The summer insects are also silent for me, and silence is Cambridge tonight.
This poem by Xu Zhimo is rarely so suitable for the occasion.
The season is indeed early summer, and the location is also a serious sword, er, Cambridge.
There is only a slight deviation in the time. It is not evening but morning.
But this is innocuous. The moment the door opens, Silence is indeed the current Cambridge.
Rutherford didn't know what other people felt when their eyes met.
He only felt that he was embarrassed, whether it was the illogical words he said in a hurry a few seconds ago without thinking, or now, Chen Muwu, who had patted his chest and vowed to tell Fowler yesterday that he was not at Cambridge University, suddenly appeared. before his eyes.
…
Fowler, who had just stood outside the door with von Neumann, also felt that something was wrong.
From the sounds coming from the office, Fowler could tell that it was his father-in-law who spoke.
Moreover, I heard that the tone of the words and the subject of the words were words that only Rutherford could say.
Now the problem arises. A man whose voice and tone look very much like Rutherford said in the office that he was not in the office.
So is he, or Rutherford himself, in the office?
According to Dr. Chen, you can only know the moment you open the office door.
As soon as Fowler thought of this, he found that the door in front of him was opened from the inside.
And the person who opened the office door happened to be Dr. Chen.
As soon as I thought of him, he opened the door. It was so considerate!
"Dr. Chen, thank you..."
...No, Dr. Chen?
The words had already been spoken, and Fowler finally realized. Didn't his father-in-law say last night that Chen Muwu was not at Cambridge University?
But there is no way the person in front of him is a ghost. Could it be that Dr. Chen returned to Cambridge University overnight?
He was about to be polite again and asked when Chen Muwu came back.
Fowler suddenly had an idea in his mind and stopped the car.
Is there a possibility that Chen Muwu never left, but his father-in-law just didn't want the Germans to meet him?
Fowler could neither advance nor retreat. He stood still for a moment.
…
Chen Muwu, who opened the door, was as embarrassed as the two above.
Rutherford could tell that the person speaking outside the door was Fowler, and so could Chen Muwu, who had been immersed in the Cavendish Laboratory for many years.
It stands to reason that the person standing outside the door is his uncle and a capable person at work, and the person sitting on the sofa inside the door is also his close disciple.
In this case, Rutherford has no reason to refuse Fowler and not let him in, right?
Then Chen Muwu sat up from the sofa and ran to open the door. Is it reasonable?
His fingers had already touched the door handle, but Rutherford's words came from behind him.
Although he realized it in his brain, it seemed like the door shouldn't be opened.
But the strength on the fingertips could no longer be regained.
After opening the door, Chen Muwu not only saw Fowler, but also saw an unknown but familiar young man following Fowler, as if he had seen him somewhere.
…
Von Neumann, who came from afar, was the only bystander to this farce that took place at Cambridge University early in the morning.
Just now in the hotel room where he was staying, Fowler asked him whether he wanted to stay in the Cavendish Laboratory and do experiments, or whether he wanted to continue his mathematical research in the Department of Mathematics of Cambridge University. In fact, von Neumann preferred Give the third answer.
He was unwilling to choose either one. The only purpose of his trip was to meet Chen Muwu, the smartest scientist of his generation.
This was not only entrusted by the teacher Hilbert, but also the true thought of von Neumann himself.
He never thought that there would be a hidden plot like Chen Muwu not being at Cambridge University and he missed the opportunity.
Von Neumann was excited and wanted to overtake Chen Muwu in a corner, so he chose the option of doing experiments in the Cavendish Laboratory.
But on the way from the hotel to the laboratory, the more he thought about it, the more wrong he became.
I am a theoretician who studies mathematics. When I come to the laboratory, even if it is the best physics laboratory in the world, what can I do?
Although von Neumann had a degree in chemistry from the Federal University of Technology in Zurich, he passed all the frustrating experimental courses with low scores!
Whether he could surpass Chen Muwu in physics experiments was something he no longer expected. He just hoped that he would not be too embarrassed and become a big joke in this laboratory.
Von Neumann retreated repeatedly in his mind, but finally followed Fowler into the Cavendish Laboratory and walked to the door of Rutherford's office.
