The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1154: Chapter 119: Dreamlike Reality

Two years, in a person’s life, may be very short. But two years can also be enough to make a qualitative change in a person’s life. During Arthur Hastings’ tenure as Göttingen University Supervisor and National Special Representative from 1833-1834, what contributions did he make to the progress of human civilization as a whole?

George Ohm, who was buried in the academic world, was rediscovered by him. This future Copley Medal winner, a great scientist famous throughout Europe, shone brilliantly at the University of Göttingen. With Arthur Hastings’ help, Gauss and Weber built the world’s first geomagnetic monitoring station and, together with Alexander von Humboldt and Charles Wheatstone, established the Göttingen Electromagnetic Society.

The future Iron Chancellor of the German Empire, Bismarck, first showed his edge in Göttingen. Although at this time he was still just a hot-tempered youth, Arthur quickly taught him the techniques of dealing with ’creepy-crawlies’. And when Bismarck gained great power in the Gestapo, a child from an ordinary farming family traveled over a hundred miles to the small town of Göttingen in Hanover.

Although this child would become a pivotal figure in the German industrial world in many years to come, possessing wealth that people around the world envied, at that time, he was still worrying about his university tuition. He wished to continue pursuing the noble profession of applied science, but if he couldn’t solve his financial problems, he would have to face the harsh reality of giving up his dream and dropping out.

—— Eld Carter ”Arthur Hastings and the Free Constitutional Reform of the Kingdom of Hanover”

The laboratory at the University of Göttingen, the air was filled with a slight metallic smell.

The recently renovated lab was very spacious and bright, but as the latest purchased instruments had not yet arrived, there were only a few simple wooden tables piled with books, manuscripts, and equipment, with various circuit diagrams and hand-drawn sketches by scientists hanging on the walls.

Gauss, Weber, Ohm, and Arthur were tightly gathered around an experiment table full of various copper coils, batteries, and magnets.

However, while there were four people standing here, only Ohm was actually doing the work.

It wasn’t that Gauss, Weber, and Arthur didn’t want to help, but they intended to see with their own eyes how Ohm himself would replicate the experiment.

The experimental apparatus used by Ohm was not much, only a few thermoelectric batteries, a long copper wire, a sliding resistor, and two crude ammeters he made himself.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, beads of sweat dotted Ohm’s forehead as he carefully connected the circuit, taking every step cautiously to ensure good contact.

He knew that these experiments were not just to verify his ideas but also to prove to the academic world that the linear relationship between current and voltage is universal, unaffected by material or direction of current. Moreover, this might be the last opportunity of his life.

Mathematician giant John Karl Gauss, electromagnetic genius William Weber, and the second British electromagnetic authority under Faraday, Arthur Hastings, were all watching!

Then, he connected the ammeter to the copper wire, and as the current was switched on, the needle of the ammeter gently flicked, indicating the current passing through the wire. Ohm knew that every piece of data he was about to measure was crucial.

He adjusted the battery’s voltage, and after each change, he carefully recorded the values of voltage and current. His hand held the voltmeter steadily, observing and pondering. After each record, Ohm would pause for a moment, carefully checking the data to ensure there were no errors.

As data was recorded line by line on paper, Gauss, extremely sensitive to numbers, had already noticed subtle patterns.

But the cautious Gauss didn’t express his insights immediately; instead, he politely asked Ohm,”Excuse me, Mr. Ohm, could I borrow that sliding resistor you’re holding?”

Hearing Gauss speak, Ohm immediately removed the sliding resistor and offered it with both hands, ”Of course, you can use it as long as you want.”

”Thank you.” Gauss took the sliding resistor, turned silently, and began rebuilding the circuit using the laboratory’s equipment.

Even though Ohm had verified the experiment in front of him, Gauss still harbored doubts about the final result, suspecting that the linearity between current and voltage might be due to the insufficient precision of Ohm’s self-made ammeters.

Gauss had already begun experimenting on the other side, but Weber and Arthur were still gathered around the experiment table, examining the manuscript paper with recorded experimental data over and over.

Weber raised an eyebrow and nudged Arthur with his elbow, lowering his voice, ”Your Excellency, the Supervisor, have you figured it out?”

Arthur didn’t speak, he merely picked up a pen from the experiment table and wrote a formula in the blank space on the paper—Voltage = Current x Resistance.

Seeing this formula, Weber turned to look at the experimental data, and couldn’t help but chuckle, ”Previously, Mr. Navier and Mr. Coriolis wrote and said you are a genius in mathematics. At the time, I didn’t believe it, but now it seems they weren’t wrong at all.”

And when Ohm saw the formula Arthur had written, he clenched his fists excitedly.