It is not impossible to produce results under poor conditions, and the most stupid local methods are not incapable of experimenting with the world at any cost.

It's about experimentation, not practicality.

When talking to the senior brother in charge of this laboratory about what to do, Chen Jian still gave an explanation.

"I guess maybe there's a metal in this bauxite that I'd like to try to electrolyze out. If it does contain metals, it should be fine, just like table salt......"

When he was about to explain this behavior, the senior brother said very calmly: "Actually, you don't have to explain so much, I never think that any experiment must know that it is feasible to try, in that case, there will never be any novel results." Originally, it was the possibility of failure, and I understand it. It may take years, decades, or even more to make some results, but isn't that the wonder of the world? If the world is so easily understood, how can it be like it is now? ”

Senior Brother paused for a moment and said with a smile: "Senior Brother, a few years ago, because of electrolytic salt, we have won the honor that many people dream of a lifetime. Nowadays, many people are trying to make things that did not exist before by electrolysis or by introducing various gases and displacement, and we are enjoying it. Even if the expected results are not achieved in the future, it is not a failure, but it only proves that we guessed wrong, which is equivalent to blocking a wrong road. I don't know if you're trying to be so smooth sailing that you always want a perfect result before you do anything, which isn't good. ”

Jian Chen hurriedly said, "Yes, I'm just worried that Senior Brother will find it boring." At first, the excitement is very high, but after repeating it thousands of times, it is inevitable that there will be times when you get irritable...... So I'm just making preparations first, just like vaccinating cowpox, to prevent it in advance. ”

The senior brother smiled: "You, you, your utilitarianism is too heavy, I don't even know why Mr. thinks this is a good thing." ”

"As for the outcome, you're too purposeful for you, so you think the result you want is important. For me, the result is the result, and if what I want is achieved, it verifies the guess, and if I don't achieve what I want, it verifies the wrong guess. The result you want and the result I want, although the name is the result, but it is not the same at all. ”

After speaking, he glanced at Jian Chen, who was a little ashamed, and said, "You are just lucky, but you are not suitable for this kind of thing, really." In many cases, no result is a result, but this result is never acceptable to you. ”

Since the two sides have already known each other, there is nothing to hide, and after thinking about it, he said: "Senior brother, I always feel that you don't like these things at all, and everything you have is for other purposes, not to understand the world. It's just your tool...... Really, I've always felt this way, weird, but you're ahead of us, and you make me feel so unfair sometimes. ”

Jian Chen's face was a little red, he lowered his head and nodded humbly to accept this evaluation, the senior brother couldn't help but be curious after all, and said, "That's what I said, but I'm still very curious about the result you want." We're here to make a metal, and I can understand the specific process if you say it. And once it is made, it is a sensational result in itself, all you want is a sensation. ”

"But what I don't understand is why there are thirteen labs? Could it be that thirteen laboratories are all in our discipline? Or did you guess thirteen things and try them all at once? ”

Jian Chen shook his head and said with a smile: "Senior brother, making a metal is indeed a sensational thing for you, but for many people who have not learned these things, the sensational effect is not good. ”

"Unless, if alchemy succeeds and can turn soil into gold, otherwise, this matter of our discipline will have some influence in the small circle at most."

"You also said that the first purpose I want is to be sensational, and the second purpose is what you think is the result. So the rest has nothing to do with our discipline. ”

He pointed to the house with the sign "Second Laboratory" not far away and said, "For example, it's actually a very simple thing. You've seen me do mercury columns and vacuum experiments in the Academy, but for ordinary people, this experiment is not exciting enough and not intuitive enough. So the second lab is to make this experiment more intuitive and sensational, so that more people can like these things, so that more people like you don't want results just because they want to understand the world. ”

The senior brother's curiosity was also aroused, and he asked, "How do you get it?" ”

"I asked a craftsman to make two and a half copper balls, and the inside was empty. When they are combined, the air inside is pumped out, and then the pressure of the atmosphere is used to compress the two hemispheres, so that the two hemispheres are closely connected. In this way, I am afraid that many horses will not be able to pull, and everyone will be surprised to see it. However, by the time everyone was amazed, it only took a small child to open the plug that blocked the air vent, and maybe a child could pull it open. Do you think this comparison is more shocking than the mercury pipe? ”

The senior brother snorted, squatted down and used a wooden stick to calculate the pressure per unit area converted to mercury, and praised: "This is really a good way, as long as the copper ball is a little bigger, as long as it can completely pump it into a vacuum, such a large force is really not something that a few horses can pull." In fact, it is not difficult to get rid of the air inside, you can follow the steam pump in the mine, fill some water in the copper ball, let the water boil to drive the air out, and then seal the air outlet while it is hot, once it becomes cold, isn't it okay? ”

This is contrary to Chen Jian's rigid mind, the vacuum steam pumping machine in the Nan'an mine allows this senior brother to learn and use, just like a sealed can, it seems that the extractor is not used at all, and the effect is the same, and it may even be stronger than the current level of the pumping machine.

That's the difference between a plagiarist who is really good for this line of work and a plagiarist, who is really good for this line of work can always be keen to use what is already available to try, because there is no precedent to copy, so it must be in line with the times and inspired by the rest of the objects of the era.

