诺贝尔物理学奖得主戴维索利斯人物传记.docx
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诺贝尔物理学奖得主戴维索利斯人物传记.docx
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诺贝尔物理学奖得主戴维索利斯人物传记
2016年诺贝尔物理学奖得主戴维·索利斯人物传记
DavidJ.ThoulessBiographical
TheNobelPrizeinPhysics2016
Born:
21September1934,Bearsden,UnitedKingdom
Died:
6April2019,Cambridge,UnitedKingdom
Affiliationatthetimeoftheaward:
UniversityofWashington,Seattle,WA,USA
Prizemotivation:
"fortheoreticaldiscoveriesoftopologicalphasetransitionsandtopologicalphasesofmatter."
Prizeshare:
1/2
备注:
通过看英文的人物传记,可以将英语学习和人生学习相结合。
诺奖获得者的人物传记更是如此。
索利斯的这篇传记,通篇以自己的学术渊源和经历为主线,较为平实。
他关于自己很小时候对数学感知的描述,于我们育儿很有启发。
而数学功底扎实,也是众人对他的一致印象。
TheName
ThenameThoulessisveryrare.Fewerthan150peoplewiththenameliveinBritain,almostallofwhomareconnectedtoNorwich.ThisisbecauseitisarelativelynewspellingofanoldnamespeltvariouslyThules,Thewless,Thewlisetc.FivegenerationsbeforeDavid,hisancestorJohnwasbornThules.WhenJohn’sson,James,wasborn,bothparentswereilliterateandtheclergymanfillingoutthebaptismcertificatewrotewhathethoughtheheard–‘Thouless.’ItseemsthatalmosteveryonewiththisparticularspellingofthenameisdescendedfromJames.
Mother’sFamilyBackground
David’smotherwasbornEllaGraftonGortonin1898.ShechangedhernametoPriscillawhenshewasstudyinginItaly,whereshefoundthathavinganamethattranslatedto“She”inItalianwasinconvenient.ThefamilynameoriginatesinGorton,asuburbofManchester.Herfather’sfamilyhadbeenChurchofEnglandclergymenbackintothe1600sandcontinuedthistraditionthroughhergeneration.Hergrandfather,father,threeofherbrothersandtwoofherbrothers-in-lawwereallclergymen.ThemostprominentofthesewasherbrotherNevilleGorton,theBishopofCoventrywhowasdeeplyinvolvedinbuildingthenewcathedralafterthewar.
Priscillawasthesixthofsevenchildren.Shewastaughtbyagovernesswhodidnotlikemathematicsandinfluencedherpupiltofeelthesameway.Afterherfatherdied,shewenttoAltrinchamHighSchoolandthengotascholarshiptoManchesterUniversity.ShegainedaBAandMAinliteratureandtaughtEnglishatManchesteruntilDavid’soldersisterSusanwasbornin1925.
David’sgeneration,whichincluded14firstcousinsonhismother’sside,werenotinvolvedwiththechurchorscience.ThemostnotableofhiscousinswasAsshetonGorton,whowasanartisticdirectorofanumberofwellknownfilmssuchas BlowUp and TheFrenchLieutenant’sWoman.
Father’sFamilyBackgroundandScientificInterests
David’sfatherRobertHenryThoulesswasborninNorwichin1894.Robert’sfatherHenryJamesThoulessmarriedMaudHarperfromDevonwhowasstudyingataTeacherTrainingCollegeinNorwich.HenryJameswasacompanysecretaryatBarnards,aNorwichengineeringfirm.However,hispassioninlifewasnaturalhistory,withaparticularinterestininsects,specificallymoths.HeservedatermasthePresidentoftheNorfolkandNorwichNaturalHistorySocietyandhadabungalowontheedgeofamarshinWroxham,whichwasidealforfindinginsects.Hebequeathedacollectionofinsectshehadcollected,whichincludedtwonamedafterhimself,tothemuseuminNorwichCastle.
Roberthadtwosisters,SybilandMargaret.SybilbecameanunandtaughtschoolintheorderofNotreDame.Theyoungersister,Margaret,alsobecameateacher.ShestudiedatOxfordUniversitybeforetheyallowedwomentotakedegrees.Oncewomenwereallowedtotakedegrees,shereturnedtostudyLatinforayear,asthiswasarequirementforgraduation.Margarethadwantedtostudyscience,butshewasconsideredtoofrailtodothelabworkrequired.Instead,shetaughtEnglishliteratureandforeignlanguagesatSt.Mary’sCalne,agirls’privateboardingschool.
David’sfatherRobertattendedKingEdwardVISchoolinNorwich.In1912hewentasascholartoCorpusChristiCollege,Cambridge.In1914hewasawardedabachelor’sdegreeinnaturalsciences.HejoinedtheRoyalEngineersasasignaller.Afteracoupleofyears,in1917hewenttotheSalonikaFront,fromwhichbyhisaccounthewasluckytohavecomehomealive.Hebecamealifelongpacifistbutitdidnotstophimjoiningthehomeguardtodefendhisowntown,Cambridge,duringtheSecondWorldWar.
AftertheFirstWorldWar,RobertreturnedtoCambridgeanddidaPhDinpsychology.HethenbecamealectureratManchesterUniversitybeforemovingtoScotlandtostartthePsychologyDepartmentattheUniversityofGlasgow.WhileatGlasgow,hedidhismostimportantworkonhowanobjectisperceived,introducingtheterm“phenomenalregression”in1931.Inthe1930sthiswasaveryunfashionablelineofresearch,anditdidnotentermainstreampsychologyuntilthe1950s.RobertwasofferedtheresourcestostudythisphenomenoninAustraliaafterhehadretired,butherepliedthathedidnothavethestrengthandbrainpowerhehadhadwhenhewantedtostudythetopic40yearsearlier.Davidhasfollowedhisfather’soriginalityofthought,whichsometimescamebeforetherestoftheworldisreadytoengageinatopic.
