牢记世界著名物理大师索末菲对热力学的深刻感悟

作者: 王季陶

首先要感谢网友insuye在我的博文“当前热力学课程的现状”评论中提供的材料. 还特别指出: “下面是一位知名理论物理学家的感悟，他知道自己不懂热力学（所指应当是经典热力学），大多数学者应当是2.0版，不知道自己不懂热力学。” (见附件一)

然后, 我从Google上找到更多的材料. 从中知道: Arnold Sommerfeld [Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld (1868–1951) was a German physicist.]

在20世纪40年代, 他写了一系列物理领域的书, 如 mechanics (1943), electrodynamics (1948), optics (1950), etc. 人们问他为什么从来没有写过一本热力学方面的书? 以下就是他的幽默和经常被引用的回答:

“Thermodynamics is a funny subject. The first time you go through it, you don't understand it at all. The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points. The third time you go through it, you know you don't understand it, but by that time you are so used to it, it doesn't bother you anymore.” (见附件二)

附件一:

删除 回复 [13]insuye  2012-6-25 15:03

Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who pioneered developments in atomic and quantum physics, and also educated and groomed a large number of students for the new era of theoretical physics. He was nominated a record 81 times for the Nobel Prize, and served as PhD supervisor for more Nobel Prize winners in physics than any other supervisor before or since. He introduced the 2nd quantum number azimuthal quantum number and the 4th quantum number spin quantum number. He also introduced the fine - structure constant, and pioneered X - ray wave theory.

博主回复(2012-6-25 15:37)：Thank you very much. I find reference from google.

删除 回复 [12]insuye  2012-6-23 21:26

下面是一位知名理论物理学家的感悟，他知道自己不懂热力学（所指应当是经典热力学），大多数学者应当是2.0版，不知道自己不懂热力学。

Thermodynamics is a funny subject.
The first time you go through it, you don't understand it at all.
The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points.
The third time you go through it, you know you don't understand it, but by that time you are so used to it, it doesn't bother you any more.

博主回复(2012-6-24 00:41)：谢谢. 深有感受, 但是我不知道这位知名理论物理学家的名字和这段话的出处. 请施教!

附件二:

http://www.eoht.info/page/Arnold+Sommerfeld

Arnold Sommerfeld

In thermodynamics, Arnold Sommerfeld (1868-1951) (IQ=180) was a German theoretical physicist note for several famous quotations loosely connected to the manuscript Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics he was working on at the time of his death. [1] As the story goes, in the late 1940s, Sommerfeld had previously written a series of books in physics: mechanics (1943), electrodynamics (1948), optics (1950), etc., and was asked why he had never written a book on thermodynamics? The following is his humorous and frequently quoted answer: [2]

“Thermodynamics is a funny subject. The first time you go through it, you don't understand it at all. The second time you go through it, you think you understand it, except for one or two small points. The third time you go through it, you know you don't understand it, but by that time you are so used to it, it doesn't bother you anymore.”