{"id":1339,"date":"2016-12-09T13:57:59","date_gmt":"2016-12-09T21:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nocontest.ca\/?p=1339"},"modified":"2016-12-09T13:57:59","modified_gmt":"2016-12-09T21:57:59","slug":"the-interruption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nocontest.ca\/index.php\/2016\/12\/09\/the-interruption\/","title":{"rendered":"The Interruption"},"content":{"rendered":"

The renowned and divisive\u00a0Hungarian-American physicist Edward Teller<\/a>\u00a0would tell\u00a0this little story about an exchange he had with the great\u00a0Niels Bohr<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Some of us, including Bohr, were having a discussion about the spectrum and states of molecular oxygen. Bohr had some opinions, the details of which I have now forgotten, but which were in obvious conflict with the facts that were known. In this special detailed case, I knew the situation and tried to explain it. Unfortunately I could not do so to Bohr’s satisfaction.<\/p>\n

He began his objection: “Teller, of course, knows a hundred times more about this than I.” With a lack of politeness occasionally seen among twenty-year-olds, I interrupted (with some difficulty): “That is an exaggeration.”<\/p>\n

Bohr instantly stopped and stared at me. After a pause, he declared, “Teller says I am exaggerating. Teller does not want me to exaggerate. If I cannot exaggerate, I cannot talk. All right. You are right, Teller. You know only ninety-nine times more than I do.” He then proceeded with his original argument having dispensed with any possibility of further interruption.<\/p>\n

I have never forgotten, nor have I often neglected to mention, Bohr’s wisdom: If you cannot exaggerate, you cannot talk<\/em>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This is one of my favourite stories.<\/p>\n