Shadow of great britain

Please believe that the light of truth behind the dark clouds and dust will eventually shine through and dispel them with a smile. Twenty-seven years ago, I said this to Ohm, and today, I will send it again to my friend Mr. Charles Darwin.

——Arthur Hastings

Dear Dad:

When you see this letter, I have already boarded the carriage to Göttingen. To be honest, I don’t know what the result of this journey will be, let alone whether I can succeed in the academic road of natural philosophy. However, after several years of darkness, I plan to give it a try.

As a natural philosophy researcher, Martin and I do not have a prominent background like other natural philosophy researchers. There is no "von" in our names, and we have never inherited large tracts of land and livestock. But the poverty of the family did not affect your desire to provide Martin and me with a quality education as much as possible.

Because my mother passed away very early, you have to work to support the family during the day and pull us children at night. But even so, you still don't feel troubled by fate. Every day before going to bed, you tell us the science stories you learned by yourself with a smile.

You told us about Newton, Priestley, Euler, Laplace and Herschel. It was from you that I discovered the wonders of natural philosophy. You taught us those annoying mathematical formulas and those magical physical phenomena. When we were older, you felt that you could no longer give us more guidance, so you took half a lifetime of savings and gritted your teeth to send me and Martin to college.

In Erlangen, which locksmith's son would go to college?

Only you, only the two sons of locksmith Joan Ohm, are college students.

Your character and sentiment make all of Erlangen proud, and no one calls you the locksmith in the east of the city anymore. Nowadays, everyone who sees you will introduce you to outsiders: "This is the father of Dr. George Ohm and Dr. Martin Ohm - the respected Mr. Joan Ohm."

In fact, I shouldn't have said these words today. You know, your son is not the kind of hypocritical person.

I wrote this letter to you today just to say sorry to you.

Compared with my younger brother Martin, I, the eldest son, have disappointed you. Both studied at the University of Erlangen, but Martin later studied for a doctorate at the University of Berlin and successfully stayed at the university to become a professor of mathematics. As for me, I am far from being as worry-free as Martin.

When I first entered the University of Erlangen, I was immediately fascinated by the colorful world of the university. I put all my energy on dancing, skating and billiards, and dropped out of school for a while. I still remember your expression when you took me home. It was the first time in my life that I saw such an angry expression on your face.

I lowered my head all the way and dared not look at you directly. After returning home, you bought two bottles of wine, and the two of us sat at the table and drank our respective wines without saying a word. After that, you stood up and sent me to Switzerland. Before I left, you threw my luggage into the carriage and said, "George, you have disappointed me and your dead mother."

I found a job as a mathematics teacher in a primary school in Gottstadt, Switzerland. Seeing the eager eyes of the children in the class, I finally recalled the nights when you told us stories of natural philosophy in my childhood. It was not until then that I regretted it and finally understood what was most important to me.

I longed to return to the university classroom and the ocean of knowledge that was once at my fingertips. I contacted Professor von Langsdorfer of the University of Erlangen, hoping that he would allow me to follow him to Heidelberg University to continue my studies. But von Langsdorfer told me that Heidelberg University might not be willing to recruit a student who dropped out of Erlangen University, so he suggested that I teach while teaching.

Although I was unwilling, I also knew in my heart that Professor von Langsdorfer was right. Because I made a mistake, I must bear the consequences. I stayed in Switzerland for five years. During these five years, I taught during the day and conducted natural philosophy research at night. Only then did I understand your hard work.

Five years later, I returned to the University of Erlangen with my thesis "Light and Color" and was awarded a doctorate with it.

Then, I passed the Bavarian national examination, obtained the government-recognized professorship, and was able to teach mathematics courses at the University of Erlangen for three semesters as a private lecturer.

However, the mistakes I made in my youth still affect me. Perhaps because of my previous bad experience, I have never been able to obtain the official professorship of the University of Erlangen, and therefore I cannot obtain the academic subsidies and salaries granted by the state.

At that time, you knew that my financial situation was very bad, so you took the initiative to offer to support me. However, you also know that you are a strong German man, and your son is the same. I can't accept your support because you have suffered for most of your life, and I can't let your later life become more unhappy because of me.

So, I took the initiative to leave Erlangen and traveled to various German states. First I went to Bamberg, then to Cologne, and finally to Berlin like Martin. However, although we were both in Berlin, Martin taught at the university, while I taught at the middle school.

