TODAY IN SCIENCE HISTORY ®  •  TODAYINSCI ®
Celebrating 24 Years on the Web
Find science on or your birthday

Today in Science History - Quickie Quiz
Who said: “I have no satisfaction in formulas unless I feel their arithmetical magnitude.”
more quiz questions >>
Home > Category Index for Science Quotations > Category Index T > Category: Trinity

Trinity Quotes (9 quotes)

[After the flash of the atomic bomb test explosion] Fermi got up and dropped small pieces of paper … a simple experiment to measure the energy liberated by the explosion … [W]hen the front of the shock wave arrived (some seconds after the flash) the pieces of paper were displaced a few centimeters in the direction of propagation of the shock wave. From the distance of the source and from the displacement of the air due to the shock wave, he could calculate the energy of the explosion. This Fermi had done in advance having prepared himself a table of numbers, so that he could tell immediately the energy liberated from this crude but simple measurement. … It is also typical that his answer closely approximated that of the elaborate official measurements. The latter, however, were available only after several days’ study of the records, whereas Fermi had his within seconds.
In Enrico Fermi: Physicist (1970), 147-148.
Science quotes on:  |  Advance (298)  |  Air (366)  |  Answer (389)  |  Approximation (32)  |  Atomic Bomb (115)  |  Available (80)  |  Calculate (58)  |  Crude (32)  |  Direction (185)  |  Displacement (9)  |  Distance (171)  |  Dropped (17)  |  Dropping (8)  |  Due (143)  |  Elaborate (31)  |  Energy (373)  |  Experiment (736)  |  Explosion (51)  |  Enrico Fermi (20)  |  Flash (49)  |  Himself (461)  |  Immediately (115)  |  Measure (241)  |  Measurement (178)  |  Number (710)  |  Paper (192)  |  Propagation (15)  |  Record (161)  |  Second (66)  |  Shock (38)  |  Shock Wave (3)  |  Simple (426)  |  Small (489)  |  Study (701)  |  Table (105)  |  Tell (344)  |  Test (221)  |  Wave (112)

Groves hated the weather, and the weathermen; they represented chaos and the messengers of chaos. Weather violated boundaries, ignored walls and gates, failed to adhere to deadlines, disobeyed orders. Weather caused delays. The weather forecasters had opposed the [atomic bomb] test date for months—it was set within a window of unfavorable conditions: thunderstorms, rain, high winds, inversion layers. Groves had overridden them. … Groves saw it as a matter of insubordination when the weather forecasters refused to forecast good weather for the test.
In Atomic Spaces: Living on the Manhattan Project (1999), 312. For the attitude of Groves toward the weather see his, 'Some Recollections of July 16, 1945', Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Jun 1970), 26, No. 6, 27.
Science quotes on:  |  Atomic Bomb (115)  |  Boundary (55)  |  Chaos (99)  |  Condition (362)  |  Delay (21)  |  Disobedience (4)  |  Fail (191)  |  Forecast (15)  |  Gate (33)  |  Good (906)  |  Leslie Richard Groves (13)  |  High (370)  |  Layer (41)  |  Matter (821)  |  Month (91)  |  Order (638)  |  Rain (70)  |  Represent (157)  |  Saw (160)  |  Schedule (5)  |  Set (400)  |  Test (221)  |  Thunderstorm (7)  |  Wall (71)  |  Weather (49)  |  Wind (141)  |  Window (59)

On 17th July there came to us at Potsdam the eagerly-awaited news of the trial of the atomic bomb in the [New] Mexican desert. Success beyond all dreams crowded this sombre, magnificent venture of our American allies. The detailed reports ... could leave no doubt in the minds of the very few who were informed, that we were in the presence of a new factor in human affairs, and possessed of powers which were irresistible.
From Churchill's final review of the war and his first major speech as Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons (16 Aug 1945). In Robert Rhodes James, ed., Winston S. Churchill: His Complete Speeches, 1897-1963 (1974), Vol. 1, 7210.
Science quotes on:  |  Affair (29)  |  Ally (7)  |  American (56)  |  Atomic Bomb (115)  |  Beyond (316)  |  Desert (59)  |  Detail (150)  |  Doubt (314)  |  Dream (222)  |  Factor (47)  |  Human (1512)  |  Inform (50)  |  Information (173)  |  Irresistible (17)  |  Los Alamos (6)  |  Magnificent (46)  |  Mind (1377)  |  New (1273)  |  News (36)  |  Possess (157)  |  Possession (68)  |  Power (771)  |  Presence (63)  |  Report (42)  |  Sombre (2)  |  Success (327)  |  Test (221)  |  Trial (59)  |  Venture (19)

Reason, Observation, and Experience—the Holy Trinity of Science.
In 'The Gods', The Gods: and Other Lectures (1874, 1879), 86.
Science quotes on:  |  Experience (494)  |  Holy (35)  |  Observation (593)  |  Reason (766)

