The invention of the electric light
Light is a great invention for mankind to conquer the night. Before the 19th century, people used oil lamps, candles, etc. for lighting. Although this broke through the night, it still failed to completely liberate mankind from the restrictions of the night. Only the birth of the generator enabled human beings to use various electric lights to brighten the world, turn night into day, expand the scope of human activities, and win more time to create wealth for society.
It was the American inventor Edison who really invented the electric light and made it bright. The son of a railway worker, he dropped out of elementary school and sold newspapers on trains. Edison was an extremely diligent person who liked to do various experiments and created many ingenious machines. He was particularly interested in electrical appliances. Since Faraday invented the motor, Edison was determined to create electric lights and bring light to mankind.
After carefully summarizing the failed experience of his predecessors in manufacturing electric lamps, Edison formulated a detailed test plan and conducted tests in two aspects: first, classifying more than 1,600 different heat-resistant materials; second, Improve the evacuation equipment so that the bulb has a high vacuum. He also conducted research on new generators and circuit branching systems.
Edison tested more than 1,600 heat-resistant luminescent materials one by one. Only platinum wire has good performance, but the price of platinum is astonishingly expensive, and more suitable materials must be found to replace it. In 1879, after several experiments, Edison finally decided to use carbon filament as the filament. He sprinkled a piece of cotton silk with charcoal powder, bent it into a horseshoe shape, put it in a crucible, heated it, made it into a filament, put it in a light bulb, and then used an air extractor to remove the air from the light bulb. The light turned on and could be used continuously. 45 hours. In this way, the world's first carbon filament incandescent lamps came out. On New Year's Eve 1879, Lopack Street, where the Edison Electric Light Company was located, was brightly lit.
In order to develop electric lights, Edison often worked more than ten hours a day in the laboratory, sometimes testing for several days in a row. After he invented carbon filament as a filament, he successively tested more than 6,000 plant fibers, and finally Bamboo filaments are selected, burned in a high-temperature sealed furnace, and then processed to obtain carbonized bamboo filaments, which are then installed into the light bulb. This again increases the vacuum of the light bulb, and the light can be continuously lit for 1,200 hours. The invention of the electric light caused the gas stock price to plummet 12% in three days.
Following Edison, in 1909, the American James Curry invented the use of tungsten filament instead of carbon filament, which greatly increased the efficiency of electric lamps. Since then, electric lights have leapt to a new level, and various lamps such as fluorescent lamps and iodine-tungsten lamps have sprung up on the lighting stage.
Lamps turn darkness into light, making the world more dazzling and colorful.
The child who loves to ask why, Edison
On February 11, 1847, in a small town called Milan, Ohio, USA, a round-faced, blue-eyed, light-colored boy The little boy with hair was born. The boy is very handsome and looks very much like his mother. But the boy's body is very thin, he looks frail and fragile, and he is so delicate that it makes people feel distressed. However, his head is surprisingly big, which makes people worry that when he grows up, his neck will not be able to hold it up.
This little boy was Thomas Alva Edison, who later became world-famous as the "King of Inventions". Edison's ancestral home was in the Netherlands. His father, Samuel, was a hard-working farmer, and his mother worked as a rural teacher. He was the seventh in the family and the youngest child, so he was doted on by his mother.
Edison’s constitution was relatively weak since he was a child. In the more than a thousand days before he was three years old, he got sick many times and cried loudly so many times. His mother was worried and anxious all day long. Restless. Later, under the patient and thoughtful care of his mother, Edison's body became stronger day by day.
Although Edison was physically weak, he loved to use his brain. He is very curious. He always likes to ask why. When he sees something he doesn't understand, he will ask about it. After asking, he will roll his eyes and think about it.
"Why is there steam on the pot?" "Why does the stool have four legs?" "What is gold?" Fathers are often left speechless by their son's questions.
Little Edison’s interest in “breaking the casserole and asking the truth” was fully recognized by his mother.
