Shadow of great britain

"The opinion of this Committee is beyond doubt that Mr. Faraday's salary, which is £100 per annum, plus a supply of house, coal and candles, must not be reduced. This is because Mr. Faraday not only successfully fulfilled the varied tasks assigned to him by the Society, but also And the enthusiasm and talent displayed in the process of completing the task are even more touching.

Since the discovery of electromagnetic induction, he has been working like crazy in the laboratory. He tried his best to refuse and decline anything that had nothing to do with the experiment. We can't even remember the last time Mr. Faraday went to a friend's house for dinner. We even invited him to the theater, but he didn't go.

Although this may seem a little unkind to his friends, from the perspective of academic research, his experimental diaries are getting thicker and thicker, and "Experimental Research on Electricity" has been published one after another. We believe that in terms of scientific research, we can no longer demand more from Mr. Faraday.

Therefore, the academic committee believes that Mr. Faraday not only should not have a salary reduction, but should instead receive a salary increase. However, due to the long-term poor financial situation of the Royal Society, it is difficult to implement the recommendations of this committee, and we can only express regret..."

Michael Faraday sat in the lecture hall of the Royal Society and listened quietly to the committee's meeting report on how to cut expenses.

Although he was told that he would not get a salary increase, Faraday was not surprised at all. As the laboratory director of the Royal Society, no one knew better than him how tight experimental funding was.

Although the Royal Society often receives enthusiastic donations from all walks of life and holds regular scientific lectures to raise funds, this amount of money is still too little for the endless list of experiments.

The list of experiments includes not only the theoretical conjectures he wants to verify, but also many difficult problems sent by people from all walks of life.

Every morning when the Royal Society opens its doors, you can see industrialists everywhere on Alma Street asking him to do chemical analyses, engineers and technicians asking him to help solve technical problems, and amateur inventors reporting new inventions to him. Amateur scientists discussing issues.

The table in the laboratory is filled with various drawings waiting for his review and new products that require his help to analyze. Sometimes you can even see some ridiculous latest developments in the fields of alchemy and perpetual motion.

Faraday had no choice but to tell the concierge of the Royal Society that there were no visitors for three days a week, and all visitors would be blocked. If those visitors asked why, they said that Mr. Faraday was on official business and could not be visited.

Faraday's so-called business trip was actually an experiment, but it was the experiment he wanted to do.

Yes, since the discovery of electromagnetic induction, Faraday's interest has completely become electromagnetism, so much so that he has somewhat forgotten that he is a chemist.

More than 20 years ago, when Faraday traveled to Europe with his mentor Sir Humphrey Davy, he witnessed an experiment conducted by the Italian scientist Moricini. Moricini placed a steel needle under a large convex lens. , the lens is pointed at the sun, and the sunlight is concentrated on the steel needle. He wants to use the sunlight to magnetize the steel needle.

Although the experiment ultimately failed, Moricini's idea that light and magnetism are related left a deep impression on Faraday.

Therefore, when he discovered the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction, he came up with the idea of ​​​​looking for a universal connection between magnetism and light.

Since Thomas Young, an optical researcher of the Royal Society, used interference experiments to prove that light is a wave in 1801, French scholars Marius, Fresnel, Arago and others have successively used experiments to prove that light is a transverse wave. This made the 'light wave theory' completely overwhelm the 'light particle theory' proposed by Sir Isaac Newton.

Waves are the propagation of vibrations. To have waves, there must be a substance that can vibrate and act as a medium to propagate this vibration. Sound waves use air as the medium, and water waves use water as the medium. So what is the medium of light waves?

In order to explain the principle that the sun's light waves can travel through vacuum and reach the earth, these optical researchers hypothesized that there is a so-called "ether" substance in the vacuum, and the light waves rely on "ether" to propagate.

Although most researchers accept the view that light propagates through 'ether', in Faraday's view, if we follow the claims of those optical researchers, then the 'ether' of light must have no mass, no frictional resistance, and must not affect the planets. It does not affect the movement of molecules and atoms.

In this case, the ether must be an extremely thin gas. However, light is a transverse wave, and transverse waves cannot propagate in gases and liquids. Only solids can propagate, so the ether must have the properties of a solid.

Ether is both an extremely thin gas and has the properties of a solid. This is a contradictory statement.

Such thoughts increasingly made Faraday think that the propagation of light may not be due to the ether.

Faraday believed that the so-called vacuum is a field. The field is filled with electric lines, magnetic lines, and gravitational lines. Can't these lines of force vibrate? Can't they propagate waves? Why must there be ether?

He firmly believed that the fluctuations of light must be universally related to electromagnetism.

However, although Faraday's speculation is quite reasonable.

