Because Sun Yuanqi wanted to write something about genetics, before he wrote it, he had to read Western books on biology. In view of the fact that there are no suitable textbooks in China, and the school will set up a biology department in the future, when I look through and read, I want to write a book according to my own ideas, first of all, I must take the overall situation and draw up an outline. Now that we're sailing at sea, it's a good time to focus on what you do. When I arrived in the United States, it would have to be another toss, and I am afraid that there would not be such a large amount of time to write, only scattered time, and at that time, I only needed to write the content piece by piece and fill it in the outline.

Although the "Gerald" cruise ship is huge and has no friends, the sea has been relatively calm in recent days, but during the voyage, the hull is still bumpy and shaking. This caused great inconvenience to Sun Yuanqi's work, and more often, he hid in the room and read quietly, thinking quietly, and when his thinking was mature, he took advantage of the relatively stable time to start writing quickly. Even so, the words must be written very big, otherwise they will shake into a ball, and after a long time, it will be the king of heaven, and I am afraid that I will not be able to recognize it.

On the afternoon of this day, it was about windy, and the inside of the ship shook so badly that not only could I not write anything, but I was also dizzy even when I sat down. Sun Yuanqi stayed in the room for a long time, then walked out and went to the deck to relax.

The sea breeze was strong, blowing with a fishy and damp breath, slightly cool, which made Sun Yuanqi's fever and irritability calm. Perhaps because of the strong wind, there was no one on the deck except for Sun Yuanqi, and it seemed very empty. The sky was full of gray clouds, changing with the wind, as if it was going to rain.

Walking to the stern of the boat, I looked into the distance by the railing, but I saw the sea and the sky. The sea water is no longer the blue color it used to be, but it is swarthy, and when you look closely, it looks like a magnet that wants to suck people in. In my ears, it seems that a poem that I have learned and memorized a long time ago, but has been forgotten for a long time:

The round sky covers the sea,

The black water holds the lonely boat,

I can't see the mountains in the distance,

There are only clouds in the sky,

I can't see the trees,

There were only seagulls on the water......

At first, it was a man singing; Gradually, it became a group of people reciting in unison. The voice is so familiar, who is it? It seems to be the old classmates in my memory, and it seems to be my own group of students......

In the haze, Sun Yuanqi felt someone holding his arm hard, and then he suddenly woke up. Looking back, it seems to be Derek from MIT, a lively young man: "Derek? What's up? As he spoke, he felt that his voice was a little erratic.

"Sir, why are you alone on deck? Just now, I saw you leaning out of the railing with half of your body, it's dangerous. Derek asked with concern.

Sun Yuanqi shook his head, completely shook off the illusion in his head, let out a long breath, and regained a trace of calm: "Hehe, I was a little bored reading in the room, so I came to the deck to relax." Haha, thank you just now for making you careful. ”

"Sir, you can't stay on the deck alone in the future, let alone on the edge of the railing, it's very dangerous!" Now, Derek still has palpitations. Then he laughed and said, "You know, the most valuable cargo on our ship is you." ”

"Are you complimenting me, young man?" In fact, Sun Yuanqi and Derek are almost a few years old, and even on the surface, maybe Sun Yuanqi is younger. However, as a teacher, Sun Yuanqi occasionally pretends to be mature.

Derek helped Sun Yuanqi and found a clean place on the deck to sit down, before he replied: "Actually, this is not a compliment, it can only be regarded as telling the cruel truth." If, I'm talking about if, something happens to you, the group of people waiting in San Francisco will say, 'Oh my gosh, what's the point of that ship coming back now that amazing scientist is gone?' ’”

Missing? I've been missing from another world for four years. In the past four years, my dearest father and mother have naturally been looking for them in every possible way, worrying about them every day, and even washing their faces with tears. Oh, that shy little girlfriend, maybe she is already married to another woman, maybe she will remember me when she dreams back at midnight. Besides, who else will remember me? Those heartless classmates, do you want to put an extra pair of chopsticks at the party? Or will they say, "Look, what's the use of studying well and going to a prestigious university?" What is the use of going to graduate school? What does it look like to be handsome and find a beautiful girlfriend? It's not the same as disappearing! In other words, one of my former classmates ...... "Use yourself as an after-dinner conversation?"