My mother was a primary school teacher. She knew that curiosity is a master key to unlocking the treasure house of mysterious knowledge. Children without curiosity cannot achieve great things. So whenever Edison asked her why, her mother always smiled, enlightened him carefully, and told him the truth. At this time, Edison always tilted his head and listened with his eyes wide open. After listening, a lot of new "whys" would pop up in his mind.
Edison not only loved asking why, but also wanted to try everything himself, and made many jokes.
When he was four years old, once, he and his friends were playing under a big tree. Someone discovered a hornet's nest on the branch of a tree.
"What is it like in the nest?" Everyone shook their heads.
"Why don't we take it down and take a look, okay?" Edison suggested to his friends.
"The hornets will sting, and they will sting you!" The friends all hid far away.
Edison wanted to figure out the mystery, so he found a long branch and dug down the hornet's nest. Suddenly, a swarm of hornets swarmed towards Edison. In a moment, Edison's face was so red and swollen that he could hardly open his eyes. Even so, he still had to see the structure of the hive clearly.
Another time, when I was six years old. One day after breakfast, while my mother was doing needlework, Edison knocked open the door and jumped in, scaring her mother so much that she pricked her hands.
Eddie asked angrily: "Mom, what are the big hens doing lying on the eggs?"
Mom smiled and said: "It's hatching chicks. The mother chicken is He hatched the chicken dolls day by day with his own body temperature."
"Oh, that's it, it's so interesting." Edison patted his big head with a look of realization. Opened the door and went out.
At lunch time, Edison was nowhere to be seen. The mother was very anxious and the family looked around. It wasn't until the evening that everyone discovered that this little guy had made a "nest" next to the chicken coop in the yard, with several eggs in it. He was lying on the eggs cautiously, motionless.
My mother looked at his concentration and asked, "My child, what are you doing?" "I'm hatching chicks!" He replied seriously.
The whole family laughed so hard that they didn’t expect that he was actually hungry, lying on the eggs from morning to night and “hatching” them for a whole day. It is such a strong interest and superhuman patience that have become important factors in Edison's career success.
This is a very interesting story: When Edison learned that hens were hatching chicks, he imitated the hens and squatted in the hay to hatch the chicks. This ridiculous behavior fully reflects his excellent qualities of being good at observation, thinking, and daring to practice.
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Edison worked almost ten hours a day for decades. When Edison was seventy-five years old, he still went to the laboratory on time every day. A reporter asked him: "Mr. Edison, when do you plan to retire?" Edison said awkwardly: "Oops, I haven't had time to think about this problem until now!"
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p>Edison was a poor worker before he became famous. Once, his old friend met him on the street and said with concern: "This coat on you is worn out. You should get a new one." "Is it useful? No one knows him in New York. Me." Edison replied nonchalantly. A few years later, Edison became a great inventor. One day, Edison met that friend again on the streets of New York. "Oh," the friend exclaimed, "Why are you still wearing this shabby coat? This time, you have to get a new one anyway!" "Is it useful? Everyone here already knows him. "Me." Edison still replied nonchalantly.
Three
In August 1862, one morning, Edison was selling newspapers at a small station. Looking up suddenly, he saw a three or four-year-old boy squatting next to the railway track and playing with stones. A freight train was speeding towards him.
Edison said "Oh!", threw down the newspaper, rushed down the platform desperately, and snatched the child out. At this time, the train whizzed past his ears. How dangerous! Edison fell to the railroad tracks while holding the little boy. His face and hands were cut, but the child was saved.
The little boy’s father is called McKenzie, and he is the webmaster of this station. He is an excellent operator. McKenzie saw this thrilling scene with his own eyes and was so moved that he couldn't speak coherently: "Thank you... thank you, thank you for saving... saving my child!"
Edison didn't care. Smiling, he picked up the newspaper from the ground, patted the dust off his body, boarded the train and left.
