Quote: In America, Benjamin Franklin famously risked his
life by flying a kite in an electrical storm. In France, a chemist named
Pilatre de Rozier tested the flammability of hydrogen by gulping a mouthful and
blowing across an open flame, proving at a stroke that hydrogen is indeed
explosively combustible and that eyebrows are not necessarily a permanent
feature of one’s face. Cavendish, for his part, conducted experiments in which
he subjected himself to graduated jolts of electrical current…”
Comment: Students, including me, often learn about important
scientific discoveries and achievements at face value; learning about the
results rather than the effort it took to achieve these results. This chapter
has revealed to me the great lengths a scholar would go to satisfy his or her
thirst for knowledge, and furthermore has made me appreciate their discoveries
much more.
From traveling 208 miles on foot in order to accurately
calculate the length of a degree, to trekking through extremely dangerous uncharted
territory in the Andes, scholars cited in this book have gone to great lengths
to answer the world’s most puzzling questions. In truth these efforts are to a
degree absurd, and in my opinion unnecessary and stupid, but they serve as
great examples of passion and determination.
Furthermore, their accomplishments dually serve as examples of
perseverance. Compared to modern technology, the equipment used by scholars in
the past was primitive. Much of their work had to do with years and years of tedious,
but necessary, tests, which with today’s technology could be completed in
seconds. This book, and more importantly those mentioned in the book, deserves
the worlds up most respect for their efforts.
Question: What efforts have been taken to find recent
discoveries and achievements?
No comments:
Post a Comment