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William Thomson Quotes
1824–1907 Northern Ireland
William Thomson (June 26, 1824–December 17, 1907), 1st Baron Kelvin, often referred to simply as Lord Kelvin, was an Ulster Scots mathematical physicist.
Northern Ireland Academics Mathematicians Physicists Also known as: William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Lord Kelvin
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The beauty and clearness of the dynamical theory, which asserts heat and light to be modes of motion, is at present obscured by two clouds.
Mathematics is the only true metaphysics.
Tesla has contributed more to electrical science than any man up to his time.
Do not imagine that mathematics is hard and crabbed, and repulsive to common sense. It is merely the etherealization of common sense.
Life of Lord Kelvin (1910)
To live among friends is the primary essential of happiness.
I need scarcely say that the beginning and maintenance of life on earth is absolutely and infinitely beyond the range of sound speculation in dynamical science.
The Life of Lord Kelvin (1910)
Symmetrical equations are good in their place, but 'vector' is a useless survival, or offshoot from quaternions, and has never been of the slightest use to any creature.
Letter to G. F. FitzGerald (1896)
I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; it may be the beginning of knowledge, but you have scarcely, in your thoughts, advanced to the stage of science, whatever the matter may be.
Now I think hydrodynamics is to be the root of all physical science, and is at present second to none in the beauty of its mathematics.
Quaternions came from Hamilton after his really good work had been done, and though beautifully ingenious, have been an unmixed evil to those who have touched them in any way.
Letter to Robert Baldwin Hayward (1892)
There is nothing new to be discovered in physics now. All that remains is more and more precise measurement.
Misattributed
Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.
Attributed
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