The next day, when Edison's train entered the station, McKenzie was already waiting on the platform. He said to Edison very sincerely: "I have nothing to reward you. I heard that you are very interested in telegraphy. If you are willing, I can teach you the technology of sending and receiving telegraphs and make you a telegraph operator." These words It's right in the heart of little Edison. He happily accepted McKenzie's kindness and followed him to learn the technology of sending and receiving telegraphs.
Edison was very attentive in his studies and made rapid progress. In just three months, he was already very proficient in sending and receiving telegraphs. McKenzie recommended him to work as a telegraph operator at the train station. This unexpected learning opportunity laid a good foundation for Edison's future great inventions. Base.
Scientist Einstein
(1879-1955)
Einstein was the greatest natural scientist of the 20th century and the standard-bearer of the revolution in physics. Born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Germany, into a family of small owners who ran an electrical appliance workshop. A year later, he moved to Munich with his family. There my father and his uncle founded an electrician's business that produced motors, arc lamps and electrical instruments for power stations and lighting systems. Under the influence of his uncle, an engineer, and others, Einstein received early enlightenment in science and philosophy. In 1894, his family moved to Milan, Italy. Einstein, who continued to attend middle school in Munich, was disgusted with the militaristic education in German schools that stifled free thought. He voluntarily gave up his student status and German nationality and went to Milan alone. In 1895, he transferred to the state high school in Aarau, Switzerland; in 1896, he entered the Normal Department of the Federal Technical University of Zurich to study physics and graduated in 1900. Because of his unruly personality and habit of independent thinking, he was dissatisfied with his professors. He became unemployed as soon as he graduated from college and found a permanent job two years later. Obtained Swiss citizenship in 1901. In 1902, he was hired as a technician by the Swiss Patent Office in Bern, engaged in technical appraisal of invention patent applications. He used his spare time to conduct scientific research and made historic achievements in three different fields of physics in 1905, especially the establishment of the special theory of relativity and the proposal of the quantum theory of light, which promoted the revolution in physics theory. In the same year, he obtained a doctorate from the University of Zurich with his thesis "A New Method for Determining Molecular Size". In 1908, he concurrently served as a non-staff lecturer at the University of Bern. From then on, he was destined to work in academic institutions. In 1909, he left the patent office and became associate professor of theoretical physics at the University of Zurich. In 1911, he was appointed professor of theoretical physics at the German University of Prague, and in 1912 he was appointed professor at his alma mater, the Federal Technical University of Zurich. In 1914, at the invitation of M. Planck and W. Nernst, he returned to Germany and served as director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Physics and professor at the University of Berlin until 1933. In 1920, at the invitation of H.A. Lorenz and P. Ehrenfest (ie. P. Ehrenfest), he served as a special professor at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Less than four months after returning to Germany, World War I broke out, and he devoted himself to public and underground anti-war activities. After eight years of arduous exploration, he finally completed the general theory of relativity in 1915. His prediction that light will be bent when passing through the gravitational field of the sun was confirmed by the observations of a total solar eclipse by British astronomer A.S. Eddington and others in 1919. It caused a sensation all over the world. Einstein and the theory of relativity gained popularity in the West became a household name and also attracted vicious attacks from chauvinists, militarists and anti-Semites in Germany and other countries.
After the Nazis seized power in Germany in January 1933, Einstein was the primary target of persecution in the scientific community. Fortunately, he was lecturing in the United States at the time and was not persecuted. After returning to Europe in March, he took refuge in Belgium. On September 9, he discovered that he was being followed by the Gestapo who were preparing to assassinate him. He crossed the sea to England at starry night. In October, he transferred to Princeton in the United States and served as a professor at the newly-established Institute for Advanced Study until his retirement in 1945. In 1940 he obtained American citizenship.
