1840Indian rebirth

The birth of truth often does not happen overnight, and the same is true for the acceptance of truth.

For example, the law of conservation of energy was actually proposed in 1842, but it was only recognized by physicists last year.

And it is not an absolute approval, there are still voices of doubt, and it is far from the well-known basic law of physics in later generations.

Another example is the understanding of "heat".

Some scientists believe that heat is a specific substance called "heat mass", while other scientists believe that heat is a manifestation of motion. History has proven that the latter is closer to the truth.

Joule is a staunch supporter of the "thermal theory".

Hearing what Ma Shao said, Joule felt a little unbelievable: "You... you are an Indian, right?"

No one is free from prejudice, not even Joule.

In the subconscious mind of most people, Indians and science are two concepts that have nothing to do with each other.

Ma Shao nodded: "Yes, but who said Indians can't understand physics?"

Mayo smiled and said: "Joule, you must not underestimate Chief Mashao. His understanding of science is at least far better than mine. In fact, he came to Manchester to visit you just to talk to you about physics."

study."

"I'm sorry for the rudeness just now." Joule's attitude became much friendlier, and then a trace of embarrassment appeared on his face. He looked up at the whistle, "Well... what is your name?"

"Horse whistle."

"Oh, Mr. Ma Shao." Joule nodded, and then said, "Sit down first, and you can try my beer later."

"Thank you."

After both parties sat down, Ma Shao and Joule chatted about physics.

After a brief conversation, Joule confirmed that the Indian in front of him was by no means an ignorant savage. Just like Mayo said, his understanding of physics was quite deep.

Ma Shao's recognition of theories such as the thermodynamic theory also made him feel close to him.

"...In my opinion, Rumford's gun barrel experiment is enough to deny the caloric theory." Ma Shao said.

"Supporters of the caloric theory believe that heat is a substance and is conserved. But when the gunsmith boring the barrel, heat is continuously generated. As long as the boring is in progress, the heat output will not matter.

You won’t see much of it either.”

"Obviously, heat cannot be a substance, otherwise the gunsmith would be creating matter and breaking conservation."

Quantum mechanics allows some things to happen out of nowhere, but it is obviously inappropriate to talk about quantum mechanics in this era.

Ma Shao only needs to talk about classical conservation, which is more than enough.

Joule obviously liked this very much. He couldn't help but put down the beer glass in his hand and said with admiration: "Yes, I think so too!"

"Conservation should be the most basic law of the universe and the prerogative of the Creator. It is undoubtedly absurd that heat and mass do not even abide by conservation!"

Joule had a particularly strong insistence on conservation, and one of the important reasons was his belief.

Of course he doesn't believe in those weird myths and legends, but he believes that there is a supreme creator in the universe who has the prerogative of creation and destruction.

Except for the Creator, no one can break the law of conservation.

This kind of thinking is not uncommon among Western scientists. There are very few scientists who believe in religion, and they are getting fewer and fewer, but scientists who hold theistic positions are quite common.

Ma Shao: "Yes, conservation should be the most basic physical laws, conservation of matter, conservation of charge, conservation of energy. These should not be born or destroyed, and can only be transformed from one form to another."

"Compared with the conservation of heat and mass that was exposed in Rumford's experiment, the conservation of energy is undoubtedly the truth."

"The so-called heat of an object is actually the average kinetic energy of its molecules."

"The average kinetic energy of molecules..." Joule's eyes lit up.

Ma Shao's words were quite specific, which made him feel a little surprised.

Ma Shao added: "People already know the law of conservation of energy, but with all due respect, I think it is not perfect enough."

Joule was about to say something, but when he heard the words, he couldn't help but frown: "Oh?"

"First of all, it's its name." Ma Shao said, "I don't think it should be called the 'Law of Conservation of Energy', or in other words, it shouldn't just be called this name."

Joule: "What should it be called?"

"The first law of thermodynamics." Ma Shao said slowly.

"Thermodynamics..." Joule muttered this new term.

Ma Shao: "Yes, the theory of caloric mass is full of errors and omissions. It neither follows conservation nor is it compatible with molecular kinetic theory. Thermal science about it should be withdrawn from the stage of history."

"Now, we should create a new branch of physics based on the theory of thermal dynamics, and the name is 'thermodynamics'."

After a pause, he continued: "The law of conservation of energy should undoubtedly be the basic law of this new discipline, the first law of thermodynamics."