Topic: Einstein the Chemist! (Read 2552 times)

Bonk · « **on:** August 31, 2005, 08:04:39 am »

Quote

Physicists the world over are celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Einstein's theory of relativity, but Philip Ball argues that Einstein was essentially a chemist

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/Features/2005/September/ClaimingEinsteinforchemistry.asp

toasty0 · « **Reply #1 on:** August 31, 2005, 10:00:12 am »

Love the image of E...oops, how'd that get on my desktop.

Damn nice read, Bonk. Thanks.

Bonk · « **Reply #2 on:** August 31, 2005, 10:29:30 am »

Glad you liked it!

Another notable chemist:

http://nobelprize.org/nobel/alfred-nobel/biographical/index.html

E_Look · « **Reply #3 on:** August 31, 2005, 10:55:15 am »

Eh...

... we have to maintain a bit of historical and sociological perspective; in those days, modern science was infant-new and the old classical classifications were, though not in name, but in practice, smashed.

Einstein, Bohr, Lewis, Debye, Orgel, etc. were all doing some chemistry, some physics, some applied mathematics. A whole new vista had just philsophically opened up and they were exploring it. Were they chemists or physicists? I'm not at all sure THEY cared too much. A lot of these designations had more to do with where they worked rather than what they did.

There is, however, no mistaking that they made giant contributions to both fields.

Bonk · « **Reply #4 on:** August 31, 2005, 10:59:41 am »

I can't really argue with that, but I am biased...

E_Look · « **Reply #5 on:** August 31, 2005, 11:27:02 am »

It's easier for me to project a façade of equanimity here because I've worked in both physics and chemistry (so I ha love both).

Bonk · « **Reply #6 on:** August 31, 2005, 11:41:01 am »

Quote from: E_Look NCC-9091 on August 31, 2005, 11:27:02 am

It's easier for me to project a façade of equanimity here because I've worked in both physics and chemistry (so I ha love both).

and +1 for vocabulary!

E_Look · « **Reply #7 on:** August 31, 2005, 02:41:27 pm »

Gee, thanks.

Bonk · « **Reply #8 on:** August 31, 2005, 02:48:43 pm »

I was laughing at the "(so I ha love both)" part, just so you know... I understand completey.

Nemesis · « **Reply #9 on:** August 31, 2005, 08:08:32 pm »

He was more of an inventor.

Invented a refrigerator pump which is now used in nuclear power plants.

toasty0 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 31, 2005, 09:42:02 pm »

All I know is this lowly, ignorant and poorly educated bartender develops a headache every time time you guys talk about that wachamacallit stuff.

E_Look · « **Reply #11 on:** August 31, 2005, 09:52:26 pm »

You're doing chemistry behind that lab bench you call a counter, Toast. You in your position have a better grasp of the notion of proportions in mixing and homogenity in solutions than most college freshmen taking chemistry (you have to, to do what you do; my old man was a barkeep... wouldn't let me learn how to professionally mix drinks, though... found out I was going to take a minicourse while in college... he had a fit! He made me drop it.)

toasty0 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 31, 2005, 11:22:06 pm »

Quote from: E_Look NCC-9091 on August 31, 2005, 09:52:26 pm

You're doing chemistry behind that lab bench you call a counter, Toast. You in your position have a better grasp of the notion of proportions in mixing and homogenity in solutions than most college freshmen taking chemistry (you have to, to do what you do; my old man was a barkeep... wouldn't let me learn how to professionally mix drinks, though... found out I was going to take a minicourse while in college... he had a fit! He made me drop it.)

You Father is a wise and briliant man.

E_Look · « **Reply #13 on:** September 01, 2005, 04:40:32 pm »

I still think I lost out...

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