Just like if you suddenly appeared in this world, will you suddenly disappear again? Thinking of this, Sun Yuanqi couldn't help asking, "Derek, if I just fell into the sea and disappeared." Four years from now, will anyone in this world remember me? ”

"Yes, definitely!" Derek immediately replied in the affirmative, "You think, besides Lady Vera, your relatives, your servants, our students and the students of Jingshi University, and those of your colleagues, will remember you for the rest of your life." By the way, and scientists from all over the world, every time they read "Quantum Mechanics" and don't understand it, they must think: 'Ah, where did that amazing guy go!' If we don't come out quickly, we're all going crazy with these questions! ’”

Sun Yuanqi laughed when he heard this, thinking that although he had caused harm to his parents and other relatives and friends, he had also brought happiness and knowledge to countless people, and the melancholy in his heart was lightened.

"Not only that, but the future history of science will certainly say: 'Due to the carelessness and mistakes of his student Derek and others, Professor Johnson, the best young scientist in history, unfortunately disappeared on board the cruise ship Gerald, and his whereabouts have not been known since.'" His disappearance has led to a decades-long stagnation in scientific development, and there are still a lot of unanswered questions. At this point, I would like to reiterate my severe condemnation of Derek and others. 'Oh my God, we are all sinners of history! Derek held his head in a sinful look. The engineering man laughed, it was definitely a first-class talent, "So, for the sake of our honor and innocence, sir, you must never come to the deck alone and stand on the edge of the railing in the future." ”

After hearing this, Sun Yuanqi couldn't cry or laugh: Sure enough, the thinking of an engineering man is a very abnormal person!

After talking to Derek, Sun Yuanqi was in a good mood, stayed in the room for several days, and quickly wrote the outline of the biology textbook, which added cytology, evolution, anatomy, classical genetics, animal and plant taxonomy, ecology and even physiological hygiene. Just as it was about to be completed further, the steamer had already arrived in San Francisco.

In April and May, it was the middle of a semester, so Sun Yuanqi did not call to report the news that Rutherford was coming. However, because I have a three-month work agreement with MIT and Yale, I have to remind me in advance.

MIT and Yale are both on the east coast of the United States, and everyone predicts in advance that no one will pick up the station. Out of the dock, Sun Yuanqi was chatting with his colleagues Allen, William, Derek and others about the itinerary for the next few days, when suddenly a group of people hugged up, and the flash lights using magnesium powder "crackled". Sun Yuan pointed to the group of people who came up and asked Allen, who was traveling with him, "Is this the case?" Everyone shook their heads.

Many years later, when someone was writing a biography of Sun Yuanqi, he stumbled upon a photo that was published in the newspaper the next day. In the photo, Sun Yuan is in the center, pointing ahead; And the eight or nine people around, some were looking forward with their fingers, some were debating something with the left and right, and some were bowing their heads, looking pensive...... The expression scene reminds people of Raphael's famous oil painting "The School of Athens" during the Renaissance. After investigation, these ten people turned out to be famous scientists, including five Nobel Prize winners. Later, he used this photograph as the cover of his biography, and then became known to the world, and was selected into various textbooks on the history of science, and was known as "the Academy of Athens of the early twentieth century".

While Sun Yuanqi and his party were stunned, Professor John Martin of UC Berkeley walked out of the crowd, came to the front, and warmly hugged Sun Yuanqi: "Dear Dr. Johnson, welcome to the United States. ”

Welcome is welcome, as for making such a big formation? It's a press conference! Even if Sun Yuanqi thought so in his heart, in front of these reporters, he naturally wouldn't say it, and he had to reply politely: "Thank you, thank you!" Thank you so much! ”

Among the group of people who shook hands next, several were acquaintances, such as Professor David Lint of the University of San Francisco, Mike Donaldson of the Yale University Alumni Association, and more of them were a group of doctors, professors, and gentlemen who did not know each other. Faced with the chaotic scene, Sun Yuanqi was even more puzzled, but fortunately, at this time, Professor Lint stepped forward, pressed his hands weakly, and the noise around him gradually quieted down. At this time, he began to speak: "Distinguished professors, gentlemen, and fellow journalists, let us first welcome the famous scientist Dr. Yanker Johnson to the United States of America with the warmest applause! ”

There was a wave of applause all around.

