In the days that followed, Li Qiwei thrived at the Cavendish Laboratory.
And he hadn't forgotten his little brother, Chris. With Thomson's permission, Li Qiwei often assigned him simple physics experiments.
How much Chris learned depended on his own aptitude.
Even so, the young man was moved to tears, vowing to study hard and never bring shame on Li Qiwei.
Once they'd grown familiar, Li Qiwei often discussed problems with Rutherford, Wilson, and the others, sometimes even bringing his mentor Thomson into the conversation.
After learning more about his work, Li Qiwei had now officially entered the heart of Thomson's research and begun studying his Atom Plum Pudding Model.
At the time, the existence of atoms had yet to be mathematically proven. That would have to wait until Einstein published his paper on Brownian motion in 1905.
But through various methods, physicists had detected the existence of atoms and could already begin studying their properties.
Thomson had discovered that atoms contained electrons, which carried a negative charge.
This raised a question: how exactly did electrons move or remain stable inside the atom?
Thomson proposed the Plum Pudding Model: an atom's mass and positive charge were distributed evenly throughout its interior, like a spherical pudding, while the electrons were like raisins scattered randomly throughout it.
Li Qiwei knew, of course, that the model was wrong and would later be overturned by Rutherford.
But when he genuinely studied it, taking the historical context into account, he was surprised to find the theory quite elegant.
It could not only explain the atom's electric field distribution with ease but also allow its orbits to be analyzed using classical mechanics.
No wonder it would take more than a decade for it to be replaced by the Planetary Model.
Li Qiwei couldn't help reflecting that physics truly couldn't be built in a day.
He grew more and more suspicious that Einstein was an alien. But after meeting him twice, he hadn't found a shred of evidence. He could only explain it away as genius.
The theories we studied in later generations had survived only after countless incorrect theories had been discarded.
Learning only what was right, without knowing where the wrong theories had gone wrong, was an incomplete kind of education—a form of rote learning.
At the time, Li Qiwei, Rutherford, Wilson, and the others were working on designing more experiments to test the Plum Pudding Model.
Li Qiwei wasn't at all arrogant or dismissive of these experiments. Instead, he carried them out meticulously, then analyzed the results using his knowledge of the future. It left him deeply satisfied.
While Li Qiwei was absorbed in his physics research, a small-scale discussion was being held at Oxford University.
The topic was how to refute the concepts of the quantum and Quantum Mechanics.
Lucas, Oxford University's vice-chancellor, was a dashing, middle-aged man. He was now making his case with passionate conviction.
"My dear professors, this is no longer merely an academic dispute. It is a matter of honor between Oxford and Cambridge."
"I know that everyone here is either a respected veteran of physics or a brilliant young talent."
"You take pride in scholarship and physics, and disdain the sophistry that fills the work of those literature professors."
"But who can guarantee that Quantum Mechanics is right?"
"At the very least, we can raise some questions and make Bruce Li answer them."
Everyone present was a precious asset to Oxford's physics department. Lucas could only count on them to restore the university's reputation.
The unfortunate truth was that quite a few professors agreed with the quantum concept.
Others simply didn't care. They believed physics had already run its course, saw Quantum Mechanics as a pipe dream, and had no interest in arguing about it.
The majority, meanwhile, genuinely believed Li Qiwei was wrong and had gathered plenty of evidence to support their position.
Lucas hoped more people would join the effort and strengthen the opposition.
Cambridge's funding made Lucas's heart quake. It was a full five times Oxford University's budget.
The university council had even asked him why Oxford's academic standing lagged behind Cambridge's and urged him to take immediate steps to address it.
That was what had fueled the subsequent push to question the theory of Quantum Mechanics.
Now that everyone had decided to hold a public debate, Lucas had no choice but to agree.
He could influence Oxford's professors and scholars, but no one else would listen to him.
That made this rally especially important.
One professor from the opposition said, "Mr. Lucas, don't worry. Academic disputes are perfectly normal."
"If we can prove the theory wrong, that would be ideal. But if we prove it right, that would be a great boon to physics."
"Whatever happens, we'll give it everything we've got."
A professor who supported the theory said, "I'm in favor of academic debate, but we can't make things up or let our tempers get the better of us."
Lucas was at a loss. Though he was the vice-chancellor, he had no authority to manage these professors, so he could only keep trying to persuade them.
Meanwhile, many others from different universities, as well as private individuals, were gearing up for the debate.
Some were devotees of Classical Physics; others were madmen bent on overturning physics.
And, of course, there were also plenty of people who supported Li Qiwei.
In Berlin University, several people were sitting around in Planck's office, chatting casually.
"Planck, are you confident about going to London this time?" Röntgen asked.
"I don't think I'll be needed. My student isn't one to be trifled with. He should be ready to face every kind of challenge." Planck seemed completely at ease.
Boltzmann took a deep drag and laughed. "It's been a long time since the physics community has been this lively. What a grand occasion!"
Röntgen went on, "The British are doing this on purpose, to show the whole world how much influence they wield."
"When we go, we'll make sure they see that the center of physics will always be Germany."
The three of them burst out laughing. The battle over physics had set even these old men's blood racing.
In Paris, four people sat casually at the University of Paris.
They were the forty-eight-year-old Becquerel, the forty-one-year-old Curie, his thirty-three-year-old wife, Marie Curie, and Curie's most prized doctoral student, the twenty-eight-year-old Langevin.
Becquerel had been the first to discover Natural Radioactivity. Together with the Curie couple, he had won the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The three had grown very close, often conducting experiments together and discussing their research in physics.
Curie spoke up with a teasing smile. "I never thought the three of us would be invited by Lord Kelvin. It's quite an honor."
Then he turned to Langevin. "This is the best learning opportunity you'll ever get."
Marie Curie glanced at Langevin, then added, "I'd also very much like to see for myself what kind of young man Bruce is."
Becquerel, the eldest of the group, smiled. "This is a grand occasion for physics. Every physicist should make their voice heard."
"I can hardly wait to witness it."
In Switzerland, Einstein and Grossman had made all their preparations and were just waiting to set off for Britain.
In the Netherlands, Belgium, and elsewhere, countless scholars and even industrialists with an interest in physics were eagerly looking forward to the conference.
It had truly captured the attention of the whole world!
Thanks to [Book Friend 161029122525434] and [Yuan Ding] for the monthly tickets. Thanks to all our new and longtime book friends for the recommendation tickets.
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