The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 876: Chapter 11 Ashamed to Admit, I’ve Made a Small Contribution to Fluid Mechanics

Arthur, led by his gentleman colleague, stepped through the gates of the French Academy of Sciences and strolled along the tree-lined avenue.

Through the windows of the Academy’s ancient buildings, sunlight spilled onto the smooth marble floor, creating mottled shadows.

Almost every office desk was piled high with various academic reports and research papers. Depending on the character of the laboratory owner, they were either neatly arranged or scattered messily.

In the lecture halls and conference rooms, Arthur saw a young physicist standing in front of a blackboard, rapidly writing equations with chalk, explaining his latest theory to his peers. His words were forceful, complemented by passionate gestures.

This made Arthur wonder if, should those old men in the audience disapprove, the young man might suddenly pull out a handgun and send them to Heaven.

The chemistry labs, however, were evidently more lively, with chemists busy conducting various experiments. Colors changed in test tubes, instruments clicked, and faint explosions occasionally echoed. Who knew if these Frenchmen were developing some new kind of explosive?

Overall, the French Academy of Sciences didn’t seem much different from the Royal Society. Perhaps the only difference was that the French were naturally more enthusiastic than the Britons, so even scientists known for their calmness were livelier than their British counterparts.

However, Arthur didn’t mind this liveliness; those who lived in sunny places should naturally be more outgoing and happier than those in rainy lands.

Suddenly, Arthur stopped. His gaze fell on a notice board placed by the corridor. Written in flourishing chalk on the small blackboard was a line in French: “On Integral Curves on Double Surfaces.”

Arthur couldn’t help but ask, “What is this? A paper? If it’s a paper, why does it only have a title?”

The young gentleman leading Arthur grinned and said, “Ah! Are you interested in the French Academy of Sciences’ annual essay competition? Though I heard you specialize in Electromagnetism, your mathematical foundation should be quite solid. Why not submit an entry? There’s a handsome prize for the winners.”

Perched on the notice board, Agares sneered and incited mockingly, “Oh! Submit to the French Academy of Sciences? Arthur, do you, a history major, even understand what a double surface is?”

Arthur glanced at the Red Devil and deftly sidestepped the topic of submission: “You just mentioned this is the French Academy of Sciences’ annual essay competition? I suppose it has a long history, then?”

The young gentleman nodded with a smile, “That’s right. This annual essay competition started in 1720. Initially, it was held annually, but later it became biennial. Many renowned French scholars have won this competition. Euler submitted 15 entries for the competition and won several times.

Moreover, Bernoulli, Lagrange, D’Alembert, and Coulomb also won the competition. Due to the Great Revolution, the Academy was abolished by the National Assembly. After being reinstated, it faced years of war, so the competition didn’t resume until 1812.

I remember the 1812 competition theme was ‘Determining the Distribution of Charges on Surfaces through Calculation and Experiment,’ which happens to be your area of expertise. If you had been born twenty years earlier, you might have had a chance at winning that competition.”

At this, sweat trickled down Arthur’s back, but he remained composed, lighting his pipe and taking a relaxed puff, seemingly casually asking.

“You flatter me. May I boldly ask which prodigy from the Academy won that competition?”

The young man replied without hesitation, “It was Mr. Poisson. He’s practically a monster—there isn’t a branch of Natural Philosophy he doesn’t understand, be it mathematics, mechanics, electricity, or astronomy.”

Hearing Poisson’s name, Arthur immediately recalled the task Faraday had given him: “Speaking of which, I have a letter from Mr. Faraday to Mr. Poisson, requesting his advice on some wave-related issues.”

Arthur pulled the letter from his coat pocket but paused when he saw the name on the envelope, as it was addressed to Cauchy.

Realizing the mistake, he quickly retrieved the small box containing the Copley Medal and laughed, “My apologies, I seem to have mixed up my tasks. This letter is for Mr. Cauchy, and the Copley Medal is for Mr. Poisson.”

The young man laughed in return, “No wonder… I was surprised to hear Mr. Faraday wanted to consult Mr. Poisson about waves since Mr. Cauchy is obviously the authority on that subject.”

Arthur asked, “Really? Mr. Poisson isn’t an expert on waves?”

“Well… I wouldn’t say that, but he’s certainly not as proficient as Mr. Cauchy.”

“Why is that?”

The young man chuckled, “Because the 1816 annual essay competition theme was ‘Waves,’ and it was Mr. Cauchy who won that year.”