The Shadow of Great Britain

Capítulo 1207: Chapter 137: Ohm at the Summit

If you want to criticize and point out the surrounding scenery, you must first climb onto the roof.

——Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

In the guest room of the University of Gottingen, researchers from the Royal Society who traveled from faraway London sat closely around a round table.

Each of them held a copy of “The Calculation of Current” translated into English by Arthur, and occasionally there was a rustling sound as they turned the pages in the guest room.

Perhaps for beginners, “The Calculation of Current” is enough to carefully study for a day, but for these researchers in electromagnetism, they can grasp the core concepts that Ohm wanted to convey in the book in as little as half an hour or as much as an hour.

Soon, some scholars put down the book, but no one spoke first. They looked at each other, seemingly intending to first hear others’ views.

But this stalemate was not going anywhere, and after a long silence, someone finally spoke up: “I do not engage deeply in electromagnetism research, but just in terms of mathematical expressions, although Mr. Ohm’s process of proof is somewhat messy and initially gives a confusing impression, the direction and outcome are correct.”

Everyone looked up at the source of the voice; it was Mr. Charles Babbage, the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University, representing the highest level of mathematical research at the institution.

Although the University of Gottingen nominally held an all-Europe conference on electromagnetism, disciplines often intersected in early research, and researchers usually spanned multiple fields. Or to put it another way, researchers who specialized exclusively in one field were rare species these days. Therefore, quite a few scholars who were not particularly known for electromagnetism research also attended the conference by invitation.

For example, this conference’s academic committee chairman, Mr. Gauss, although his reputation in Europe was mostly earned through mathematics, he personally had little interest in mathematics. He delved into mathematics purely to provide research tools for his interests in astronomy, electromagnetism, and geographical surveying.

Following Babbage, Peter Ball, an assistant professor at the Woolwich Royal Military Academy and closely associated with him, also chimed in: “I also think there are no issues with the mathematical calculations. The only problem now is whether the experimental data given in the book is correct or not. However, verifying this is not difficult, and we can replicate the experiments in the labs at the University of Gottingen today.”

Sitting next to Ball, William Sturgeon, a professor at the East India Company Military Academy, could not help but say: “Earlier, Weber from Gottingen said that German academia harshly criticized Ohm because of this book? If it is merely a difference in academic views, is it necessary to use words like ‘scammer’ or ‘shoemaker’s son’? Moreover, what is there to be ashamed of in being a shoemaker’s son? I am also the son of a shoemaker!”

Sturgeon’s words just ended and immediately received nods of agreement from the researchers.

If today’s guests in the guest room were not from the Royal Society, Sturgeon’s words might not have resonated with so many people. Because compared to the other three major academic institutions in Europe, the composition of the 19th-century Royal Society’s Department of Electromagnetism was distinct from the French Academy of Sciences, Berlin Academy of Sciences, and Rome Academy of Sciences.

As a new discipline, the Royal Society’s Department of Electromagnetism was almost entirely composed of experimental physicists. As the name implies, experimental physicists emphasize hands-on skills. Therefore, most of the researchers present had once worked as mechanics or engineers. Engaging in such occupations meant that their family backgrounds were not very affluent.

Because children from wealthy British families mostly grew up to become lawyers, judges, officers, or priests. Even if they pursued research work, they focused on theoretical directions.

The few researchers who just spoke illustrate this trend within the Royal Society well.

Babbage, primarily engaged in mathematical research, was born into a wealthy banking family and studied at Trinity College, Cambridge University, sharing an alma mater and collegiate connection with Charles Darwin, albeit as successive generations.

As for William Sturgeon, just as he said, he was a shoemaker’s son, helping in his father’s shoe shop from a young age, then joined the army as an adult, where he self-studied mathematics and physics and invented the world’s first electromagnet.

Regarding Peter Ball, he is a legendary inspirational figure, also from a poor family background. He later joined the Royal Navy, self-taught on board, and was appointed as a mathematics assistant professor at the Woolwich Royal Military Academy after retiring, with inventions named after him, including the “Balrog Mathematical Table,” the Balrog Wheel, and the Balrog Lens.

In 1823, Ball also won the highest British scientific honor, the Copley Medal, for correcting errors in ship compasses caused by iron in the hull.

Among this group, the most famous is Michael Faraday, which is needless to say. Faraday has always proudly embraced his humble origins as a blacksmith’s son, even to the point of refusing a peerage from King William IV.

Therefore, after hearing Weber’s presentation of the background and reading Ohm’s “The Calculation of Current,” the experimental physicists from the Royal Society naturally felt: this is the German scientific community teaming up to bully Ohm.