"At least so far, I haven't found anything wrong with the math. Several of his gadgets are also excellent. "There are still a lot of phenomena that are difficult to explain just by using waves to explain light, such as what properties the ether must have in order to transmit waves as fast as light." And he interprets light as a transverse wave, so why is there no longitudinal wave in the ether? ”

"Ah, my friend, you have so many questions, and not a single one of them in a short period of time, and I don't think it's a problem that we will be able to see the answer to in our lifetime." Lavoisier said, "This is indeed a big problem with the wave theory. The ether is so unique, it's almost as incredible as God. It can transmit light at an incredibly fast speed – if light is a wave, I mean, – which means it's very hard, many times harder than diamond. It fills the entire universe, and it's so hard, but it doesn't stand in the way of anything in the universe, it doesn't stop the movement of even the tiniest of dust - in fact, we don't find any resistance from the 'ether' right now. It's nerve-wracking...... Ah, my friend, I suggest we stop thinking about that damn 'aether' for a moment. Our current knowledge and means are too far from it. We're studying it now, like a freshly weaned kitten studying how to catch a whale. ”

"Monsieur Lavoisier, whales are not fish." Laplace laughed.

"Of course I do." Lavoisier also smiled, "But...... But he doesn't know. ”

"yes, he doesn't know." Laplace said, "Actually, aren't we also cats?" We don't know. ”

"So, I've always believed that experimentation comes first. All theories must be tested by experiments in the end, at least his calculations are tested well with which 'Bonaparte spot' is good. As for whether there are other 'ethers', or 'Bonaparte spots', 'double-slit interference', and 'Newton's rings', it is up to others to explain them from the perspective of particles. "But even in this matter he is ultimately wrong, and the mistake itself is valuable." ”

"I agree with that." Laplace said. Then he looked down at the paper and said, "I'll come up with a new explanation." But for now, allow me to finish checking this paper. Then we will show it to Monge, Coulomb, and Mondorcet......

……

With Monge and Coullen, however, the situation has changed.

"Honestly, the math gadgets in this paper are interesting, and there are some more interesting things to follow. How good it would be if this paper was honest about mathematics. "That's really worth it," said Monge, frowning, "and yet he used it to prove such a ridiculous point, which is really ......"

"It would be nice if he was willing to revise the paper." Cullen also said.

"We should ask him to come and talk about it, let him revise this paper a little more, and then we can give him the prize money." Laplace glanced at Lavoisier and added, "After all, those gadgets alone are worth six hundred francs." ”

"It's not a question of six hundred francs." "It's that he has such a strange proposition that light is a wave, and the ether that transmits it should have smashed us to smithereens!" If something ridiculous like this were to win an award, we would be a joke! Unless he revises the paper and removes the unnecessary stuff, I am against awarding him the prize. ”

"I don't think it's rigorous to send out the prize money now, after all, it's not really conclusive evidence, I mean, there should be other, better explanations for those two experiments. I think we should be a little more cautious on this issue...... "Kulun said.

"Come on, Cullen! Do you have a better explanation? Or did you find a hole in his argument? Condorcet glared, "There are indeed many problems that cannot be solved yet, such as the problem of the ether you mentioned. But is it okay to say that particles? If nothing else, how does particle theory explain double-slit interference and 'Bonaparte spots'? One of the meanings of science is to discover the unknown and ask questions. Asking questions, especially valuable ones, is sometimes even more important than drawing conclusions! Since the birth of science, how many times have we seen old ideas and opinions overturned, but can we say that those concepts and opinions that have been overturned today are worthless? Even if the ideas in this paper turn out to be completely fallacious, and even if Cullen comes up with a new explanation early tomorrow morning that completely overturns his opinion, wouldn't the fallacy itself enlighten the mind and reveal the truth? So, even if it's a fallacy, it's valuable. What's more, it's not necessarily a fallacy! - Was Sir Newton unquestionable? Is this still the spirit of science? If such a paper cannot be awarded, it will be a shame for the Academy of Sciences! ”

When it comes to eloquence, there are really few people in the Academy who can compare to Condorcet, and Cullen is naturally no exception. Knowing that he and Condorcet couldn't argue, Cullen simply shut his mouth and said nothing.