In 1939, he learned about the discovery of uranium nuclear fission and its chain reaction. Under the promotion of Hungarian physicist L. Szilard, he wrote to President Roosevelt, suggesting the development of an atomic bomb to prevent Germany from taking the lead. On the eve of the end of World War II, the United States dropped atomic bombs over two Japanese cities, and Einstein was strongly dissatisfied with this. After the war, unremitting struggles were carried out to launch a peaceful movement against nuclear war and against the danger of fascism in the United States.
Died in Princeton on April 18, 1955 due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm. In accordance with his will, no funeral ceremony will be held, no grave will be built, no monument will be erected, and the ashes will be scattered in a place that will always be kept secret, in order not to make any place a holy place.
Apples and Gravity
——Newton’s Story
Isaac Newton (1642-1727) British scientist. He discovered the law of universal gravitation, established the basic system of classical mechanics, made creative contributions in optics, thermal science, and astronomy, and was one of the founders of calculus in mathematics.
One night more than three hundred years ago, a young man sat in the garden and watched the moon. He looked up at the sky dotted with stars and wondered why the moon revolved around the earth without falling. Suddenly, something hit him on the head. This was not a heavy blow, waking him up from his meditation. He looked down and saw that it was a big ripe apple that had fallen from the tree. He picked up the apple and once again fell into deep thought: Why didn't the apple fall to both sides or fly to the sky, but fall vertically to the ground? It must be that the Earth has some kind of gravitational pull that pulls everything toward the Earth. The young man's eyes lit up: Apple is like this, and so is the moon. The moon must be rotating at high speed due to the attraction of the earth's gravity. Because of the gravity, it cannot stay away from the earth; because of the speed, it will not fall like an apple... The night gradually deepened, and the young man held the apple in his hand and smiled happily. He was Newton, the British scientist who discovered gravity. This year, he was only 24 years old.
Newton was born in England on December 25, 1642. His father, a yeoman farmer, died two months before he was born. He has lived a life of poverty and loneliness with his elderly grandmother since he was two years old.
Newton entered Grand Town Primary School when he was 12 years old. He has been very fond of science since he was a child, and often made some dexterous small machines. He made himself a small water clock, modeled after an hourglass. Use a small pool to slowly flow out of the pool. The water surface gradually lowers, and the buoy on the water gradually lowers, thus driving the pointer to rotate to indicate the time.
Kite flying is a game that children love. The clever little Newton even came up with a new trick: one night, he tied a paper lantern to a kite and let it fly into the sky. Many people who saw the kite in the sky shouted: "Comet!" When people knew that the thing shining in the sky was the lantern on the kite, they suddenly realized it.
Newton was a strong-willed child. In school, when he was insulted by his older classmates, he always resisted desperately. He often said: "No matter what you do, as long as you work hard, you will never fail." It was this tenacious spirit that led Newton to reach one peak after another in the mountains of science.
When Newton was engaged in scientific research, he often forgot the existence of himself and others and fell into a state of "obsession".
Once, he invited friends to his home. When he walked out of the room to get the wine, he suddenly remembered the calculations about the moon's orbit, so he forgot about the treat and was busy doing calculations on his own. Knowing Newton's temper, the friend had no choice but to eat the chicken on the plate and spit the bones on the table. Newton finally finished the calculation, and then he remembered the treat.
When he walked back to the table, he saw that there were only bones left in the chicken. He suddenly said, "I thought I hadn't eaten yet, but it turned out that I had already eaten."
Although Newton made great achievements in science Achievements, but still very humble. He once said: "If what I see is farther than Descartes (the famous 17th-century French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher), it is because I am standing on the shoulders of giants."
The apple tree in the garden of Ulsopp Newton's home in England has been carefully protected. After the tree died in 1820, it was divided into several sections and preserved in the Royal Society and other places. This apple tree, which is associated with science, not only bears the imprint of Newton's rigorous academic style, but also spreads Newton's virtue of humility.
