Source: http://www.dytrol.com/dispbbs.asp? BoardId = 24 & ID = 4951 & Page = 1
Tuesday, July 27, 2004, Chen Province, Yang Zhenning, Li Zhengdao, Li Yuanzhe in Tsinghua (Hsinchi)
On April 24, 1992, Chen Hui, Yang Zhenning, Li Zhengdao, Li Yuanzhe's invitation of Liu Zhaozhi, the president of Taiwan Tsinghua University (Hsinchu), participated in the 80th anniversary of Tsinghua University, and responded to teachers and students on the "Outstanding Alumni Symposium". The conversation record of the meeting was included in "Yang Zhenning" (published in 1998, 2008), which is part of the selected part of the selected content. Mathematics Department of Mathematics: In the field of scientific research, there are many problems. These problems have a small number, should we study better from the big problem, or start from small issues?
Yang Zhenning: When I read a book, one professor is one of the famous physicists in the world. It often with the postgraduate talked, there is a classmate asked him: should be a big topic, or a small topic? He said: Most time should be a small topic. The big topic is not can't do, but the success of the success is smaller. If you can train the small topic, you can more master the spirit of solving the big topic. For decades, I still feel that his advice is correct.
Chen Province: The good and bad of science work, big and small, it is difficult to say, to see different judgments of people. When Einstein did a student in the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, mathematics, physics is the same department. The two are not divided. According to his autobiography, he may learn physics, but math is a small problem. Physics is a big problem, and he has to study a big problem. Einstein is successful, but I still hope that everyone will choose a small problem to study more, and a little smile.
Physics classmates: Mathematics is a relatively rigorous and useful tool for science, but I don't know if you are in the research process, you will not feel that mathematics limit your thinking path. I found that mathematics is not perfect, some problems are not mathematical solutions. ? Sometimes when you study the problem, if you can look at the method other than mathematics, it will become very simple?
Chen Province: There are many problems mathematicians indeed solving. I was teaching at the University of Chicago. One of Hami thought that people who learn physics do not read too many numbers. I don't know if this is correct? He said that a physicist needed mathematics, he can find that he can find too many books.
Li Zhengdao: Physics is indeed closely related, but mathematics is not physically, the purpose of physics is to explain the phenomenon of nature, explain to use mathematics, but the key is in the natural borders. There is a story saying: Some people have dirty clothes to wash, see the outside of the store, write "laundry", so he will carry the package into the store. The people inside asked him: "What are you doing?" He said: "I will send clothes." "Our store does not wash your clothes!" "Why is the outer brand writes 'laundry'?" "We are selling the name. "This story is to say: Physics is really washing, and mathematics is the brand, but the brand is also very important. (At this time, the academician of Chen and the body is not ill.
Chen Province: Weird is that this brand will be useful! (? It is a laughter
Yang Zhenning: I have some additional advice. Physics and mathematics have a very subtle relationship. In the 19th 99th century, mathematics and physics development, the relationship between the two is very close. Newton's way to develop a calculus, because he wants to know the track and extraction of the planet and the three laws of Newton. It can be said that until the upper half of the 19th century, many of the spirit of many ideas in mathematics is from physical phenomena. However, the values of subsequent mathematics gradually independently, an important mathematician in the 20th century, and Professor Chen's colleague from the University of Chicago. He said 30 years ago: The biggest achievement in the 20th century is from physical constraints. . This sentence is not completely correct, the physicist has studied the natural phenomena through their value concept, and found that there is very mystery of mathematics. These structures are not the physicists have learned, and mathematicians have From different values independently studied, this situation has been uncommon, the most famous example is Einstein's broad relativity. In 1908, Einstein wanted to promote him in 1905, which allowed it to use relative concepts in the gravitational field. The mathematics required by Einstein, but he has a thinking The direction. Later, one of his mathematics came to tell him that this is the important development direction of the 19th century mathematics in the last century. This made him complete his general relativeism in 1915 and 1916. Therefore, if a physicist does not understand the role that mathematics may happen in his research, it is often difficult to succeed. Professor of the Motor Line: I have two questions to ask the academician. First, how to choose the direction and the field of research? Just now, even the era of poor in Southwest China, such as Yang's professor said that his bachelor's paper can lay the foundation of his future research. However, if you see another point of view, all the people suffered from the stage of enthusiasm of modern physics, Life is also? Is it also? How do we choose? Second, the Tsinghua 's home is about forty years old, many teachers are very hard, but they are willing to work hard, but there is a difficulty, that is, I don't know how to do academic career, about this, I want to ask you.