For this reason, Jian Chen praised with admiration: "Senior brother's method is much stronger than I thought. ”

"What do you think?"

"Pump."

"How?"

"It's like a one-way valve for a bellows, except that the bellows are blows, which are pumped with a single valve. Make a brass cylinder, with a single valve in the ground, a piston in the middle, and a hole for venting on it. Pull outward, the one-way valve opens, pumps away the air, and when you push it back, the valve closes by itself, and then re-pumps...... In this way, it is estimated that it will take three or five people to take your time. ”

The senior brother thought for a while, smacked for a while and said, "Let's use your method." It's not that steam cooling is bad, but you have other uses for it. I also wanted to test the difference between water in a vacuum and usual. According to you, this thing doesn't cost a lot of money, and today's craftsmen can make it easily. ”

"Well, it doesn't cost much. Brass, barrel corks, and gum or a particular kind of gum I've heard of in the rainforest to the south, it should be about the same. Brass can be cast directly by the lost wax method. ”

"When the time comes, you can get a few more horses and try it first, the more the better. It's a good idea to let people see how easily the two children can open the hemisphere before you start, and then pump, which is even more effective. Or I say, you're just thinking about sensations, not really understanding the world. If only I had seen the mercury column experiment, I wouldn't have wasted my time making this copper ball. What about the third lab? It's not going to be a repetition of something you've done before, right? ”

Jian Chen hurriedly shook his head and said, "The third laboratory is definitely not a repeat of something that has been tested in the past. This, as you know, generates heat when electricity passes through metal; I also know that when I look into the inner chamber of the cannon, I use a red-hot iron hook to stick it in as a light source; In addition, you have also seen experiments with electric candles, electricity can indeed emit light, but electric candles are a bit like lightning. ”

"So I wondered if I could make electricity produce light, but not like lightning, but like a red-hot iron hook."

"Again, the light like the iron hook is not the same as the light like burning coal and firewood. Burning coal and firewood is burning, while the iron hook only burns red and heats, if you use electric heating to burn and glow, it is no different from using a kerosene lamp. ”

Seeing the senior brother nodding there, Jian Chen continued: "So first of all, we have to pump air in the glass bottle to form an environment that can't be burned, so that we can try to see if we can directly turn on the electricity and glow." ”

"I don't think it's difficult to do this, I don't dare to say how long it will be lit, but it should be possible to light it up. The second laboratory of the pumping cylinder can be done, and after it is done, it can not only pump the copper ball, but also pump the glass. ”

"Glass-blowing craftsmen, there are still some skilled masters in our glass workshop. All kinds of metal drawing, this is a bit difficult, but you can try some soft things such as gold and silver that can be used to make foil. In addition, carbon is also electrically conductive, so I thought about trying to carbonize it with very fine bamboo wires. ”

"I'm not trying to sell, so it's not a question of how long it's on, it's the key whether it's bright or not."

"If this works out, it's definitely a big deal. Do you think, completely without the lighting of open flames, scary or not? Looking at it from a distance, electricity is also a very useful thing in addition to experiments, and many people will try to use it in the future. At the very least, if it can be made simpler, this kind of lamp without open flame can be used in the coal mine, which is safer than the current safety lamp, after all, that thing still has an open flame, at least a few fewer deaths per year. ”

Speaking of this, Senior Brother imagined that kind of magical electric light, and was obviously excited, and was also aroused by Chen Jian's interest, and nodded: "This is a good idea." What about the fourth? ”

"The fourth? You've seen experiments with electromagnets. I pondered that I would use an electric stack and an electromagnet to make a toy that could send messages through the wall. There is no magnetism when the power is on, and there is no magnetism if there is no electricity, so you can control the power-on and power-off rhythmically on one hand, and judge what is said here according to the rhythm on the other side. ”

Chen Jian added: "Copper wire or iron wire can be pulled now, and it doesn't cost a few dollars to pull a distance of 100 paces." The stack spends some money to make a big one together, and there is no problem with eucommia glue or wood paint for electricity insulation, and the distance of 100 steps can still be conducted. The watchmaker can make a timer that moves forward at regular intervals, and with a slight change, he can pull a note at a fixed speed, suck paint on the iron and fall it at a fixed rhythm, judging what to say according to the length...... The only difficulty is how to unify this rhythm with the words to be written, which is a troublesome matter. ”

The senior brother who was aroused laughed and said, "Look, you just said that you are for sensation rather than practicality, this question is very simple. You get a few more strings, a few more devices, and a few more people to lead the rhythm. If it's not for practicality, why bother meditating on a thread and a rhythm? The rhythm of one thread can be troublesome, you get ten threads, it's much easier...... When the time comes, there will be a hundred and ten steps, and the two sides will be separated by a wall, so that people can choose a few words to write here, and guess there, so that people will be dizzy and amazed one after another. ”

Chen Jian patted his forehead, and said in his heart that electric lights are really for sensation, not practical, and that is the light of the future.

But the cable telegraph is really useful and may shorten the distance between the real world.