But unfortunately, he has not yet made a major breakthrough in opto-magnetics. Last year alone, he caused five major failures in this opto-magnetic experiment.

However, Faraday was not discouraged, and not only was he not discouraged, he even shared his insights with the bright young police officer from Scotland Yard, hoping that this young electrical researcher would occasionally shine. Can provide him with some inspiration.

After Mr. Arthur Hastings listened to Faraday's idea, he said nothing more except smoking a cigarette. It wasn't that he didn't want to give Faraday some inspiration, but that he really didn't know if there was any connection between light and magnetism.

Although he had heard of ether and so on, his understanding of ether was limited to a short popular science video of five to ten minutes.

Although Arthur didn't want to admit it, in the face of the bloody facts, he still had to admit that being born two hundred years later doesn't mean you are smart.

However, although he could not help Faraday with experiments, Arthur was still happy to be a generous scientific sponsor. Moreover, he has indeed made initial achievements in sponsoring scientific researchers.

How could Mr. Charles Whetstone, the current leader in the field of acoustics in Britain, call him ‘Asshole’ if it weren’t for their close relationship?

After listening to the report of the academic committee, Faraday suddenly raised his hands and stood up and said: "Dear members, if the current economic situation of the Royal Society is really difficult, I think my salary can be reduced by 30%. I just got the salary last year. I don’t care about the scientific pension generously distributed by the cabinet, but the salary of laboratory apprentices is not high, and it would be too much to cut it.”

When the academic committee member heard this, he just smiled and motioned for Faraday to sit down.

"Michael, everyone knows your character. When the University of London was first established, they offered you a high salary and asked you to be their professor of chemistry, but you refused. Because they asked you to be a full-time professor, and you I would rather focus on experiments.

Previously, the Optical Glass Improvement Committee of the Royal Society recommended that you make the largest piece of optical glass and suggested that you teach the manufacturing technology so that your optical glass can be sold and obtain considerable commercial benefits, but you also refused. Because you feel that these technical aspects of work are not conducive to advancing the overall progress of science.

Since the advent of the electromagnetic induction experiment, your reputation has grown, more and more business people have come to you, and your remuneration has become higher and higher. If you take these jobs, it is easy to make a profit of 1,000 pounds a year, but after you make a few orders, you will decide to close them all. Because these matters divert too much of your energy, leaving you unable to delve deeper.

Michael, you are a true natural philosopher who gave up money to explore the deepest inner nature of nature. You get the joy created by the experiment, which is a reward worth countless times higher than money.

However, although you don't care about money, and the Royal Society has no ability to make you rich, we must at least let you get a basic dignity. This is our respect for you, Michael, and you should not refuse. "

Faraday heard the words and said with a smile: "I have already felt everyone's respect. I have been at the Royal Society for twenty years and I feel this all the time. I have food and accommodation here, and I also enjoy everyone's respect. This is Isn’t life still decent?”

"Of course you have decency, and I very much envy your decency. If there is one thing in common among Britain's divided and divided people, it is that they all respect the name Michael Faraday."

As soon as Faraday finished speaking, he saw a gentleman wearing a top hat and a tuxedo walk up to the reporting table. The smiling young man took off his hat and bowed slightly to Faraday: "I haven't come to greet you for a long time. This afternoon "Okay, Mr. Faraday."

"Arthur?"

When Faraday saw this familiar face, he always felt like he was in another world.

Perhaps he had locked himself in the laboratory for too long. For more than half a year, Faraday always felt that the last time he saw Arthur was yesterday.

Faraday laughed dumbly and said: "Arthur, have you recently submitted an application to join the Royal Society? I didn't know you had become my new colleague."

Arthur smiled and replied: "Of course I hope to be in the same row as you, but in my personal opinion, in terms of my contribution to the entire academic world, I am not yet qualified to join the Royal Society. Because many more than My more illustrious people are lining up behind me, but I am grateful for your blessing, after all, I do sincerely hope that one day I will join the Royal Society.”

Hearing this, Faraday joked: "Then you will have to come to the laboratory more in the future. I am not saying that the technical research you did with Mr. Wheatstone is not good, but if you want to join the Royal Society, what we value more is the theoretical field. progress."

Arthur smiled and responded: "There will be a day, but we have to solve the current problem first, right?"

Faraday said in astonishment: "What problem are you talking about? Have you found a universal connection between light and magnetism?"

Arthur shook his head slightly and said: "This kind of problem is too difficult for me. I'll leave it to you to solve. As a not-so-smart person, I like to solve simple and direct problems."

Having said this, Arthur took out a stack of stock certificates from his arms and placed them on the committee's table.