"Secondly, we would like to congratulate Professor John Martin for his outstanding results in the experiment."

Applause rang out again.

Sun Yuanqi probably understood a little at this time, it seemed that Professor Martin was verifying a certain experiment proposed by himself. It can't be an electron diffraction experiment, right? Without a particle accelerator, where did he get his high-energy electrons?

In the midst of doubt, Professor Lint gave the answer: "Three years ago, in the article "Photoelectric Effect: From Phenomenon to Essence", Dr. Johnson broke away from the understanding of traditional physics and took the lead in proposing the conclusion that 'light has wave-particle duality', and at the same time designed an experimental scheme and predicted the corresponding experimental results. His genius was criticized and criticized by some orthophysicists at the time. Three years later, after painstaking efforts, Professor Martin invented several valuable experimental instruments and successfully completed the experiment designed by Johnson, and the results of the experiment were exactly what was expected, fully proving that light is a particle. Combined with the previously known diffraction and scattering experiments, we can now conclusively conclude that light is both a wave and a particle, and that light has wave-particle duality. This conclusion shows Dr. Johnson's foresight, and also subverts our understanding of light and even matter in the past thousands of years, so that our perception of things surpasses our predecessors to a certain extent, and reaches unprecedented new heights. Here, please give the warmest applause to Dr. Johnson and Professor Martin who have made outstanding achievements in their discoveries! ”

The applause rang out like thunder.

The sociable Professor Lint handed over the right to speak at this time to everyone's attention: "Next, we have asked the famous scientist Dr. Johnson to talk about his thoughts and ideas! ”

Sun Yuanqi, who understood what was going on, took a slight step forward and bowed to everyone present, including Professor Martin and Professor Lint, and then said slowly: "Before speaking, first of all, I would like to thank you for coming from afar today to welcome and congratulate us warmly; Professor Martin, who has carefully verified my immature ideas, is especially grateful. My collaboration with Professor Martin can be traced back to the nuclear reaction two years ago. Since then, we have been working closely together, and after the electron, we have jointly discovered the world's second particle, the proton. Now, together we have discovered a third particle, the photon. The discovery of two new particles is a testament to the joy of our cooperation. The discovery of electrons, protons, and photons, these new particles, has opened a new chapter in our understanding of matter. If the last century was the century of the discovery of elements, this century is the century of the discovery of particles. I believe that in the future, more new particles will be discovered. The friendly cooperation between me and Professor Martin will continue. ”

After the applause, a reporter asked loudly: "Doctor, we used to recognize cells, and then we found that cells are made up of molecules, and later we found that molecules are made up of atoms. Now you say that atoms are made up of all kinds of particles. So can the particles be redivided? After the re-division, can it be re-divided? ”

"That's a very good question. I guess this is a question that not only you will ask, but also many scientists. Sun Yuanqi praised the reporter's acumen, "In ancient China, about 2,000 years ago, there was a philosopher who said: 'One foot of air, half of it is taken in a day, and it is inexhaustible for eternity.'" Now that we've got the particles, can we divide them any further?' I think it can be redivided. The simplest reasoning is that we used to think that the world is made up of the same kind of particles, which we call atoms. But now, this dream has been shattered, and atoms include different kinds of particles. So it's natural to think that these different kinds of particles are composed of one or several smaller particles. Personally, I think the answer to this is yes, that is, one or several smaller particles make up the particles that are now discovered. As for whether smaller particles can be redivided, it depends on the progress of science and technology. However, I pessimistically estimate that this will not be possible in the next 100 years. ”

The reporters' pens are brushing and recording. As soon as Sun Yuanqi wanted to ask Professor Martin to say a few words, another reporter asked: "Dr. Johnson, some scholars say that 'breaking down atoms into various particles will only complicate things.'" Ordinary people also have a certain sense of distance from such in-depth research. Can you briefly explain the significance of breaking down atoms into various particles? ”

