Phamous Phun Physics Quotes

Here is a list of amusing comments related to physics, astronomy, and statistics which have struck my fancy over the years (in no particular order):

  • "All variables and momenta are constant." [What is a constant variable?]
  • "Whatever this is, it is a matrix."
  • "Now, to complete the confusion ..." [during a derivation in classical mechanics]
  • "And now I want to consider a finite rotation through a large angle, which is not necessarily small."
  • "A cube is obviously not an ellipse in the normal sense."
  • "This circle has too much symmetry."
  • "Let's define another operator, Sz, which we won't pay any attention to."
  • "This transformation will automatically make zero equal zero."
  • I have trouble explaining the data when I understand it, and even more trouble when I don't.
  • "I'm not sure what the diameter of the sun is, but compared with its radius, I think it is something like a part in a million."
  • "... we have R earth squared over R to the moon cubed."
  • "For the forces to equal zero, if we have a potential, what we mean is that the force, which is the gradient of the potential, is equal to zero." [I am not making this up!]
  • "The direction really doesn't have to be normalized."
  • "It may be true that zero equals zero -- and that is certainly an equality -- but I don't want to go into the details at this time."
  • A theorist, answering the question, "Why should we pay any attention to your idea?", replied "You could ignore it, but then it would be sitting out there as the leading model."
  • An experimenter, referring to others' use of his data: "We all put our children out into the world and at times aren't happy with what we get back."
  • "The future, I think, is not yet in existence ... "
    A collection of interesting quotes on technology, which should teach us to be humble (obtained from a SciTech catalog):
  • "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." - Western Union internal memo (1876)
  • "The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?" - David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920's.
  • "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." - Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM (1943)
  • "But what ... is it good for?" - Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, commenting on the microchip (1968)
  • "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." - Ken Olson, president, chairman, and founder of Digital Equipment Corp. (1977)
    Comments on salad bowl astronomy
    Last updated June 5, 1996
    Web page by David Burrows ( burrows@astro.psu.edu )
    Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
    Penn State University