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回覆: 認識歷史學習英語
E = mc2
In 1930, Albert Einstein arrived in Hollywod. Charlie Chaplin invited him to dinner. Can you imagine being present at this dinner? I would love to have talked to Chaplin. But I would love a lot more to have talked to Einstein. Einstein is the genius of geniuses. As a schoolboy, I was riveted by his theories of relativity. I didn't understand them. But I was riveted. So much so that I applied to read theoretical physics at university. I wanted to learn, understand and know more. It was all because of Einstein.
But neither of my children are in any way fascinated by Einstein. Still less, my wife. On the contrary, they show not an atom of interest. They positively cringe at the idea of physics — and chemistry and biology and mathematics. They are not alone. I find the overwhelming majority of young people today with no fascination for sciences. Most of my adult friends are even worse. They all think sciences are too complicated. And exceedingly boring.
But I wish more people would take the trouble of trying to understand sciences. I agree that an effort has to be made. More of an effort than, say, reading and appreciating a piece of literature or art. But it is rewarding to be at least a little "scientific". It's all about knowledge — important knowledge about the way in which we live. So many things we take for granted: the weather, the flora and fauna around us, our bodies, the machines we use, etc. etc. Yet, we seldom ask why, what and how. Why is the sky blue? What makes plant green? How do bats fly? (Why do they always leave a cave by turning left?) Why do we blink? How do remote controls work? Bill Bryson, a very funny writer, started asking these sorts of questions recently. He was not scientific at all. In fact, he was bored stiff of sciences at school. But he decided to spend 3 years learning sciences. He has just published the result: a bestseller called "A Short History of Nearly Everything". It is a wonderful read. I can't recommend it enough. Especially to those who think they have no interest whatsoever in science. Try reading it. And you will see what joy a little effort can bring. How a totally unscientific amateur can understand so much science. And therefore, so many things around us. I would go further. I believe we should not be put off by symbols. Symbols by which a great deal of science is represented.
Take E = mc2. (My wife claims that she gets a headache when she sees this.) 'E' is energy. 'm' is mass. 'c' is the speed of light (a vast number: l86,000,000 miles per second). So what does Einstein's famous equation imply? It implies that there is a direct connection between energy and mass. And because of the immense multiple of the speed of light, there is an immense amount of energy that can be released from a small mass. IF I can release all the energy in my body, I would explode with the force of 30 large hydrogen bombs. Thankfully, physics does not allow me to unlock all that energy. Not yet, anyway. Otherwise, it would be quite useful when I want to make a point.
But perhaps the greatest turn-off for many is mathematics. Here, the symbols become more complicated. With formulae and equations, we are often put off ab initio. But we need not become mathematicians to enjoy and learn from mathematics. Think of all the fun from dealing with symbols. Symbols also make us understand more the magic and elegance of mathematics. This in turn makes us more intelligent. Because symbolic representation is a powerful weapon for understanding. And therefore knowledge. Just imagine if you can understand the following paradox :-
I promise you that to understand this, only secondary school mathematics is required. But for non-mathematicians, an effort has to be made. Yet, when it is made, the satisfaction is glorious.
作者為中國會創辦人 David Tang （ 鄧 永 鏘 ） |
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發表於 04-8-1 10:13:50
