[ RadSafe ] Busby and calculations

[Douglas Minnema]

Steve, good observation.   It reminds me that this same tendency (calculate but not measure) was noted as part of the reason Heisenberg failed in his efforts to build a bomb for Germany.  Among other things, this led him to fail to measure the effect of impurities in graphite and lead on neutron transport, which resulted in the failure of his early criticality experiments.

Doug Minnema 

>>> Steven Dapra <sjd at swcp.com> 05/03/11 9:53 PM >>>
May 3

	I am currently reading a book about early modern Europe (Rice, 1970).

	In his chapter on science and technology, the author discusses the 
physics of the medieval scholastics, and how they went nowhere 
because of the scholastics' limited knowledge of mathematics.  The 
author also says, "They were disputatious, and too often preferred 
the sophistical victory of the debate to the empirical search for 
truth.  They calculated, but saw little need to measure."

	"Dr. Chris Busby, another physicist . . . predicts based on his 
calculations. . . ."

	I don't make the news, I merely report it.

Steven Dapra


REFERENCE

Rice, Eugene, F. Jr.  The Foundations of Early Modern Europe, 1460 - 
1559.  W.W. Norton and Co., 1970  (page 20).

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