Chapter 918
Words:1640Update:22/06/26 05:51:42
While the Lunar Hadron Collider conference was going on, in Princeton, two professors were sitting in the cafeteria on the first floor of the Institute for Advanced Study. They were drinking black tea and chatting while enjoying afternoon desserts.
The LCD TV on the side of the cafeteria was turned on, and the Columbia TV logo was hanging in the upper right corner. A report on the International Lunar Hadron Collider was playing in the center of the screen.
This matter had caused an uproar since last month.
The international community had been drooling over the moon, a treasure hovering over the heads of mankind, for a long time. But although there had always been people who announced grand plans, most of the plans remained on paper, and no one had ever put them into action.
However, China's Lunar Orbit Committee was an exception.
Ever since the launch of the Tiangong spacecraft, the world had witnessed how terrifying China's engineering speed was.
Once the Asians set their minds on something, there was nothing they couldn't do.
Now they were going to build a Hadron Collider on the Moon. They wanted physicists from all over the world to work in their country and even learn their language …
Since the beginning of this month, the entire Internet had been talking about this!
Not just the Internet, but the real world as well.
During this time, anyone sitting in a coffee shop or tea room on the Princeton campus would be talking about this matter.
Almost every physicist working in Princeton was talking about the Chinese's crazy ideas and the broad prospects behind this super project. They were talking about the shocking results that would be tested.
The impact of the Lunar Hadron Collider wasn't just limited to the physics community; it had already radiated to other fields.
According to Professor Krugman, there was even a well-known economist who wrote a paper on the impact of the Lunar Hadron Collider on international relations and global trade patterns.
Even though Professor Krugman had always heard physicists talking about physics-related things, this was the first time that Professor Krugman felt like physics was affecting his life.
Professor Angus Deaton, who had also won the Nobel Prize and was a member of the economics department at Princeton University, suddenly spoke as he looked at the TV.
"Are you sure he will go?"
Professor Krugman, who was sitting across from him, shrugged and said, "To be honest, I'm not sure, but his research is really important to us, so I plan to give it a try."
"I think you're wasting your energy."
Professor Angus looked at Professor Krugman and shook his head. He said, "Those pure mathematicians are biased against economics, and he's a scholar from Grothendieck's school. He believes that mathematics should be pure and noble, and it shouldn't be influenced by other disciplines. Do you know how hard it is for me to ask Deligné for a favor? It's fine if it doesn't involve mathematics, but when it comes to mathematics, he … "
Professor Angus smirked and shrugged at Professor Krugman.
"… That's his expression."
Krugman's mouth twitched when he saw Professor Angus's weird "face". He coughed to hide his laughter.
"I know what you're talking about, but Professor Lu is different. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and his contributions to computational materials science are no less than his achievements in mathematics. Also, the electrostrong interaction theory … Can you say that he's a pure mathematics researcher? Of course not! At least he's open-minded! He's just not interested in economics. "
Professor Angus sighed and took a sip of his tea.
"Yeah, he's not interested in economics at all. How do you plan on making him interested?"
Professor Krugman smiled and spoke confidently.
"My dear Professor Angus Deaton, have you ever pursued a girl?"
Professor Angus didn't know why he brought up this topic, but he frowned and spoke.
"Of course I did when I was young … Why?"
Krugman: "You can't make a person interested in what you say from the beginning. You have to gradually build a friendly relationship with them and show them what's good for them. Then, they'll naturally make a choice that's good for you."
Professor Angus was dumbfounded. After a while, he finally closed his mouth.
"… Sounds interesting, but I think there's an 80% chance that your idea will fail."
"Why?"
"Because Professor Lu doesn't seem to care much about international affairs. He doesn't care about the things you described at all. Haven't you noticed? Even though his research involves a lot of problems outside of mathematics, the one thing that doesn't change is that the things that are qualified to be selected by him are all things that he is interested in. "
"If he was really interested in economics, I'm afraid he would have entered politics by now. Obviously, he has the ability to do this. Using official positions to win over people in academia is a tradition in that country. However, he doesn't seem to care about these things. "
Professor Krugman patiently listened to his old friend's advice, but he still didn't change his mind.
"That's not necessarily true. Whether or not one cares about international affairs and whether or not one is willing to personally intervene in international affairs are two completely different concepts."
While the two of them were talking.
The LCD TV next to them switched from the host's commentary to the International Lunar Hadron Collider Conference.
Lu Zhou stood on stage in the auditorium and announced the beginning of the opening ceremony in a clear and solemn voice.
Professor Krugman looked at Lu Zhou speaking in front of the TV. His pupils dilated.
It was like he had found a decisive piece of evidence. He excitedly slammed his fist on the table.
"Look! I told you, he's not a scholar who doesn't care about the secular world! "
"Do you want to make a bet? Angus! "
Professor Angus looked at his excited old friend and said, "You're right.
"Bet on what …"
Professor Krugman rubbed his hands excitedly and spoke.
"I bet that he will definitely come to the Shanghai economics forum, and I will definitely be able to convince him to join my research project. Let me think about what to bet … How about ten dollars? "
Ten dollars?
Angus nearly laughed out loud when he heard this number.
Even though he didn't mind someone giving him money for free, he wasn't interested in betting.
He had to at least make the other party feel the pinch.
"Ten dollars is too little for you and me. If you're so sure, why don't you change the chips to ten chocolate coins from the Stockholm Blue Hall Banquet?"
"Damn it, you want to empty my pockets …"
Professor Krugman hesitated for a bit and clenched his teeth.
"Deal!"
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