MarkI-ZeroPoint <zeropo...@charter.net> wrote:
> FYI, I was just using Franklin and the Royal Society as an example… not > literally. > You can use it literally. He was a member of the Society. They awarded him the Copley Medal in 1753, and made him a Fellow in 1756, when he was still living in Philadelphia, before he moved to London. You can gauge the speed of communication by reading the correspondence between Franklin and Peter Collinson, FRS, who I think was his main correspondent and friend at the Society. Here is part of a famous letter he wrote to Collinson describing how he was trying to electrocute a turkey and he nearly electrocuted himself instead: "I inadvertently took the Stroke of two of those [Leyden] Jars thro' my Arms and Body, when they were very near full charg'd. It seem'd an universal Blow from head to foot throughout the Body, and was follow'd by a violent quick Trembling in the Trunk, which wore gradually off in a few seconds. It was some Moments before I could collect my Thoughts so as to know what was the Matter; for I did not see the Flash tho' my Eye was on the Spot of the Prime Conductor from whence it struck the Back of my Hand, nor did I hear the Crack tho' the By-standers say it was a loud one; nor did I particularly feel the Stroke on my Hand, tho' I afterwards found it had rais'd a Swelling there the bigness of half a Swan Shot or pistol Bullet. My Arms and Back of my Neck felt somewhat numb the remainder of the Evening, and my Breastbone was sore for a Week after, [as] if it had been bruiz'd. What the Consequence would be, if such a Shock were taken thro' the Head, I know not." - February 4, 1751 . . . so two scientists debating their ideas on theories, or two engineers > discussing the design of a dam, consumed YEARS of time; now it happens in > SECONDS! > The theoretical physicists I know -- and have known -- such as Schwinger, Kim and Hagelstein, work as slowly as people did in the 18th century. It takes them months or years to answer a question. They do not communicate much. For the most part they ignore one another. > And finally, this is probably a pointless discussion since it’s a foolish > idea to even try to compare the times when things are so much more complex > today… > It is never foolish to study history. Things are not so complex today as they appear, and they were not so simple in times gone by. - Jed
