Thoughts on Week 6 Avogadros #
There's a thin line between magic and science. Some things that were considered the dark arts of magic in the 1600's is now part of our regular routines. Flying was an action only performed by divine beings or in ones dreams. Now we can fly anywhere in the world and to select parts of outer space using science. Science offers the structure to hypothesize, test, and prove. This structure known as the scientific method is what allows scientists to discover breakthroughs to propel scientific developments forwards. One person to act upon his curiosity was Avogadro. His ability to think within the box of science and out of the box among most of his peers is what led him to discovering the difference between atoms and molecules. His hypothesis held weight, but his peers ignored his idea for an entire 50 years. I understand this is socially accepted as the rate at which science expands, but I didn't quite get how this could occur until recently. Seeing how politicians are fighting scientists on the impact and existence of climate change offers a snapshot of the resistance to some scientific findings. While Trump declares global warming is not real. Scientists in the early 1800's believed Avogadro's number was a theory worth ignoring until ignorance put the entire scientific community at a standstill. Time will continue to repeat itself. The scientific community will resist innovative ideas until the truth of the matter is pressed upon them. If scientific theories and laws must penetrate economics, politics, and daily life then there is a greater battle ahead. Our Avogadro number of today is Global warming. If it can be accepted among the masses then huge strides in energy production and conservation can occur. All we need is a little magic or a dead end to inspire our leaders and capitalists to support it.
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