A Super Interesting Story of Problems(& Solutions) 🧐 👀 😎

Sir Ernest Rutherford, the President of the Royal Academy and Nobel Prize recipient in Physics, recounted the following story(read till end):

A colleague sought my judgment on a dispute between him and a student. The student claimed a perfect score for his answer to a physics question, while the instructor intended to give him a zero. To settle the matter, they agreed on an impartial arbiter, and I was chosen for the role.

The question in contention was: "Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer." The student's initial response was unconventional but complete: "Take the barometer to the top of the building, attach a long rope to it, lower it to the street, and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of the rope is the height of the building." While unconventional, the answer addressed the question thoroughly. However, it lacked a demonstration of physics knowledge.

To give the student another chance, I challenged him to provide a response within six minutes, emphasizing that it should showcase some understanding of physics.

After five minutes of silence, I offered the option to give up, but he insisted he had multiple solutions in mind and was just choosing the best one.

In the last minute, he hastily penned an answer: "Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, using the formula X(Height)=0.5*g(gravity)*t(time) Squared, you can get the height of the building."

My colleague conceded defeat, awarding the student almost full credit. Curious, I asked the student about his other solutions.

To which he said; “Oh yes, there are a great many ways of getting the height of a tall building with a barometer. For example, you could take the barometer out on a sunny day and measure the height of the barometer and the length of its shadow, and the length of the shadow of the building and by the use of a simple proportion, determine the height of the building.”

For More Awesome Free Email Newsletters

Fine,” I asked. “And the others ?”

“Yes,” said the student. “There is a very basic measurement method that you will like. In this method you take the barometer and begin to walk up the stairs. As you climb the stairs, you mark off the length of the barometer along the wall. You then count the number of marks, and this will give you the height of the building in barometer units. A very direct method.”

“Of course, if you want a more sophisticated method, you can tie the barometer to the end of a string, swing it as a pendulum, and determine the value of ‘g’ at the street level and at the top of the building. From the difference of the two values of ‘g’ the height of the building can be calculated.”

Finally, he concluded, there are many other ways of solving the problem. Probably the best, is to take the barometer to the building manager’s door and say “I have an amazing barometer. If you tell me the height of this building, I will give you this barometer.”

I asked the student if he really did know the conventional answer to this question. He conceded that he was, expressing his frustration with high school and college instructors who sought to instruct him in the application of the "scientific method", rather than teaching him the structure of the subject.

The name of the student was Niels Bohr.

When confronted with a challenge, resist the urge to settle for the initial and seemingly straightforward solution. The first choice may not always be the most optimal, and having a variety of options at your disposal is a distinct advantage. Fall in love with the Problem and not the solution. Take a moment to contemplate alternative solutions. Embrace the opportunity to think outside the box, dare to be unconventional, and let your imagination run wild. Often, the most creative solutions emerge after considering the more conventional ones