Genius boy - Bill Gates
American Bill Gates relied on his wisdom and hard work to magically turn 900 US dollars into 139 US dollars in 20 years billion, astonishing the world. Some people say that Gates and his Microsoft company will change the entire world.
On the evening of October 28, 1955, cute little Gates was born. Although no one could predict at the time that this child would become a great person, everyone loved him very much. Gates loves reading very much. While other children are still addicted to TV cartoons, he has learned to sit alone in his room and browse his father's book collection like a scholar. He immersed himself in a pile of books all day long, and sometimes he could read the thick "World Book Encyclopedia" motionless for several hours.
Little Gates is naturally energetic and very active. As a baby he liked to keep the cradle rocking for long periods of time, it seemed like fun. To this day, he still likes to shake constantly, which has almost become a well-known Gates characteristic of American women and children. When he was seven or eight years old, his mother worked in community service and often took him to schools to explain the history of Seattle to students. Gates always sat in the front row and listened very attentively, but at this time his active habit was not found at all. Not here.
Gates has been ambitious since he was a child. When he was in the fourth grade, he said to his good friend: "It is better to be an oak tree on a bald hill than to be a grass in an oasis."
Like many children, he dreams Become a hero among men. As for the homework assigned by the teacher, whether it is playing a musical instrument or writing a composition, I must complete it seriously. Even if it takes a long time, I must try my best to be first. Once, the teacher asked everyone to write a story, which should not exceed 20 pages, but he wrote 100 pages. Gates is good at thinking and likes innovation. He felt that everyone should have their own inventions.
Like many American children, he also served as a Boy Scout. During the long march, other children complained incessantly. Gates' feet were bruised and bleeding, but he endured the pain and exhaustion and persisted to the end.
Gates was born into a famous family, but his parents were not overly luxurious. Under the mother's arrangements, the family's meals, outings, and children's clothing were all in order. The family's rigorous and meticulous style naturally influenced Bill Gates and developed his frugal habit.
"Time" and "concept" are the two conditions that Gates pays most attention to. He clearly recorded this motto in his reading notes: "Opportunity plus time equals money." Since he was in middle school, he has been fascinated by computers, and Gates has been inseparable from computers ever since.
Answer: 1997010710 - Apprentice Magician Level 2 2-7 13:03
The little fool is still a little prodigy
Einstein was not lively when he was a child. When he was over three years old, he still couldn't speak. His parents were worried that he was mute and took him to the doctor for examination. Fortunately, little Einstein was not mute, but he could not speak very smoothly until he was nine years old. Every word he spoke had to be thought through laboriously but carefully. Little Einstein was an honest child who never did anything against his will or deception. For this reason, he was ridiculed by his classmates and gave him the nickname "Honest John". Ordinary children like to play competitive games, but he didn't like to participate. The child likes war games and watching soldiers drill, but he has never liked anything related to the military since he was a child.
He is a pacifist who does not want to see humans killing each other.
There was a garden around Einstein's house. He often squatted alone in the bushes in the corner of the garden for a long time, stroking the small leaves with his hands or staring at the scurrying ants. He has been fond of meditation since he was a child and wanted to understand the mysteries of nature. Once, during a picnic on the bank of the Isar River, a relative said that little Einstein was very serious. While other children were playing and amusing each other, he sat alone and looked at the other side of the lake. Mother Pauline defended her child affectionately: "He is quiet because he is thinking. Just wait, one day he will become a professor!" The relative felt ridiculous, but he also understood the mother's mood. professor! In people's minds, only those who are smart can get this honorary title. Can this stupid kid who can't even speak well become a professor?
When Einstein was four or five years old, he was bedridden and his father gave him a compass. When he found that the compass kept pointing in a fixed direction, he was very surprised and felt that there must be something deeply hidden behind this phenomenon. He happily played with the compass for several days and pestered his father and Uncle Jacob with a series of questions. Although he couldn't even pronounce the word "magnetism" well, he stubbornly wanted to know why the compass could guide. This profound and lasting impression could still be vividly recalled by Einstein until he was sixty-seven years old.
