10% Smarter than the Equipment

Two Hundred Ninety Eighth Post: 10% Smarter than the Equipment

I’m still browsing through the book “Experiments in Modern Physics.” I just don’t see anyone being able to easily set up the experiment with the lack of detail the book has. It does offer a deeper understanding for the subject. Which is something a young student would be looking for. But this book is difficult.

There is also on more obstacle for the amateur scientist. That is there is a lot of equipment that without a properly equipped lab, the amateur would have difficulty obtaining else they are very dedicated and advanced.

In the Army there is a saying and that is when you are using or learning to use a new piece of equipment “you should be 10% smarter than the equipment.” But for an amateur scientist equipment is expensive and requires a lot to work to use and maintain. If the amateur was studying math or even electronics the equipment is readily available. Cutting edge physics requires some complicated devices.

That is why I mainly study mathematics. Not just because I find it fun, but with a few books and a calculator, and maybe but not always necessary, a computer meaningful discoveries and little theories can be made. Electronics and software is another area which equipment is easily obtained. Everyone has a computer and only some cheap, if not free, software is required to program. For electronics a trip to RadioShack will lead to the beginnings of many projects. So for the scientific amateurs, some disciplines are easy to study than other areas. It would be interesting to know how equipment has effected discoveries. It is probably to complex to figure out on a large scale. But is the affect of the amateur has on discoveries as great as it was during the earlier discoveries of the world. Also the amateur is also a learning process. We all start out there. So even if a discovery wasn’t made a foundation to build a career on might be.

So are we still 10% smarter than are equipment? Maintaining and understanding the tools is part of the job, but with equipment and processes so elaborate how can one be sure they are using and reading the equipment correctly. Note that with many experiments the scientist (amateur or professional) may have not designed the experiment. So even the easier, classic experiments it becomes harder to have a total understanding of the experiment. So in some cases it might be that the scientist is watching a specific part of the experiment comparing results, but not knowing enough about the experiment to note other significant variables.

To tell the truth when reading the experiments in the book “Experiments in Modern Physics,” I only have a brief understanding of what is supposed to be measured. If the book didn’t give descriptions of the results, I would have no clue as to what was going on. And I am just reading the experiments. I don’t have the equipment. And if I did have the equipment, I don’t think I would be 10% smarter.

But until physics equipment becomes as standard as electronic equipment... May the Creative Force be with You