Yang Zhenning: I want to explain this problem with another way. There are many excellent graduate students in the university. They can't predict the future achievements, but the achievements may be disparied after two or three years. Recalling that successful classmates did not see many excellent than unsuccessful people, one of these basic truths, that is, someone left the road, around the source, someone went wrong, and struggled to have great efforts. So what is the direction in the future? This is unable to have a certain answer. A graduate student is the most important responsibility of his future, and it is necessary to master the parties in the disciplines of their own, but also to master the big direction of the development of the entire field. How to do it? My suggestion is to give "antenna", more browsing, not just browse the literature of the narrow range of the discipline, but also pay more attention to other disciplines, through extensive contact, in order to find out the generous direction in this field. Chen Province: Selecting subjects and directions is hard to determine, there are many in the middle of the opportunity. My suggestion is that there must be broad knowledge, don't just read something that yourself, whether there is no correlation, you can take it as much as possible, the wide range is more wide, and the possibility of doing correct decisions will increase.
Mathematics King Classmates: I want to ask four, you are all after the award, I have been staying in the United States. In fact, it is also in terms of American, this shows that your research life must be carried out in the United States. ,continue? Is there a scientific research potential in the Western world than the Chinese world? Whether you have considered returning to the Chinese world in the future, in the area, Taiwan or Hong Kong, engage in scientific research or education next generation? Li Zhengdao: The environment of research is constantly changing, Chen Huizhong, Yang Zhenning and I have different Chinese environment today, most of my work is in the United States. However, many new successful scientists, such as high-temperature superconductors, Wu Maokun, Zhao Zhongxian and others, Zhao Zhongxian can be said to be carried out in the Mainland, and Wu Maokun is in Hanzhu. We are a generation of generations, do our own efforts to help the next generation, I believe that the Chinese people in both sides of the strait can be united, and the development of China's science can be great success.
Yang Zhenning: I want to mention two additional advice. First of all, if my research work does not do it in the US environment? I have thought about it, there is a major part of the work, if I returned to the mainland in the early 1950s, it is impossible, and these are related to physical phenomena, because these phenomenon happens, mainly in the United States, USA There are many talents, wealth, large accelerators, new information, if they go back to the mainland, I am afraid I will not develop in these directions. But there are some additional jobs that can be done in the United States. Some people do not have a close relationship with things that happen to immediately, and I have done a lot, and it is very important. If I returned to the Mainland, these work I can not only make it. Even early, because my energy has to be used here.
Yang Zhenning: There may be a glimpse of the problems behind the problem, that is, China's traditional culture, whether the current political, social, economic development is unfavorable to the future of individual science and technology research. About this, I think the eyes should be far away. At the end of the 19th century, Chinese culture was hit by Western cultural impact, and there was a statement such as "middle school as the body, Western learning". From the close range, I feel that China is slow in modern science, but from the distance from the distance, it is not slow. The first two Chinese were got by Ph.D. physics. They were obtained in the United States in the 1910s. They returned to China and educated a group of people. When I was studying in Southwest China, I have a big study in Southwest China. Compared with the first university in the world, it is completely over, "there is" because we have a good education tradition. Southwest Union is very unique, with strong teachers, I get great benefits. Take another example. China has always given a backward impression, this is wrong, and the technology in the Mainland is actually quite advanced. At 1948, in 1949, China did not know where there was uranium mine, not to talk about mining, but in 1964, they did not only test the first atomic bomb. After two years, I tried the hydrogen bomb. This is enough to explain that they have cultured thousands of scientists, so the Chinese nation and Chinese tradition, in the organized situation, from technology, it is full of west, and Westerners are also very clear. Therefore, they are not only very admired, but they are afraid, they are afraid that they are not coming from today, but starting from the end of the 19th century. At that time, the Chinese had compensated for hundreds of years. For the next century, the Chinese will go to the foremost end of each technology, I am deeply optimistic.
