The Science Class I Wish I Had

I recently read a book called The Science Class You Wish You Had to get motivated and inspired for the new school semester.  It is authored by two brothers, David and Arnold Brody; the former is a science historian, and the latter a professor of pathology.  The book, written in 1997, describes the seven most important scientific discoveries of all time, and gives insights into the lives of the scientists who made them.

According to the authors, the top seven scientific discoveries in history are:

•  Gravity and the basic laws of physics (Newton)
• The principle of relativity (Einstein)
•  The big bang and the formation of the universe (Hubble)
• The structure of the atom (Rutherford and Bohr) 
• Evolution and the principle of natural selection (Darwin)
• The cell and genetics (Flemming and Mendel)
• The structure of the DNA molecule (Watson and Crick)

In the list above, we have one discovery in chemistry sandwiched between three in physics and three in biology.  In each case, the story behind how the discovery was made is as interesting as the discovery itself.  Noticeably absent from the list is quantum physics, but it would be hard to knock anything off this list.  The importance of quantum physics has become more apparent over the past fifteen years (when the book was published) – today’s list of top discoveries should perhaps be extended to eight.

The vast majority of man’s science discoveries have taken place in the twentieth century.  With the exception of Newtonian physics, all six of the others listed came to fruition in the 1900s.  It appears that the most exciting period of time to be a scientist was between 1850 and 1950.  The explosion of scientific knowledge that occurred during that period will probably never be matched.  Although our current tools and sheer numbers allow us to drive science forward at a greater pace than ever before, today’s science attempts to push boundaries, whereas yesterday’s science discovered what those boundaries were.

Resolving Conflicts With Newtonian Mechanics

The 2005 film, Crash, won an Oscar for “Best Picture”, and is one of my favourite dramas.  The movie follows several characters that are involved in negative interactions fuelled by racial differences and hate.

Watching these intense situations play out in fiction is thought-provoking.  However, experiencing such conflicts first-hand is often very stressful.  One-on-one confrontations between strangers, colleagues, friends, and, worst of all, family members, can be extremely detrimental to one’s personal equilibrium. 

A person is like a particle moving along through space – if left to one’s own devices, one will continue along pleasantly, unaffected.  This is predicted by Newton’s first law of motion, which says that an object in motion will only change velocity if a non-zero net external force acts on it.  One way to think of Newton’s first law is that life would be dull if we just kept to ourselves.  Going through life with constant velocity is no fun; human contact makes for a far more interesting journey.

One of the characters in Crash goes so far as to suggest that people seek out conflicts because they are bored or lonely – as though colliding into one another is a mechanism that people use to confirm they are still alive.

A life that is completely devoid of conflict is boring.  On the other hand, a life that is filled with destructive interactions is too stressful.

Like particles moving through space, or cars driving on the road, people moving through life will inevitably collide with one another.  Usually, these collisions are positive, like a friendly hello from a neighbour.  Sometimes, however, people collide in an explosive manner, like when colleagues disrespect one another.