Sun Yuanqi pondered for a moment and replied: "Microscopically speaking, by decomposing atoms into various particles, we can better understand the origin of the world, deepen our understanding of existing substances, and we can also synthesize new substances, new substances that do not exist on the earth, by manipulating particles; At the macro level, we can explore the origin, operation and development of the universe by understanding various particles, such as the mechanism of the sun's light and heat. In 1900, I published a paper called "On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies and the Relationship between Mass and Energy", in which I derived the mass-energy equation, which is E=mc2. By understanding the internal structure of atoms, we can grasp the increase or decrease in mass in them, and then obtain the energy in them. This energy source will be the main source of power for centuries to come. ”

As soon as the words fell, a reporter rushed to ask: "If it doesn't involve personal privacy or other secrets, what is your recent work arrangement?" We understand that you have recently published a book on electronic computers, could it be that you plan to develop it in the near future? Everyone's interest in it is much stronger than the interest in light as particles, quantum mechanics, and so on. ”

Sun Yuanqi was stunned for a moment, turned around and saw Professor Lint, and asked softly, "Have you heard of the book on electronic computers?" ”

Professor Lint bowed slightly: "You're talking about your book "Principles and Design of Electronic Computers", right?" It was published last month, and the reaction from the physics community was overwhelming, and it was widely regarded as the most rigorous and creative book you've published in recent years, far more perfect than the likes of Quantum Mechanics. Many scientists who read this book are very eager for electronic computers, believing that there are no problems with the basic principles and design solutions, and that the key is to put them into practice, and believe that they will be built in the next five to ten years. ”

Sun Yuanqi had a clear idea before turning around and answering the reporter's question: "My recent work has three main aspects: first, I have separated and analyzed a possible new element with my colleagues at Yale University; The second is to study some new electronic components and their circuit characteristics with colleagues at MIT; The third is to cooperate with Professor Martin and Professor Rutherford of McGill University in Canada on radioactive decay mode. With regard to the development of electronic computers, the current bottleneck is mainly in the relevant electronic devices, which will plague us for a long time. My colleagues at MIT and I will start from the basics, and optimistically estimate that we will develop the first testing machine in about ten years. If it doesn't go well, it may take longer. That's my answer. I now give the floor to the Honourable Professor Martin! ”

Before it was the turn of the reporters to ask questions, they suddenly shouted: "Professor Johnson, I heard that you have applied for a patent for a condiment and authorized a lawyer to produce it in the United States, please confirm it!" "Rumor has it that your grandfather was the deputy prime minister of the Qing Kingdom, is that true?" "It is believed that your wife is an American, so is your child planning to apply for U.S. citizenship?" ……

Sun Yuanqi hurriedly stepped back and pushed the somewhat restrained Professor Martin to the forefront.

Sun Yuanqi did not stay in San Francisco for long, and after giving two lectures on the photoelectric effect and discussing the topic of joint research on radioactive decay patterns with Professor Martin, he got on a train and headed for the East Coast of the United States.

At this time, the always conservative Christian Monitor published a cartoon of a young man in a long gown and braided hair, with a sledgehammer on his shoulder, triumphantly stepping from the West Coast onto the map of the United States; And on the East Coast, a ragged Newton, holding a model of architecture marked "Physics", fled from the American continent to Europe in disarray, the model in his hand had been dismantled to pieces, and his mouth was still shouting: "That bad boy is here again!" ”

And so this happened on the train:

An eleven or twelve-year-old girl asked Sun Yuanqi curiously: "Uncle, I heard that you beat Newton away, don't we need to study physics in the future?" ”

Sun Yuanqi smiled and asked, "Why, you don't like physics?" ”

"Hmm," Lori nodded heavily, "Physics is the most annoying!" ”

"I'm sorry, kid, that uncle let you down!" Sun Yuanqi looked apologetic: "In the future, you will not only learn Newton's physics, but also your uncle's physics." Physics, not only to learn, but also more difficult! ”

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