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Doing the impossible
July 12, 2020
4 Minutes
All things which are proved to be impossible must obviously rest on some assumptions, and when one or more of these assumptions are not true then the impossibility proof fails—but the expert seldom remembers to carefully inspect the assumptions before making their “impossible” statements.
We’re all familiar with the many dignitaries, including Kelvin and Edison, who declared heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible just a few years prior to the Wright brothers’ success at Kitty Hawk. In the field of nuclear fusion, there’s been a tendency recently to make references or analogies to Kitty Hawk. The question arises: is fusion at a Wright brothers moment, or a Da Vinci moment? (Da Vinci’s ideas for flight were ahead of their time — the Wright brothers’ were punctual.)
July 12, 2020
4 Minutes
All things which are proved to be impossible must obviously rest on some assumptions, and when one or more of these assumptions are not true then the impossibility proof fails—but the expert seldom remembers to carefully inspect the assumptions before making their “impossible” statements.
We’re all familiar with the many dignitaries, including Kelvin and Edison, who declared heavier-than-air flying machines were impossible just a few years prior to the Wright brothers’ success at Kitty Hawk. In the field of nuclear fusion, there’s been a tendency recently to make references or analogies to Kitty Hawk. The question arises: is fusion at a Wright brothers moment, or a Da Vinci moment? (Da Vinci’s ideas for flight were ahead of their time — the Wright brothers’ were punctual.)