But even though we teach in different places, Martin and I have the same dream. I want to be like the characters in your story, and I am eager to make my own achievements in the academic field. Temporary suffering cannot knock me down, because I have a strong father like you as a role model.

Although the scientific instruments in the middle school are far from being as complete and good as those in the university, I am the son of the best locksmith in Erlangen. This little obstacle is not difficult for me at all. Whether it is carpentry, lathe or locksmith, I can do everything.

Since the beginning of the 19th century, Volta invented the voltaic pile, Ampere proposed Ampere's law, and Oersted discovered the magnetic effect of electric current. New discoveries in the field of electricity have been made one after another, and countless people have rushed into this hot field.

So, I naturally turned my research focus to electricity. I made a current torsion balance using the magnetic effect of electric current discovered by Oersted, and made a voltaic pile using the materials available at hand, but because the voltage was unstable, I gritted my teeth and bought a newly invented temperature difference battery later.

I worked day and night on experiments, and whenever I had time, I would go to the laboratory to record data. Finally, my hard work paid off. Among the piles of data, a flash of inspiration in my mind allowed me to glimpse the truth given by God to mankind - in the Galvani circuit, the magnitude of the current is proportional to the total voltage!

This huge discovery instantly overwhelmed my mind. I wrote a paper titled "Determination of the Law of Metal Conductivity" overnight and sent it to the "Journal of Chemistry and Physics" the next morning.

Dad, how I wish you were by my side at that time. Because if you were there, you would definitely remind me to stay calm and that natural philosophy researchers must do things with a rigorous attitude.

But I was so happy at that time that I didn't proofread the paper. Every time I get carried away, I always get such a result, and this time is no exception. The formula I sent out was wrong, and the results calculated using this formula were inconsistent with my later experimental results.

I immediately realized the seriousness of the problem and planned to retract the paper I had sent out, but when I rushed to the editorial office of the "Journal of Chemistry and Physics", it was too late. They told me that the new issue of the magazine has been sold.

I thought I would take this opportunity to make a comeback and get rid of the stain of my early years. But my rash and hasty approach made me suffer again. Researchers all over Germany were angry about my behavior. Everyone thought I was sensationalizing and pretending to be an expert.

Overnight, I became the laughing stock of the entire scientific community. Everyone was disdainful of me, an academic fraud who wanted to squeeze into the scientific community. I was full of ridicule, sarcasm, and even bad words. They called me a high school teacher, a locksmith's son, and a professor of paper fraud.

All of this made me feel like I was falling into an ice cave, but it was not because of the harm I suffered personally, but because I felt very sorry for you. I made a mistake and deserved to be punished, but this is not a reason to implicate you. I don't think there is anything shameful about being a locksmith's son. I am proud of being a locksmith's son.

Born in a poor family, but I have achieved achievements that even the noble professors have never achieved. I originally wanted to repay your kindness in this way. However, due to my mistakes, not only did I become a clown in the scientific community, but even you were blamed and became the father of a liar.

I panicked under their attack, but because of the previous lessons, I didn't dare to draw conclusions this time. I spent a year summarizing and organizing the previous experimental results, and carefully verified them, and then launched my academic monograph "Mathematical Calculation of Electric Current".

I thought this book could calm the controversy, but what I didn't expect was that my bad reputation had already been formed, so they didn't even have the mind to read this book carefully. Most people who can understand it don't want to spend time on academic liars, while those who can't understand it follow the trend and accuse me.

Even those experimental physicists who really know the business, perhaps because of my reputation as an "academic liar", they don't believe the concept of resistance I proposed, but think that I am making up some non-existent imaginary products again.

Johann Poggendorff, the editor-in-chief of Protz-Analei, Johann Pfaff of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Gustav Fechner and Ludwig Kamz of Leipzig University, and so on. They all rushed to criticize my conclusions.

They insisted that my conclusions were contrary to the common sense recognized by the physics community. How could the current generated by the battery be related to the potential?

What saddened me most was that even my friend Georg Boll, who received his doctorate at the University of Erlangen in the same year as me, directly criticized my work.

He said: "People who look at the world with a pious eye should not read this book, because it is purely an incredible deception, and its only purpose is to blaspheme the dignity of nature."