This heavyweight is said to be as powerful as the Beidou in the world of experimental physics, and has about the same status as his teacher Hilbert in the world of mathematics.
It's better to meet once than not at all. Just treat it like collecting stamps. Maybe you can have another topic to talk about when bragging to others in the future.
As a result, before Rutherford could see him, he watched such a captivating drama for free outside the office door. It was also an immersive interactive experience drama.
Fowler told himself that Rutherford wanted to see him.
When he arrived at the office door, Rutherford said he was not inside.
Then the office door opened, and it was a young Asian man who opened the door. Fowler called him Dr. Chen.
Dr. Chen?
Isn't that the person I came to Cambridge and wanted to see?
While the three people inside and outside the door were stunned, von Neumann took a quick look at Dr. Chen, whose name he had heard about for a long time but had never seen before.
This man was about the same age as me, with a gentle and elegant appearance. The clothes he wore were very sophisticated in terms of fabric cutting and workmanship.
If someone has the right race, the right surname, and the right age, and can stay in Rutherford's office early in the morning, his status in the Cavendish Laboratory should not be much worse.
Is there a second PhD with the surname Chen at Cambridge University?
Not counting George Chen who repeatedly solved strange cases, the prototype of that literary character should also be this one!
That should be him, right?
Even though they didn't meet each other, I disliked Chen Muwu in every way.
But after meeting, von Neumann was much more flexible than his German compatriot Pauli.
The hatred towards Chen Muwu in his heart disappeared in an instant. Xiao Feng, who was "Chen Dog online, Brother Chen offline", no longer cared about any etiquette or etiquette, directly passed Fowler who was blocking the door, and stretched his hand in front of Chen Muwu .
"Dr. Chen, nice to meet you. I am John von Neumann. I have a PhD in mathematics from the University of Budapest. I am now at the University of Göttingen, studying under Professor Hilbert."
who?
Chen Muwu was startled again when he heard that the visitor announced his home address.
No wonder he felt that the man following Fowler looked familiar and felt that he was the true god.
When my roommate lit a cigarette and knelt before the photo of von Neumann on the computer screen at the end of the semester, I also bowed several times.
The facial features of the person in that photo are very similar to mine.
Chen Muwu felt that the reason he didn't recognize it was because he was in the prime of life and his hairline had not yet begun to decline.
Why did he come to Cambridge to find him?
This question just came to mind, and von Neumann gave the answer in the next words.
Since he mentioned Hilbert, the motivation for this trip should make sense, right?
Did Senior Xi feel that it was humiliating to have his, a young junior's, refutation of his thesis, so he sent his capable generals across the sea to conquer the West, all the way to Cambridge University to find a place?
But looking at the opponent's performance, Chen Muwu was a little unsure.
Whether it was in Luhai or Copenhagen, he had seen what it was like for Germans to look down on others.
Not to mention they were as attentive as von Neumann, they didn't even have a smile on their faces.
He couldn't figure out this man's true intention of coming to Cambridge University, so he could only act according to circumstances.
If von Neumann came because of that mathematics paper and wanted to start a debate with himself, then he would come up with something new in other aspects to divert his attention.
Turing, the young boy from King's College next door who has not yet entered school, seems to have developed a pretty good Turing machine.
For a genius like him, as long as you give him an idea, he will be able to produce many high-quality papers for you.
What he lacks is just such a small idea.
If von Neumann's coming to Cambridge was just a coincidence, and meeting him was a mistake, then get along well with him and try to trick him into going to Stockholm in the future.
Chen Muwu, who was making a lot of calculations in his mind, smiled and stretched out his hand: "Dr. von Neumann, I am also very happy to meet you."
He is polite and courteous when dealing with others, giving him a feeling of spring breeze.
Chen Muwu's impression score in von Neumann's heart has improved again.
Seeing that the matter was revealed, it would be meaningless to continue to cover up and say that Chen Muwu was not at Cambridge University.
Rutherford had no choice but to ask Chen Muwu to invite everyone to his office. The awkward atmosphere did not dissipate and was still brewing here.
"Dr. Chen, the director said that you haven't been at Cambridge University recently, so what are you..."
