The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 890: Chapter 15 New Isaac Newton?_3

Ville stood dejectedly outside the lecture hall, sighing, when suddenly, it felt as though a gust of wind swept past him.

Before he could regain his senses, he felt as if the sunlight in front of him had been blocked by some inconsiderate fellow.

Ville furrowed his brows, about to grumble something, but when he looked up, his discontent was swallowed back down.

”Mr. Navier, Mr. Coriolis? Didn’t you both attend Mr. Poisson’s award ceremony in the hall?”

Annoyed, Navier waved his hand and slightly reproachfully said, ”We are not interested in the award ceremony, let it pass. But, Ville, since you further derived Euler’s equations based on the work of Poisson, Cauchy, and myself, why didn’t you show me these results?”

With a delighted smile, Coriolis added, ”I never knew you were researching fluid dynamics. I always thought you were following Mr. Ampere and Mr. Mathieu in specializing in electrodynamics.”

Ville was baffled by their questions: ”I... I apologize, gentlemen. I did conduct some research in fluid dynamics, but it was not in-depth. I have studied and analyzed Euler’s equations, but I did not derive further! Recently, all my efforts have been on extending the concepts of differentiation and integration, particularly establishing the theory of arbitrary-order derivatives. This work alone is tremendously challenging; I have no time to divert my attention to fluid dynamics.”

”Hmm?” Navier realized he might have wrongly accused Ville and slapped his forehead, ”Ah! I am sorry then. Ville, I apologize for my rashness. But...”

Navier stroked his chin and frowned, ”If you weren’t the one who derived this formula, then who could it be? There are very few people with the key to that library. Apart from me, Ampere has the key, as does Poisson, who rarely goes there, and then there’s Arago, who, being the lifetime executive secretary of the academy, has keys to every place... But he surely wouldn’t be bored enough to throw a derived formula in the library just for fun.”

Coriolis scratched his head, puzzled, and tentatively said to Navier, ”Do you think it’s possible that Mr. Ampere lent someone the key, or that he brought some stranger to the library?”

”Oh yeah!” Navier clapped his hands, ”Ville, have you recently brought anyone to the library? And was that person interested in fluid dynamics?”

Ville bitterly smiled and replied, ”I did bring someone to the library, but I’m not sure if he’s interested in fluid dynamics. Moreover, I don’t think he would have had the time to derive such a complex formula in the library.”

Navier asked, ”Why do you say that?”

Ville sighed, ”Because the gentleman I mentioned only stayed in the library for half an hour or so, and he spent that time writing a paper.”

Saying this, Ville handed over the paper, ”On the Application of Mathematical Analysis to Electromagnetism,” to the two mechanical giants, who, though not well-versed in electromagnetism, understood the mathematical parts.

Experts assess proficiency at a glance; after reading the paper, they concluded, as Ville did.

”It seems this gentleman truly did not have time to derive the formula, given how taxing writing this paper must have been.”

”Is this something that can be written in just half an hour? Might he have brought it pre-written?”

Ville shrugged, ”I don’t know the reality, but here is the paper. Many of the theories and concepts are new, so there’s no doubt that it is indeed the work of Sir Arthur Hastings. As to whether he had it pre-written or wrote it on the spot, I couldn’t say.”

”Sir Arthur Hastings?”

Navier pondered, ”Is there such a person in the Academy? Or is he a young scholar who has recently emerged?”

Coriolis grew interested, ”His mathematical prowess is so impressive that I would want his help with finding the expression of a hypothetical force. Could you introduce me to him, Ville?”

Ville nodded, ”Of course, but Sir Hastings is an honored guest from the Royal Society. He’s here to present the Copley Medal to Mr. Poisson. Though he seems amiable, I have to get his consent first.”

Coriolis readily agreed, ”That’s only proper. If he agrees, let me know. I’m teaching at the Polytechnic University during weekdays this week, so I can visit him in the evenings.”

Although Navier was usually a composed scholar, today’s unexpected formula had him flustered. He only said, ”Sorry, Gustave, I might not be able to discuss your rotating reference frame issue today. I need to go to the office and ask Ampere if he has recently brought anyone to the library.”

Coriolis, hearing this, politely removed his hat and bade farewell, ”Then, I wish you a smooth journey, Mr. Navier. Let’s meet on campus this afternoon, and don’t forget, you have two applied mechanics classes at the school of bridges and roads this afternoon.”

”Yes, Gustave, see you this afternoon.”

Coriolis and Ville watched Navier leave hastily. Ville laughed, ”I’ve never seen Mr. Navier so flustered since I’ve known him.”

Coriolis laughed too, ”Is that so? It means you haven’t been in the Academy long. He is often like this in front of Mr. Cauchy and Mr. Poisson. While Mr. Navier is also a genius, those two are geniuses among geniuses. Even among geniuses, there are differences.”

Ville sighed, ”I understand, only the most brilliant of the brilliant can win the Copley Medal. Sigh... I am already at my limit just specializing in mathematics, but Mr. Cauchy and Mr. Poisson seem like walking encyclopedias, any page from them could suffice for ordinary people to study for years.”

Coriolis laughed in return, ”Is that so? Ville, you overestimate ordinary people. Cauchy’s and Poisson’s one page wouldn’t just take years for ordinary people; years of research apply only to someone like you, a genius.”

Ville self-deprecatingly picked up Arthur’s paper, ”Yes, for me, maybe it’s years. But for Sir Hastings, it’s only half an hour. It’s utterly crazy, a person proficient not only in mathematics and electromagnetism but also a renowned detective in London, a piano master, an expert duelist, capable diplomat, and a brilliant orator. You missed it; in just a few words, Sir Hastings had everyone in the lecture hall in stitches. While Mr. Poisson might surpass Sir Hastings in scientific research, the latter is superior in the breadth of his expertise. Mr. Coriolis, have there been such exceptionally talented Britons in history before?”

Coriolis pondered for a moment and then smiled, ”Of course there have been.”

Ville, surprised, asked, ”Really? Who are you referring to?”

Coriolis laughed heartily, ”Have you forgotten? Similarly titled, also British, and besides science, he was versed in theology and economics, a high-ranking government official.”

Ville, struck by the realization, smiled wryly, ”Isaac Newton?”