I don't remember when it was that I first learnt Newton's three laws of motion. It was a long time ago. It was love at first sight with the second law. I spent many a night, wondering why Newton chose to make it the second law. Did it not deserve to the be the first law? Or, maybe, the last, like that unexpected ending in a Saki story?
I then started reading any popular science book I could lay my hands on. I was romancing physics. Many books introduced me to newer concepts from Tao to Big Bang - but there was only one that seemed to illustrate the beauty that first drew me to Physics: Physics For The Inquiring Mind by Eric. M. Rogers.
We all find simplicity beautiful. The clean purposeful lines in a building, the no-nonsense attitude in a person, the concept of recursion in programming, are all beautiful. With every simplification, it feels like I am clearing out a part of my brain, storing what I need in a shelf, and making space for more. It was the simplicity of the law, the ability to explain the whole world in a nugget that was my undoing.
The second law explains that Force or Impulse is the same as the rate of change in momentum. Momentum, is thus constant if there is no Force. This is inertia. A ball drops to the floors, rolls away, and even stops exactly as described in the second law.
Some day, when my kids grow to be teenagers, I hope they will discover simplicity, and fall in love too.
Then again, my husband was a quizzer. His was in love with trivia and lots of unrelated facts. Maybe they will take after him.
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3 comments:
Science in its simplicity is intoxicating, to say the least. I haven't been into physics when i was young but lately been very taken to Quantum Physics.. its mystical but when you read simple books like 'A brief History of time- from BigBang to Black Holes' i feel , i shudve read it when i was younger, i wudve fallen in love for sure, with Quantum Physics. Love your post.Cheers! Rekha
Science in its simplicity is intoxicating, to say the least. I haven't been into physics when i was young but lately been very taken to Quantum Physics.. its mystical but when you read simple books like 'A brief History of time- from BigBang to Black Holes' By Stephen Hawking, i feel , i shudve read it when i was younger, i wudve fallen in love for sure, with Quantum Physics. Love your post.Cheers!
Hawking is an inspiration, not just as a physicist, but for overcoming all his disabilities. Great book recommendation, Rekha!
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