After all, he and Rutherford had lived together for five or six years, and there was still a certain tacit understanding between the father-in-law and the father-in-law. Fowler gave various hints in his questioning.
"Yes, Professor Fowler, I have been stranded in London before the strike. I caught the earliest train today to go back to Cambridge. I came here as soon as I got off the train to talk to the teacher about something.
"The teacher heard your voice and said he wanted to prank you to see how you would react. But I was afraid that it would delay something important, so I took it upon myself to open the door.
"Isn't it true that you really got to know Dr. von Neumann who came all the way from Germany?"
The good student's answer was flawless, perfectly covering up his previous lies.
As for whether the German believes it or not, what does it matter?
Otherwise, we would have to say it was Dr. Chen! It is this cleverness that no one else can match!
Rutherford's tense heart immediately relaxed, and he subconsciously touched his pipe.
In this case, he had to draw a bag, even if Chen Muwu, who had just saved him, was in this office, it would be useless!
"Your name is Dr. von Neumann, right? Do you smoke?"
Rutherford shook the tobacco bag in his hand towards the guest. When the guest shook his head and waved his hand to refuse, he filled a pipe for himself.
"You are lucky. The Dr. Chen you are looking for happens to be at Cambridge University today. If you have anything to do with him, please discuss it in person."
The elder's destiny is to be respected, and one dare not resign.
Von Neumann explained the cause and effect of the matter. Only then did Chen Muwu know that he was not here to fight this time. It was just a coincidence. In addition to the mathematics paper, Dirac's physics paper also beat him to it.
Although the Dirac equation has now become the relativistic form of the Chen equation, there is no such thing as Fermi jumping out to argue with him about who discovered it first, and there is no von Neumann jumping out to criticize his proof method. Not rigorous enough.
But if there is one more unlucky person named von Neumann, luck will not appear or disappear out of thin air, it will only be transferred from one unlucky person to another unlucky person.
Rutherford was not interested at all in the reasons he gave: "Whether it's mathematics or the mathematics of quantum mechanics, those are things that you young people should consider. It's better for an old guy like me not to get involved. It just so happened that Dr. Chen In Cambridge, you have time to chat.
"By the way, Chen, how is your work in London going? Are you going to go back and have a look recently?"
Rutherford was talking about London, but all he was thinking about was the particle accelerator.
"No, teacher, I plan to take a few days off in Cambridge. Let's talk about things in London after a while."
Now that the problem with the generator has been found, Chen Muwu has already told Cockcroft the solution.
It takes time to ship the customized silk from China, and it also takes time to purchase new materials.
It doesn't matter whether he goes to the Electric Machinery during this time or not, he can just spend time with this guest who has come from afar.
The meeting was completed without incident, and Rutherford left his son-in-law in the office to explain to him why he had said that.
Chen Muwu accompanied von Neumann out of the office. The particle accelerator was definitely not allowed to take him, but it would be nice to see the scenery of Cambridge University.
As the number of cars continues to increase, many car parks have recently been opened in Cambridgeshire.
Outside the gate of the Cavendish Laboratory, Kapitsa was starting the car, and in the passenger seat sat Dirac, who was still very interested in drag racing.
It seems that one of these two people really wants to buy, and the other really wants to sell.
Seeing someone coming out, Kapitsa greeted warmly: "Chen, long time no see, what have you been busy with recently?"
Chen Muwu introduced von Neumann to them in a evasive manner, saying that he wanted to accompany the guests.
"That's just right. Paul and I also want to take a tour of Cambridge, how about we go together?"
Kapitsa was sincerely inviting, and Dirac didn't care, as long as he could follow the racing.
After von Neumann heard that the man sitting in the car was Dirac, he also wanted to get to know him.
Only Chen Muwu was unwilling to go.
On the one hand, he remembered the thrilling scene when Kapitsa talked about drag racing last time.
On the other hand, I feel that this fate is really joking.
It was not enough to just have two young people, Kapitsa and Dirac, but the third car god among physicists, von Neumann, was also sent over.
Whoever wants to take this ride can go, but I won’t go for it anyway.
"That's just right. Please accompany Dr. von Neumann to visit and introduce the University of Cambridge. I'll go handle some personal matters."
Your life is important and you can't afford to be careless.
(End of chapter)
