After finishing this troublesome task, Li Yu came to Tongwen Hall and planned to ask Ding Weiliang to buy some science books. He had already read the books in the Tongwen Hall library, and there was really nothing new about them.
Ding Haoliang was happy to help: "What kind of books do you want?"
"It doesn't matter, as long as it's the most cutting-edge, it's also best to buy some science and technology magazines, British, American, German, the more the better."
"This matter is quite simple. I am also considering purchasing more books for the opening of the Capital University Hall. As an excellent university, how can the library have a small collection of books? I have already handed the Minister of Management a book list before
, many are already on the way, we just need to add some more.”
"Very good!"
This time Li Yu could save a lot of money. After all, buying foreign books was really expensive for him at that time. An original English book traveling across the ocean to China would easily cost five or six taels of silver. If he bought it for twenty or thirty
Ben, he can declare bankruptcy.
"One more thing, the Royal Society of England sent a formal invitation letter today, and the name on the letterhead is for you."
Ding Haoliang pulled out a telegram from the table and said, "It's signed President Huggins."
Li Yu read the telegram, and his language was quite polite, which was the most popular British gentleman style at the time.
In fact, in the past few days, Li Yu has been thinking about what kind of manuscript to submit to them. After thinking about it, he felt that it would be better to start with thermodynamics.
Thermodynamics is also a hot topic right now. Lord Kelvin's most famous achievement is in thermodynamics. After all, the thermodynamic temperature unit is the Kelvin.
Planck also studied thermodynamics at the beginning, and even his doctoral thesis was called "On the Second Law of Thermodynamics."
At that time, European and American universities, as long as they taught physics courses, would definitely focus on thermodynamics, and the evaluation of the school and the level of professors would also focus on this field.
Moreover, at the height of the Second Industrial Revolution, research into the direction of energy is in full swing, and various heat engines are emerging one after another.
Returning to his residence, Li Yu sat at the table again.
Thermodynamics is a big topic. As usual, he listed several directions on the paper, and suddenly an idea flashed: Why not write the second law of thermodynamics!
Although this law was formulated by Lord Kelvin and Clausius as early as half a century ago. And soon Clausius also creatively proposed a third formulation, which is the famous entropy increase principle, that is,
That is, everything will develop towards chaos. "Entropy" means chaos, and the increase in entropy means the increase in chaos.
But the theory at that time still only stayed in the macroscopic field, or was limited to the field of thermodynamics.
However, modern people have long understood that the principle of entropy increase can be called one of the ultimate laws of the universe.
He can completely expand the principle of entropy increase in depth. John Thomson discovered electrons exactly five years ago (1897), and the scientific community finally began to truly establish understanding of the microscopic field.
Li Yu planned to extend the principle of entropy increase directly to the microscopic level. Not only that, he also boldly introduced the principle of entropy increase into the biological field, and even the information theory that had just emerged due to the telegraph and telephone.
In fact, this work was not started until forty years later by Schrödinger, and Schrödinger only introduced the principle of entropy increase into biology. It was later developments that slowly refreshed the greatness of the entropy increase principle.
Li Yu not only gave the above theory, but also made mathematical deductions, which was his strength. Anyway, scientists at the time had reached a consensus on the second law of thermodynamics, but what was lacking was extended development.
At this time, Li Yu also deeply felt the power of the calculator he brought inexplicably when he traveled through time: the calculations were so fast!
Although it is just a small calculator, everyone has one now and the price is not expensive, but this thing is a genuine crystallization of modern technology! Because there is a chip inside, although it is only a very rudimentary chip. But what is a chip?
Integrated circuit! A proper product of the third technological revolution.
Almost half a century later, the world's first computer was a behemoth that took up several rooms. It was just a vacuum tube structure. Integrated circuits did not slowly appear until the late 1960s.
Of course, it can only do calculations and save time, but for scientific research, it is already a time killer, not only fast but also accurate.
It took Li Yu a whole day to write the first draft, check it in detail, and prepare to copy and send it out the next day.
In fact, he can finish the copy tonight, but it is really difficult for people who are used to electric lights to get used to the weak candle light.
He has cherished his eyesight since he was a child. As a person who has been reading for nearly twenty years, it is a small miracle that he is not short-sighted.
Fortunately, since there was no electric light network, I have developed the habit of going to bed early and getting up early every day, which is really good for health!
Just as Li Yu was getting ready to go to bed, there was a knock on the door. He was wondering, just two days after moving in, there were already people visiting? The neighbors were so enthusiastic!
Li Yu opened the door, and there was a middle-aged man standing outside, with a small sedan behind him.
"You are?"
The middle-aged man said: "If I may interrupt you, we live next door. When I returned home, I saw that this house was occupied, so I asked out of curiosity."
——No wonder people are curious, who in this era has the guts to live in a house where more than a dozen people died!
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. I, Li Yu, will take care of the neighbors in the future." Li Yu said angrily.
"Li Yu?"
The person in the sedan exclaimed in surprise, opened the curtain and walked down, "You are Li Yu, but are you Li Yu from Prince Qing's residence?"
The middle-aged man who knocked on the door hurriedly added: "This is my master, the Grand Bachelor of Wenhua Palace and the foreman of Military and Aircraft Minister Rong Zhongtang."
It's Ronglu! I almost forgot that he lives in Dongchang Hutong.
Li Yu quickly replied: "I have seen Rong Zhongtang, and I am Li Yu who is staying at Prince Qing's residence."
Ronglu laughed loudly: "Seeing is better than hearing. Recently, Prince Qing always pulls me to teach me about Western learning. He is not happy if he doesn't listen. Later I found out that he hired a man named
Li Yu, an expert in Western learning, finally met him today."
Li Yu also smiled and said: "Prince Qing is still very interested in Western learning."
"Isn't that right? He is imitating others and made the Queen Mother very angry today!"
"Queen Mother?"
Ronglu laughed a few more times: "It's really interesting to think about it. He actually insisted on saying that the Queen Mother was transformed from a monkey, haha! Do you think it's funny or not?"
"Ah!?" Li Yu's jaw almost dropped in shock.
The butler next to him couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Is the prince joking?"
Ronglu said: "This is not a joke. He argued so hard that the Queen got so angry that she kicked him out."
"this……"
Li Yu really didn't know what to say. Could this prince be an old naughty boy? He had just learned a few things and dared to say that the Queen Mother was transformed from a monkey. It would be better to at least understand the theory of evolution first!
It's over now. If the Queen Mother knew that she was the one who said it, wouldn't it be bad news?