<p>“Great discoveries often occur when a person explores the unknown, venturing far from what is familiar. But important breakthroughs–innovative solutions to difficult problems, for example–can also result when people take the time to look closely at their daily surroundings. In fact, the greatest discoveries often occur when people recognize in their familiar surroundings certain opportunities that others have overlooked or when people recognize that the way things have always been done is unjust or ineffective or unnecessary.”</p>
<p>Prompt: Do people make the greatest discoveries by exploring what is unfamiliar to them or by paying close attention to what seems familiar?</p>
<p>The notion that ‘great discoveries’ can be made only by exclusively exploring the unfamiliar or specialising in what seems familiar is limited. Instead, we find that both approaches outlined above can lead individuals to great discoveries. Throughout the history of Physics, ‘great discoveries’ have been made by not only observing the unfamiliar but also by paying closer attention to what has already been observed. The second notion holds particular truth to Newton’s recognition that his great discoveries have been accomplished by “standing upon the shoulders of giants.”</p>
<p>The history of Astronomical Physics has been riddled with great discoveries by men who observed unfamiliar tendencies, men who observed overlooked phenomenon, and men who tempered a balance between the known and unknown. Ptolemy’s contemporary society believed in a Geocentric model of the universe: the Earth lies at the centre. However, through his observation of stars - a previously unpracticed and unfamiliar technique - Ptolemy found that patterns in star motions suggested for a Heliocentric model: the Sun lies at the centre. This great discovery overturned contemporary paradigms and brought forth significant advancements in Astronomical Physics, hence supporting the notion of great discoveries being achieved by observation of the unknown. However, as a consequence of Ptolemy’s inaccurate explanation of retrograde motion - where stars appear to move backwards in the sky - via epicycles and deferants, Copernicus was compelled to pay closer attention and observation to this phenomenon. Eventually, through careful observation of this overlooked phenomenon, Copernicus was able to deduce the elliptical orbit of plants and become regarded as the ‘father of modern astronomy.’</p>
<p>An analysis of the history of the Photoelectric effect in Physics also supports the notion that great discoveries can be made both by exploring unfamiliar territory and by reexamining previously chartered territory. The electromagnetic theory of light was a hypothesis ingrained in Heinrich Hertz’s contemporaries. Consequently, Hertz set out to prove the existence of EM waves by using previous untested experimental apparatus setups. Eventually, he succeeded in his proof of EM light waves by using an unconventional setup of a coil with a spark gap, demonstrating the truth in the former notion of great discoveries. However, Hertz also observed the Photoelectric effect in his experiment: electrons are emitted from a surface after absorbing EM radiation. Hertz’s failure to investigate this observation led to Einstein’s discovery of light quanta and photons through a closer observation of the Photoelectric effect. As a result of this discovery, Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize and a new branch of Physics, Quantum Physics, was born. </p>
<p>In conclusion, it is evident from both the progression of Astronomical and Quantum Physics that great discoveries are achieved not only by exploring the unfamiliar, but also by observing with greater detail, discoveries of predecessors. Indeed, it holds true that the reason Physicists “see further than others” is because they’ve “stood on the shoulders of giants.”</p>
<p>Feedback and scores would be greatly appreciated!</p>