Seeing that Cullen stopped talking, Condorcet turned to Monge again: "Monge, what do you think?" ”

Monge's identity at the Academy of Sciences was not as influential as Condorcet's, and his language skills were far inferior. But Monge, however, was a very stubborn man, and when he heard Condorcet's question, he replied: "I cannot agree to give him the prize until I have spoken to him face to face." ”

Then he shut his mouth and said nothing. Condorcet also knew Monge's character, and knew that this was the biggest concession he could make, so he didn't say anything, but turned to Laplace and said, "Laplace, what about you?" What do you think? ”

Laplace looked at Condorcet, then at Monge and Cullen, and said, "I think...... With just those few mathematical tools, this paper can be awarded the winning prize...... But I also think that he is not rigorous enough, and I also think we should invite him to talk. ”

Condorcet looked at Laplace and couldn't help but shake his head. Laplace's talent is undeniable, but his personality is a bit weak and fickle.

"So be it, then, that we invite this Monsieur Bonaparte here. Let's talk to him, and then we'll send him the winning prize. Condorcet said, pausing slightly, and adding, "Do you think that someone who can write such a paper is not worthy enough to win such an award?" ”

Everyone was silent. Condorcet looked around, then said, "Very well, so be it." ”

……

Although the Academy of Sciences was located in the city of Paris, the postal service of this era was quite inefficient, and it was not until three days later that Joseph received the invitation. But in fact, he got the news from Armand two days ago.

Now that he had received the invitation, Joseph took the invitation, changed into a formal suit that he might not wear once a year, got into a public carriage (mainly to avoid too much dust on his shoes) and headed for the Louvre.

Located on the north bank of the Seine, the Louvre was built in the 12th century and is one of the oldest royal palaces in France. By the time of Louis XIII, Richelieu founded the Royal Academy of Sciences, which was housed in the Louvre. By the end of the reign of Louis XIV, there were frequent riots in the city. Louis XIV expanded the Palace of Versailles outside the city and moved there. Since then, the King of France has ceased to live in the Louvre, but the Academy of Sciences has remained here.

Arriving at the entrance of the Louvre, Joseph got out of the car, sorted out some of his clothes, and walked towards the gate of the Louvre. This is not Joseph's first visit to the Louvre, as he used to visit it as a tourist in his previous life. At that time, the Louvre was one of the four major museums in the world, with a collection of various precious cultural relics. At this time, the Louvre was only a palace, and among the famous Three Treasures of the Louvre, only the Mona Lisa was now in the collection.

Joseph walked to the gates of the palace, which in later generations would be the glass pyramid in the postmodern style. But at this point, that kind of thing still doesn't exist. The entrance of the Louvre is still a regular gate.

Joseph walked to the door and showed the invitation to the janitor. The janitor put on his reading glasses, looked down at the invitation, did not look up, but looked at Joseph through the gap in the frame of his glasses, and said, "Monsieur Bonaparte, please wait here for a moment." I need to check the situation. ”

Joseph nodded, waited outside the door for a while, and saw a waiter in a red coat and wig approaching, opened the door and said to Joseph, "Is it Monsieur Bonaparte?" Please follow me. ”

Joseph followed the waiter into the Louvre. The waiter led Joseph through hall after hall, and at last he stopped in front of a small parlor.

"Monsieur Bonaparte," said the waiter, turning to Joseph, "Monsieur Condorcet, Monsieur Lavoisier, they are waiting for you inside." ”

With that, he opened the door of the calfskin-covered room and motioned for Joseph to go in by himself.

Joseph went in, and when he entered, he saw that there were already three people sitting in the room. When the three men saw Joseph enter, they also stood up, and one of them, a middle-aged man with a thin forehead and a high forehead, said, "Is it Mr. Joseph Bonaparte?" I'm Lavoisier. This is a member of the Academy of Sciences, my friend Mr. Condorcet, and this is my friend Laplace. ”

Joseph met with them one by one. Condorcet was a little stronger than Lavoisier, and his face was a little wider. He smiled mildly at Joseph, who seemed to have a mild personality. Another, younger, slightly hooked nose is Laplace, the mathematician who had terrified Joseph in his previous life.