RobertThoulesswasalsoknownforhisradioprogrammesonhowtocriticallyanalyseflawsinreasoningandarguments,whichhelaterturnedintothebook StraightandCrookedThinking.Thisisknownas HowtoThinkStraight intheUS.Ithasbeenarequiredtextbookformanygenerationsofstudentsofrhetoric.HisgrandsonChristopherThoulesshasrevisedthelasttwoeditions,soithasbeeninprintforover85years.
Laterinlife,Robertconcentratedhisresearcheffortsonstudiesoftheparanormal.HewaselectedPresidentoftheSocietyforPsychicalResearchin1942.Althoughafrequentresultofhispainstakinginvestigationswasthedetectionofcheatinginapparentcasesofpsychicpowers,hecontinuedtobelieveinthepossibleexistenceofsuchabilities.
David’sEducationwithEmphasisonMathematics
Evenasafouryearold,Davidwasprecociousinmathematics.Oneday,afterdiscussingwithhisfatherhowfarcountinggoes,Daviddecidedtotaketheexperimentalapproach.Hisfamilywasboredbythetimehereached500andevenmoreboredbythetimehereachedthesecondthousand.
JustbeforehisfifthbirthdayDavidandhissisterwereevacuatedtohisgrandmother’shouseinDevonattheoutbreakoftheSecondWorldWar.Whilethere,Davidtaughthimselftoreadandwrite,withthehelpofhisgrandmother’shousekeeper.
AssoonasitappearedthataGermaninvasionwouldnothappenimmediately,DavidandSusanreturnedtoCambridgeandDavidstartedschool.AtthispointDavidstoppedaskinghowtospellwordsandstartedthinkingaboutarithmetic.Withtheaidofasimpleabacusheworkedoutproblemsforhimself.Heworkedoutthe2timestable,workingoutwhat2times27wasbeforehegotboredwiththeproject.Atage7hesethimselfthetaskofworkingouthowmanysecondsthereareinayear.Fromageseventhrougheight,hespenttwoyearsastheonlyboyinthetopclassoftheschool,withtherestoftheclassbeinglarge9-to11-year-oldgirls,whichwasnotasituationheenjoyedatthatage.Muchtohisrelief,hisnextschoolSt.Faith’swasaboys’prepschool.
Figure1.DavidThouless,threeyearsold.
David’sfatherhadabiginfluenceonhisintellectualdevelopment.“WhenIwas5myfathertaughtmetoplaychess,atwhichIslowlyacquiredcompetencebutnotbrilliance.IthinkIwasateenagerbeforeIhadagoodchanceofbeatinghimatchess,butIwasgenerallymuchbetterthanmyfriends.”InfactDavidcontinuedtoplaychessuntilhewasingraduateschool,whenhefeltthementaleffortwastoosimilartophysics.HeandhisfriendplayedchessintheirheadsonlongTerritorialArmymarches.
Myformaleducationinsciencewasclosetonon-existentuntilIwasnearlyfourteen.Icanrememberoneyoungmantryingtoteachchemistry.Halftheboysknewwhathewastalkingabout,butIhadnoideawhyachemicalshouldgoinoneparticulardirection,ratherthantoanyotherend-productthathadthesamenumberofeachatomicspecies.Fortunatelymyfatherwasalwayswillingandabletofillsuchgapsinmyunderstanding.
IcannotenumerateallthethingsIlearnedfrommyfather.HecertainlytoldmeaboutWegener’stheoryofcontinentaldrift,whichwasveryunfashionableatthattime.Hisenthusiasmforprobabilisticreasoningwassomethinghesharedwithmequiteearly;hewasanearlyfollowerofCyrilBurtinstressingtheimportanceofcarefulstatisticalanalysisofpsychologicaltests.Heshowedmehowbase2arithmeticcouldbeusedtowinthegameofNim.Isaw,butneverreallyabsorbed,theBooleannotationheusedtosolveproblemsinlogic.
Davidmetinterestingvisitorshisfatherinvitedtothehouse.“AfrequentvisitortothehouseintheearlyyearsofthewarwasthephilosopherLudwigWittgenstein.Myfatherhadbeentohislecturesbeforethewar,andtherewasanannotatedcopyofthe BlueBook amonghispaperswhenmyfatherdied.IalsofoundnotesonaseriesofconversationsonphilosophicalandscientificmattersbetweenWittgenstein,myfatherandCyrilWaddington.Thesewerepublishedin2003byJamesKlaggeandAlfredNordmanninthebook LudwigWittgenstein:
PublicandPrivateOccasions.”
Winchester
StFaith’sSchoolinCambridgeencouragedDavidtocompeteforascholarshiptoWinchesterCollege.Hewasnotsurehewantedtogo,sohisparentsmadealternativearrangementsincaseitshouldprovetoostressfulforhim.HewonthetopscholarshipoftheyearwithanoutstandingmathematicsresultandverygoodEnglishandLatin.DavidhadnotstudiedGreek,sohedidnotattemptthatpaper.Hewasthefirsteverstudenttocometopinthescholarshipexamhavingonlydonethreeoutofthefourpapers.
ItwasalsodecidedthatIshouldtaketheSchoolCertificateattheen
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- 关 键 词:
- 诺贝尔 物理学奖 得主 戴维 斯人 传记