obviously had to go through the formalities for such a large sum of money. During this period, Li Yu could safely go to the top university in academic circles - the University of Göttingen.

"Professor Hilbert!" Li Yu immediately greeted him after seeing him.

Hilbert said: "Mr. Li Yu, it's great that you can come!"

Li Yu said: "This time I brought you a gift specially."

Hilbert saw the bicycle Li Yu was riding: "Is that it?"

Li Yu said: "When I came here before, I found that Göttingen seemed to like bicycles, so I bought one for you."

Hilbert said happily: "I really like it!"

The two immediately walked to the campus side by side. Li Yu asked: "Professor, I still can't understand why you are suddenly interested in physics? You know, you are the best mathematician in the world now, so suddenly learning physics feels a bit..."

"A bit unprofessional?" Hilbert laughed.

"Excuse me for being presumptuous." Li Yu said.

Since Poincaré's death last year, there has been little doubt who the greatest living mathematician is.

Hilbert, as a leader in mathematics subjects, suddenly took up physics.

Hilbert said: "Someone once asked me why I didn't prove Fermat's last theorem. This is my answer: Why kill a goose that lays golden eggs?"

Only then did Li Yu know that these words came from Hilbert's mouth.

Hilbert continued: "As for why I study physics...do you want to hear the truth?"

Li Yu said: "Of course."

Hilbert said: "I know that although you have a wide range of interests, you are still a physicist at heart. I hope what I say will not shock you."

Li Yu smiled and said, "Please speak."

Hilbert said: "In the past ten years or so, physics has obviously made very brilliant achievements, with the birth of two new theories, the theory of relativity and quantum theory. But as a mathematician, I feel that in the victory of physicists There’s still some kind of order missing.”

Li Yu said: "I would like to hear the details."

Hilbert said: "In theoretical physics, we often encounter many unproven principles and various propositions and conclusions derived from these principles. Whenever this happens, we mathematicians always feel very uncomfortable and are forced to Let us study and determine whether these different principles are compatible and what is the relationship between them."

"I understand," Li Yu said, "you feel that physics lacks a rigorous mathematical foundation."

Hilbert said: "I have read many of your articles, and they are quite good in mathematics. There are also some physicists who are also good in mathematics, but this is not a widespread phenomenon after all."

Li Yu's mind suddenly flashed: "I remembered that one of the twenty-three questions you raised at the beginning of the century seemed to be about the axiomization of physics."

The sixth of the famous Hilbert's 23 problems is "the axiomatization of physics that plays an important role in mathematics."

It seems that Hilbert has been paying attention to physics for a long time.

Hilbert said: "I think that certain basic physical phenomena should be selected as axioms. Starting from these axioms, through rigorous mathematical deduction, all observational facts can be deduced smoothly and satisfactorily. Just like Euclidean From his axioms Gelide derived the same theorems of all geometry. But the realization of this project required a mathematician."

As a time traveler, Li Yu actually knows that this is a difficult question to answer because it is too big.

After all, physics is different from mathematics. Whether the entire physics needs to be axiomatic is still a question worth exploring.

Of course, it has long been a consensus that physics needs to be as rigorous as mathematics. Especially as the research continues to deepen, the reliance on mathematics will become more and more obvious.

Li Yu could only say: "Physics does need mathematics as its wings."

Hilbert suddenly said the very famous words: "Physics is still too difficult for physicists."

Li Yu was a little stunned, but after hearing these words, it was Einstein who was even more stunned.

Because although Hilbert is not that talented among talented mathematicians, his achievements are not low, just like Guo Jing (it seems that the metaphor is not appropriate, Guo Jing is indeed a bit too stupid... but he has become peerless after all) A master).

Hilbert worked steadily, he was really good at physics, and he almost rewrote history.

A year and a half later, Hilbert began to study general relativity and derived the most important field equations of general relativity almost at the same time as Einstein.

But Einstein's achievements in the physical foundation of relativity are obviously greater, so everyone still accepts that Einstein completed the general theory of relativity.

However, Hilbert who broke out halfway still shocked Einstein into a cold sweat, prompting him to speed up his research on general relativity.

Li Yu asked: "How did Professor Hilbert learn physics?"

Hilbert said: "I don't think a scientist can expect to get all the information he needs just by reading the scientific literature. The best way is to listen to the teachings of good physicists and meet regularly with leading physicists."

"So, you still have a physics teacher?" Li Yu asked in surprise.

"Yes," Hilbert said, "I hired one of Professor Sommerfeld's students, but he is only willing to be my assistant."

Li Yu thought to himself: Even if Sommerfeld came, I wouldn't dare to be your teacher.

Before World War I, German universities attached great importance to physics professors. According to university practice, each physics professor could set up his own research institute. The institute can have its own faculty, lecturers, teaching assistants and students. The largest and best-equipped institute at the University of Munich belongs to Roentgen, while Sommerfeld's is the smallest.

But this does not mean that Sommerfeld is not taken seriously, mainly because he is a theoretical physicist.

——In other words, currently universities still pay more attention to experimental physicists.

But Hilbert, as a professional mathematician, obviously could only enter theoretical physics.

Li Yu soon met the student sent by Sommerfeld, his name was Elward.

When Ehrwald first came to Göttingen, people really welcomed him as "Hilbert's physics teacher".

Li Yu greeted him and asked in a low voice: "How does it feel to teach physics to Professor Hilbert?"

Elward said bitterly: "How can I put this... When I first came to Göttingen, he himself directly assigned many physics topics, and the teaching plan was also assigned by him."

Li Yu smiled and said: "It's really a magical relationship between teacher and student."

Ehrwad continued: "Professor Hilbert also said, 'We have transformed mathematics, the next step is to transform physics, and the next step is chemistry.' In his view, chemistry is like cooking in a girls' high school. course."

Li Yu said: "Chemists must not hear such words."

"As for his performance as a 'student,' he was not an easy student to teach sometimes," Ehrwad said.

Li Yu said: "Why?"

Without waiting for Elvard to answer, Hilbert suddenly said: "Mr. Li Yu, today's physics course will be yours!"

Elvard was overjoyed: "Academician Li Yu, you can experience it for yourself!"

Li Yu was a little confused.

Ehrwad continued: "Mr. Academician, don't worry, Mr. Bohr already taught Professor Hilbert a few weeks ago."

Well, now he really pulls someone in who studies physics to give him a lesson.