These conflicts were so intense that my friendship and cooperation with almost all my German physics colleagues broke down. My research work could not proceed normally, and even my teaching work in school could not proceed normally.

After all, even high schools are reluctant to hire an academic fraud as their teacher.

Therefore, in the year "Electrical Current and Mathematical Calculation" was published, that is, 1827, I voluntarily resigned from my job at the school without informing you in advance, nor Martin and Barbara.

Dad, I have to apologize to you. I swear to God, I have cut off contact with my family. This is not because I don’t love you anymore, but because I don’t want to continue to involve you. I came to a small town in the Bavarian countryside incognito. Although it is not far from Erlangen, I have no shame in going back to see you.

I made a living by working as a tutor there to earn a meager income. Although I still wanted to conduct research, due to financial constraints, the experiment process was not very smooth. I thought that I might only go to the grave as a "Liar Ohm" in this life.

Perhaps it will take many, many years before my theories can be accepted by the world. perhaps……

Sorry, Dad, I'm getting a little emotional as I write this.

I don't know why. Although I am forty years old, I always act like a child and can't control my emotions.

Maybe you don’t know why I’m excited. It’s because a few days ago, just a few days ago, I saw a glimmer of dawn on the endless horizon.

I heard from others that the famous British electromagnetic researcher Sir Arthur Hastings crossed the English Channel and came to Germany. You must have heard of this name, for he was the assistant to Mr. Faraday, the ‘blacksmith’s son’ whom we both loved.

The story of Mr. Faraday was widely circulated in the European scientific community. What a noble man he is! He is so noble that he looks like a character straight out of the Bible.

Although my guess is unreasonable, I wishfully believe that Sir Arthur Hastings, who was deeply influenced by Mr. Faraday, must also be a man of noble character. And unlike German researchers, he does not know the mistakes I have made in the past, so I think he may be able to analyze my academic results from a more objective perspective.

With this unrealistic fantasy in mind, I sent him a copy of my book.

But the delusion could not last long after all, and by the next day, I began to regret it. I thought he might throw my book into the wastebasket and then spit on it. Because even if he didn't know me, those professors at the University of Göttingen would tell him what a notorious figure George Ohm was.

You know, he is the proctor of the University of Göttingen, a big shot!

Therefore, if he says something bad about me, the impact will definitely be much worse than those of German professors.

I lay in bed tossing and turning and couldn't sleep for several days.

Slowly, as time passed, my mood gradually calmed down.

I guessed in my mind that he must have thrown away my book, or that he didn't even look at the book.

Because I guarantee that there must be a lot of researchers like me who want to get his attention. How could he finish reading so many books and monographs?

When I thought of this, I felt a little relieved even though I was disappointed.

For me at that time, one less scolding would bring me countless comforts.

However, when the time came to the second week, on Monday morning, the postman carrying a mail package knocked on the door of my rental house and handed me a letter.

The little postman who was only a teenager made my heart lift into my throat with just one sentence.

"Sir, your letter comes from Göttingen."

I just felt like I was dreaming. I was holding the mail with the personal stamp of Sir Arthur Hastings, and my whole body was shaking.

I was both looking forward to it and afraid. I was looking forward to receiving a positive reply from him, but I was also afraid that the letter would be full of viciousness.

A letter obviously weighs only a few dozen grams, but I feel as if the entire island of Great Britain is pressed into my hands.

I washed my face first and stared at my face in the mirror for a long time. Then I took out the letter opener from the drawer and cut the letter piece by piece.

Trembling, I took out the letter.

However, this letter, which I valued more than life, only contained a few sentences in an understatement.

——Dear Mr. Ohm:

——Your book is very good, but I still have doubts in some parts. If you have time, can you come to Göttingen and have a chat? I enclosed the travel expenses on the back of the letter, which amounted to fifty ducats. With the extra portion, you can eat something good on the road.

——Arthur Hastings

Dad, can you understand how I felt when I saw the check attached to the back of the letter?

I couldn't believe my eyes, I thought for a moment that God was finally paying attention to His suffering child. If not, how could someone like Arthur Hastings, a stranger to me, treat me like this?

Göttingen, this is probably my only chance in this life.

If you can read this, please pray for me in Erlangen, where I will clear my name, not just for you, but for me as well.

George Ohm

July 24, 1833