Tongue-Lashing the Scholars

With Lord Kelvin's declaration, "The lecture is concluded. Please raise your hands if you wish to speak," the venue immediately buzzed with excitement.

A thrilling atmosphere instantly permeated the hall, with everyone mentally braced, afraid to miss a single word.

Initially, no one responded, everyone was observing.

After a moment, an elder with a head full of white hair raised his hand, and Lord Kelvin immediately gestured for him to ask his question.

"Hello, Bruce, I am Professor Klaus from the Physics Department at Oxford University, my main research area is classical mechanics. I'd like to ask you a question."

Li Qiwei quickly replied, "Hello, Professor Klaus, please proceed with your question."

Klaus said, "The great sage Leibniz once said: Nature is not continuous. The calculus he and Newton founded is based on the principle that 'the quantities dealt with must be continuous.'"

"If, as you say, energy is quantized and discontinuous, wouldn't that contradict the conclusions of the sages?"

Li Qiwei stated, "Galileo, through the results of his Leaning Tower experiment, proved that objects do not fall faster the heavier they are. He exclaimed, 'Aristotle was wrong!'"

"Thomas Young, through the double-slit interference experiment, proved that light also undergoes interference, and he believed that Newton's corpuscular theory might be wrong."

"Therefore, even sages can be mistaken. We cannot treat the words of the sages as absolute truth."

"I respect those great scientific predecessors, but I respect the even greater truth of the universe more."

As soon as he finished speaking, he was met with a round of applause.

His answer was brilliant. You accuse me of contradicting the sages' conclusions? Instead of proving myself right, I'll point out that even the sages can be wrong.

Planck and Lord Kelvin looked at Li Qiwei with great satisfaction.

At this moment, another Oxford professor raised his hand, clearly impatient. " Bruce, that's sophistry."

"Let me ask you, since energy is discontinuous, why is the energy perceived by our human senses continuous, such as flames, sunlight, and so on?"

Many people nodded in agreement; this was a good angle for a challenge.

Li Qiwei replied, "That is because our human senses are incapable of precisely receiving information from the microscopic world."

"Under the guidance of Professor Thomson, I have researched atoms and their structure. Although my naked eyes cannot see what an atom looks like, through instruments, I can know that it is a particle."

"And not that atoms, as the sages once believed, could not exist."

"Similarly, at the extreme microscopic scale, energy is also quantized, it's just that current instruments cannot observe or measure it."

The professor continued to ask, "Since it cannot be observed, how can you prove it is correct?"

Li Qiwei said, "My paper has already proven that using the concept of Quantum can perfectly explain any situation of blackbody radiation. Professor Planck has already supplemented the experiment in the laboratory."

At this, Planck added, "Yes, the experimental results show that the predicted values of the [Li-Planck radiation formula] are indistinguishable from the experimental values."

"Furthermore, with the Quantum concept, we can perfectly integrate Wien's formula and the Rayleigh-Jeans formula using interpolation."

"I have already published the relevant experimental results in Annals of Physics. If anyone is interested, you can refer to it."

After speaking, he nodded towards the two prominent figures, Wien and Rayleigh, in the audience.

The Oxford professor was left speechless by the rebuttal and could only sit down dejectedly, his expression somewhat unnatural.

Suddenly, a young man, disregarding the meeting's rules, stood up and shouted, "This is utter nonsense!"

"Everyone, don't listen to this Easterner's deceptive words. How can the world be discontinuous? He must have been sent by the Qing Dynasty to disrupt our European science!"

"Down with Bruce·Li, this heretic!"

The venue immediately erupted in commotion, and Lord Kelvin's expression clearly changed.

He shouted loudly, "Guards, quickly escort this impudent person out! This is a sacred scientific discussion, and such insolence will not be tolerated."

Then, he apologized to Li Qiwei and everyone present.

The scale of this conference was truly immense, making it easy for individuals with ulterior motives to infiltrate.

The crowd quickly quieted down. These were all high-caliber human elites, and no one dwelled on this minor interruption. Instead, they were all contemplating how to understand Quantum.

At this moment, another Oxford physics professor posed a question. When the audience heard him announce his affiliation with Oxford, they all chuckled in unison.

Everyone present was happy to watch the ongoing rivalry between Oxford and Cambridge, as long as it was a normal academic exchange, they were all in favor.

"Hello, Bruce, assuming your Quantum theory is correct, doesn't that mean the three pillars of classical physics are all wrong?"

"Since energy is discontinuous, the forces that generate energy must also be discontinuous. Therefore, F=ma is wrong."

"Electromagnetic waves are also energy, so they must be discontinuous. Therefore, Maxwell's Equations are wrong."

"Heat is also a form of energy, so thermodynamics and statistical mechanics are also wrong."

"If we continue this line of reasoning, doesn't it mean that all the lifelong studies of everyone in this room are wrong? Do you think that's possible?"

"But if we are truly wrong, then why have we been able to invent the telegraph, predict the trajectories of celestial bodies, make steel ships traverse the seas, and allow automobiles to liberate human legs?"

"If classical physics is wrong, then is the entire world an illusion?"

Indeed, this professor's question was devastatingly powerful, striking at the core. Everyone present was moved, even Lord Kelvin wore a solemn expression.

He could deeply empathize with that feeling, the sense of loss as if abandoned by physics.

Professor Planck even froze for a moment, as it spoke directly to his heart.

Historically, Planck spent five years after publishing his Quantum theory trying to disprove his own ideas.

This completely went against his worldview. He tried hard to fit Quantum into the framework of classical physics, but it was impossible.

Because of this, he was often distracted and withdrawn during that period, not interacting with others.

Li Qiwei unusually didn't answer immediately. He was quietly contemplating, as the question was too probing. He needed to choose his words carefully.

The venue fell silent, everyone waiting for his response.

Finally, Li Qiwei spoke, "I have always believed that existing physical theories are merely approximations of higher-level theories."

"When we discuss macroscopic or low-speed scenarios, using approximations can often save a lot of computation."

"For example, with a mass of molecules, there's no need to understand the precise properties of each individual molecule. We can use statistical mechanics to explain and predict the macroscopic properties of the aggregate."

"Just as we cannot explain the origin and mechanism of human consciousness, we can still use it to create physical concepts, observe the world, and explain the world."

"Therefore, I believe the concept of Quantum is an element of a higher-level physical theory."

"Under that theory, perhaps everything in the world is composed of Quantum."

"However, none of this prevents us from using approximate theories to explain everything."

"Nature hides deeper truths within plants and trees. Even if we cannot comprehend them, we can still appreciate their beauty, or cultivate plants and burn wood to improve our lives."

Finally, Li Qiwei added, "I think this is the Creator's mercy upon humanity."

Whoosh!

The venue erupted. Everyone was utterly stunned by Li Qiwei's explanation.

Regarding extra updates, dear readers, adding extra chapters during the new book promotion period is very disadvantageous. So please understand. My readership is not enough, and my recommendations have decreased. Adding more chapters would be a dead end. I will refine the plot carefully and strive to make it enjoyable for everyone.