The explosion of the Alamogordo bomb ended the initial phase of the MED project: the major technical goal had been achieved …. The feat will stand as a great monument of human endeavor for a long time to come.
In Enrico Fermi: Physicist (1970), 148-149. (MED = Manhattan Engineering District, code name for the atomic bomb development project.)
Science quotes on:  |  Achievement (187)  |  Alamogordo (2)  |  Atomic Bomb (115)  |  End (603)  |  Endeavor (74)  |  Explosion (51)  |  Feat (11)  |  Goal (155)  |  Great (1610)  |  Human (1512)  |  Long (778)  |  Major (88)  |  Monument (45)  |  Phase (37)  |  Project (77)  |  Stand (284)  |  Time (1911)  |  Will (2350)

The following story (here a little softened from the vernacular) was narrated by Lord Kelvin himself when dining at Trinity Hall:
A certain rough Highland lad at the university had done exceedingly well, and at the close of the session gained prizes both in mathematics and in metaphysics. His old father came up from the farm to see his son receive the prizes, and visited the College. Thomson was deputed to show him round the place. “Weel, Mr. Thomson,” asked the old man, “and what may these mathematics be, for which my son has getten a prize?” “I told him,” replied Thomson, “that mathematics meant reckoning with figures, and calculating.” “Oo ay,” said the old man, “he’ll ha’ getten that fra’ me: I were ever a braw hand at the countin’.” After a pause he resumed: “And what, Mr. Thomson, might these metapheesics be?” “I endeavoured,” replied Thomson, “to explain how metaphysics was the attempt to express in language the indefinite.” The old Highlander stood still and scratched his head. “Oo ay: may be he’ll ha’ getten that fra’ his mither. She were aye a bletherin’ body."
As given in Life of Lord Kelvin (1910), Vol. 2, 1124, footnote. [Note: William Thomson, later became Lord Kelvin. —Webmaster]
Science quotes on:  |  Ask (420)  |  Attempt (266)  |  Body (557)  |  Both (496)  |  Certain (557)  |  College (71)  |  Endeavour (63)  |  Exceedingly (28)  |  Explain (334)  |  Express (192)  |  Farm (28)  |  Farmer (35)  |  Father (113)  |  Figure (162)  |  Gain (146)  |  Himself (461)  |  Indefinite (21)  |  Baron William Thomson Kelvin (74)  |  Language (308)  |  Little (717)  |  Lord (97)  |  Man (2252)  |  Mathematicians and Anecdotes (141)  |  Mathematics (1395)  |  Metaphysics (53)  |  Old (499)  |  Prize (13)  |  Receive (117)  |  Reckoning (19)  |  Scottish (4)  |  Scratch (14)  |  See (1094)  |  Show (353)  |  Still (614)  |  Story (122)  |  University (130)

There was a young fellow from Trinity,
Who took the square root of infinity.
But the number of digits,
Gave him the fidgets;
He dropped Math and took up Divinity.
Epigraph on title page of One, Two, Three… Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science (1947, 1988), i. The original text shows symbols instead of the words which appear above as “square root of infinity.”
Science quotes on:  |  Digit (4)  |  Divinity (23)  |  Dropped (17)  |  Fellow (88)  |  Humour (116)  |  Infinity (96)  |  Limerick (7)  |  Mathematics (1395)  |  Number (710)  |  Root (121)  |  Square (73)  |  Square Root (12)  |  Young (253)  |  Youth (109)

To my knowledge there are no written accounts of Fermi’s contributions to the [first atomic bomb] testing problems, nor would it be easy to reconstruct them in detail. This, however, was one of those occasions in which Fermi’s dominion over all physics, one of his most startling characteristics, came into its own. The problems involved in the Trinity test ranged from hydrodynamics to nuclear physics, from optics to thermodynamics, from geophysics to nuclear chemistry. Often they were closely interrelated, and to solve one’it was necessary to understand all the others. Even though the purpose was grim and terrifying, it was one of the greatest physics experiments of all time. Fermi completely immersed himself in the task. At the time of the test he was one of the very few persons (or perhaps the only one) who understood all the technical ramifications.
In Enrico Fermi: Physicist (1970), 145
Science quotes on:  |  Account (195)  |  Atomic Bomb (115)  |  Characteristic (154)  |  Chemistry (376)  |  Completely (137)  |  Contribution (93)  |  Detail (150)  |  Dominion (11)  |  Easy (213)  |  Experiment (736)  |  Enrico Fermi (20)  |  First (1302)  |  Geophysics (5)  |  Greatest (330)  |  Grim (6)  |  Himself (461)  |  Hydrodynamics (5)  |  Involved (90)  |  Knowledge (1647)  |  Most (1728)  |  Necessary (370)  |  Nuclear (110)  |  Nuclear Physics (6)  |  Occasion (87)  |  Optics (24)  |  Other (2233)  |  Person (366)  |  Physic (515)  |  Physics (564)  |  Problem (731)  |  Purpose (336)  |  Ramification (8)  |  Solve (145)  |  Startling (15)  |  Task (152)  |  Terror (32)  |  Test (221)  |  Thermodynamics (40)  |  Time (1911)  |  Understand (648)  |  Understood (155)