When Einstein was in elementary school and middle school, his general homework was average, but his math scores were far above those of his classmates. Because he behaves slowly and doesn't like to interact with others, his teachers and classmates don't like him. The teacher who taught him Greek and Latin was so disgusted with him that he once publicly scolded him: "Einstein, you will definitely not be successful when you grow up." And because he was afraid that he would affect other students in class, he actually wanted to Kick him out of school.
Einstein's uncle Jacob was responsible for technical matters in the electrical factory, while Einstein's father was responsible for business dealings. Jacob was an engineer and loved mathematics very much. When little Einstein came to him to ask questions, he always introduced mathematical knowledge to him in very simple and popular language.
One day Einstein came to ask his uncle: "What is algebra"? The uncle explained it this way: "There are many problems in arithmetic that are not easy to solve and difficult to calculate. Algebra is a 'happy' mathematics that can easily help people solve difficult calculations. We put what we don't know into The number says X, and then capture it. You treat it as something you already know, establish some relationships, and eventually you can get it easily." Then his uncle gave him a booklet with algebra problems, Love. Einstein quickly learned to solve the problems inside.
One time Uncle Jacob told him a very beautiful theorem in geometry - the Pythagoras theorem: the square of the long side of any right triangle must be equal to the sum of the squares of the two short sides. His uncle did not tell him the proof of this theorem, but after drawing many right triangles, Einstein found that this relationship had always been true, and he was very surprised.
My father’s business is not doing well, but he is an optimistic and kind-hearted person. The family invites poor students who come to Munich to study one night a week for dinner, which is equivalent to providing relief to them. Among them are a pair of Jewish brothers Max and Bernard from Lithuania. They are both studying medicine. They both like to read books and have a wide range of interests. They were invited to Einstein's house for dinner and made good friends with the shy little Einstein, who had black hair and brown eyes.
Max can be said to be Einstein’s “initial teacher”. He lent him some popular natural science books. After reading them, he discussed them with Einstein and continued to provide them to him. His new reading. Max ignited Einstein's interest in self-study and continued to tutor him.
Max gave Einstein a copy of Spilke's plane geometry textbook when he was twelve years old, and he suddenly captured Einstein's mind.
Reflecting on this sacred little book in his later years, Einstein said: "There are many assertions in this book, for example, that the three altitudes of a triangle intersect at one point. Although they are not obvious in themselves, they can be proved very reliably. , so that any doubt seemed impossible. This clarity and reliability made an indescribable impression on me."
At this time, Einstein thought of the Pythagoras theorem again. So I wanted to independently prove this theorem. It took him three weeks to finally find a method, which was to draw a vertical line from the vertex facing the longest side of the right triangle, and then divided the triangle into similar triangles, which made it easy to prove this theorem. Although this is an old theorem with a history of more than 2,000 years, Einstein finally got the result after some hard work. He experienced the joy of scientific discovery for the first time.
When Max comes every week, he will help him correct some exercises and tutor him on some more difficult problems. Soon after, he was guided to study advanced mathematics. When he was thirteen, he had already taught himself calculus. While his classmates frowned at the simple problems of plane geometry and circular fractions, Einstein had entered the beautiful and magical "infinite world" of infinite series through self-study.
Soon little Einstein's mathematics level surpassed that of Max, who was in college. The medical student who was eleven years older than him could no longer keep up with this twelve or thirteen-year-old child. In order to have topics for conversation with *** in the future, Max began to lend him philosophy books. Einstein was able to understand Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" at the age of thirteen. This is a boring and difficult book for many adults. At this time, the books Einstein read were mathematics, physics, and books by many philosophers. He doesn't read novels and his only pastime is playing the violin.
Max thought he had discovered a child prodigy. He said: "A great scientist or philosopher will grow up from Einstein."