29 MAY 2012 by ideonexus

 Knowledge of Nature is Like an Account at the Bank

Knowledge of Nature is an account at bank, where each dividend is added to the principal and the interest is ever compounded; and hence it is that human progress, founded on natural knowledge, advances with ever increasing speed.
Folksonomies: nature science metaphor
Folksonomies: nature science metaphor
  1  notes

Where the interest compounds and the growth is logarithmic(?).

15 JAN 2012 by ideonexus

 Heat Makes Solids Fluids and Fluids Gases

The opinion I formed from attentive observation of the facts and phenomena, is as follows. When ice, for example, or any other solid substance, is changing into a fluid by heat, I am of opinion that it receives a much greater quantity of heat than that what is perceptible in it immediately after by the thermometer. A great quantity of heat enters into it, on this occasion, without making it apparently warmer, when tried by that instrument. This heat, however, must be thrown into it, in order ...
  1  notes

Black believes there is more heat going into ice that turns to water than is registered on a thermometer.