"Gentlemen, have you heard that Mr. Isambard Brunel was recently appointed by Parliament as chief engineer to start construction of the Great Western Railway? In fact, by chance, I happened to buy some shares in their company. Here It's ten share certificates of Brunel Road and Bridge Construction Company. This note should have fetched 1,600 pounds on the London Stock Exchange. You can choose to sell it or take the dividends."

The committee members looked at each other, and then turned to Arthur: "What do you mean?"

Arthur took off his white gloves and replied with a smile: "I heard that the Royal Society accepts private sponsorship of scientific lectures from the society, so I plan to sponsor a lecture on electromagnetism and electrochemistry. When I was still poor, it was through the Royal Society I hold various lectures to learn about various scientific developments. Now that I have the ability, I naturally want to support the Royal Society in continuing to hold lectures to benefit the public. I wonder if you, gentlemen, can accept my impertinent request?”

When the academic committee members heard this, they stood up one after another. The chairman of the committee even held Arthur's hand directly. The smile on his face almost overflowed: "Sir, we have no reason to reject you at all. If you agree, , the Hastings Lecture can be held from tomorrow. Alas, I am ashamed to say that we called you here today. We originally wanted you to help us carry this year's Copley Medal to Paris. This is already troublesome enough. It’s yours, I didn’t expect that before I even said my words of thanks, I would spend money again.”

After finishing speaking, the chairman of the committee also proposed to the members: "I propose that Sir Arthur Hastings should be granted membership of the Royal Society immediately. There should be no objection to this."

The committee members applauded: "Of course not. The knighthood granted to Hastings is completely deserved."

The chairman of the committee turned his head with a smile. He originally thought that Arthur would accept the honor naturally, just like many big shots had done.

But unexpectedly, Arthur raised his hand to stop him: "Sir, membership of the Royal Society is of course a high honor, but I don't want to enter in this form, and the current time is not suitable."

The chairman of the academic committee is also a man. He immediately understood what the other committee members meant before they could react.

The chairman asked softly: "You mean Fleet Street?"

Arthur nodded and joked: "Reporters' noses are like magnetic induction, and they can run much faster than the speed of electricity."

Upon hearing this, the chairman immediately expressed his position: "In that case, let's discuss the issue of membership status after you come back from Hanover."

As soon as the chairman finished speaking, Faraday became interested again.

But it was clear that his focus was not on the reporters, but on Arthur's going to Paris.

Faraday asked: "So, the Royal Society plans to entrust Arthur to take this year's Copley Medal to Paris and hand it over to Mr. Simone-Deny Poisson of the French Academy of Sciences?"

The chairman nodded and said: "Yes, we feel that Mr. Poisson's "Research Report on the Equilibrium and General Equations of Motion of Elastic Solids and Fluids" is definitely worthy of the honor of the Copley Medal. This research report can be said to have started the study of viscous fluids. 's new world."

Faraday sighed slightly after hearing this: "If I remember correctly, Mr. Poisson should be working for the French Academy of Sciences, a subsidiary of the French Institute, right?"

The chairman nodded and said: "Yes, Michael, do you have anything to ask him about?"

Faraday smiled and shook his head and said: "I don't have anything to do with Mr. Poisson, but I have a few experimental reports that I want to give to Mr. Andre-Marie Ampère, who also works at the French Academy of Sciences. I hope This can provide some slight inspiration for his research, and I also hope that he can give me some suggestions for my research. By the way, you can also visit Mr. Augustin Louis Cauchy, who specializes in fluid mechanics and mathematics. Both have made great achievements. I have some questions about studying the propagation of liquid surface waves that I would like to ask him..."

As soon as he said this, Faraday seemed to suddenly remember something. He hurriedly said: "Arthur, when will you set off? I will go back and write a letter now. If you still have something to do, you can go and do it first." Yes, I will send someone to deliver the letter to your home before evening."

After saying this, Faraday ran out of the lecture hall in a panic, and he didn't know where the personable gentleman he usually was was thrown away.

Seeing this, the chairman of the committee had no choice but to stand there and apologize to the sponsor for Faraday: "Sir, I am extremely sorry, but you also know that Michael is such a person."

When Arthur heard this, he just stood there with his crutches: "I don't blame Mr. Faraday. After all, it's not the first day I've known him. I know his character. But...if I had known earlier that you wanted me to go To meet Poisson, Ampère and Cauchy, I might not come to the Royal Society today."

The committee members were stunned for a while and asked: "Why?"

Arthur lit the match and took a puff of cigarette silently: "I don't know. Anyway, every time I see these names together, nothing good happens. Of course, I don't mean to disrespect these gentlemen. , they are all very accomplished researchers in natural philosophy, but I often dream that I am taking exams, and these gentlemen are standing next to me and taking money from my pocket. Now that I think about it, it turns out that I sponsor scientific research. His behavior is quite traditional.”