Tungsten, X-rays, and Coolidge form a trinity that has left an indelible impression upon our life and times. The key word in this triad is Coolidge, for his work brought the element tungsten from laboratory obscurity to the central role of the industrial stage and gave the X-ray a central role in the progress of medicine throughout the world.
In National Academy of Sciences, Biographical Memoirs, Vol. 53, 141.
Science quotes on:  |  Central (81)  |  Element (322)  |  Form (976)  |  Impression (118)  |  Industry (159)  |  Laboratory (214)  |  Life (1870)  |  Medicine (392)  |  Obscurity (28)  |  Progress (492)  |  Ray (115)  |  Role (86)  |  Stage (152)  |  Throughout (98)  |  Time (1911)  |  Tungsten (2)  |  Word (650)  |  Work (1402)  |  World (1850)  |  X-ray (43)


Carl Sagan Thumbnail In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion. (1987) -- Carl Sagan
Quotations by:Albert EinsteinIsaac NewtonLord KelvinCharles DarwinSrinivasa RamanujanCarl SaganFlorence NightingaleThomas EdisonAristotleMarie CurieBenjamin FranklinWinston ChurchillGalileo GalileiSigmund FreudRobert BunsenLouis PasteurTheodore RooseveltAbraham LincolnRonald ReaganLeonardo DaVinciMichio KakuKarl PopperJohann GoetheRobert OppenheimerCharles Kettering  ... (more people)

Quotations about:Atomic  BombBiologyChemistryDeforestationEngineeringAnatomyAstronomyBacteriaBiochemistryBotanyConservationDinosaurEnvironmentFractalGeneticsGeologyHistory of ScienceInventionJupiterKnowledgeLoveMathematicsMeasurementMedicineNatural ResourceOrganic ChemistryPhysicsPhysicianQuantum TheoryResearchScience and ArtTeacherTechnologyUniverseVolcanoVirusWind PowerWomen ScientistsX-RaysYouthZoology  ... (more topics)
Sitewide search within all Today In Science History pages:
Visit our Science and Scientist Quotations index for more Science Quotes from archaeologists, biologists, chemists, geologists, inventors and inventions, mathematicians, physicists, pioneers in medicine, science events and technology.

Names index: | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |

Categories index: | 1 | 2 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
Thank you for sharing.
- 100 -
Sophie Germain
Gertrude Elion
Ernest Rutherford
James Chadwick
Marcel Proust
William Harvey
Johann Goethe
John Keynes
Carl Gauss
Paul Feyerabend
- 90 -
Antoine Lavoisier
Lise Meitner
Charles Babbage
Ibn Khaldun
Euclid
Ralph Emerson
Robert Bunsen
Frederick Banting
Andre Ampere
Winston Churchill
- 80 -
John Locke
Bronislaw Malinowski
Bible
Thomas Huxley
Alessandro Volta
Erwin Schrodinger
Wilhelm Roentgen
Louis Pasteur
Bertrand Russell
Jean Lamarck
- 70 -
Samuel Morse
John Wheeler
Nicolaus Copernicus
Robert Fulton
Pierre Laplace
Humphry Davy
Thomas Edison
Lord Kelvin
Theodore Roosevelt
Carolus Linnaeus
- 60 -
Francis Galton
Linus Pauling
Immanuel Kant
Martin Fischer
Robert Boyle
Karl Popper
Paul Dirac
Avicenna
James Watson
William Shakespeare
- 50 -
Stephen Hawking
Niels Bohr
Nikola Tesla
Rachel Carson
Max Planck
Henry Adams
Richard Dawkins
Werner Heisenberg
Alfred Wegener
John Dalton
- 40 -
Pierre Fermat
Edward Wilson
Johannes Kepler
Gustave Eiffel
Giordano Bruno
JJ Thomson
Thomas Kuhn
Leonardo DaVinci
Archimedes
David Hume
- 30 -
Andreas Vesalius
Rudolf Virchow
Richard Feynman
James Hutton
Alexander Fleming
Emile Durkheim
Benjamin Franklin
Robert Oppenheimer
Robert Hooke
Charles Kettering
- 20 -
Carl Sagan
James Maxwell
Marie Curie
Rene Descartes
Francis Crick
Hippocrates
Michael Faraday
Srinivasa Ramanujan
Francis Bacon
Galileo Galilei
- 10 -
Aristotle
John Watson
Rosalind Franklin
Michio Kaku
Isaac Asimov
Charles Darwin
Sigmund Freud
Albert Einstein
Florence Nightingale
Isaac Newton


by Ian Ellis
who invites your feedback
Thank you for sharing.
Today in Science History
Sign up for Newsletter
with quiz, quotes and more.