| How Thomas Brabec Thinks |
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bridges vol. 5, April 2005 / News from the Network
Have you ever wondered how really
smart people think? Well, I have on lots of occasions and, admittedly,
usually in an attempt at emulation. But let me tell you, it's not for
the faint-hearted – even thinking about how really ingenious people
think requires, well, a lot of thinking. Luckily, there’s a way around
this: elicit some direct advice from people who ought to know.
Theoretical physicists, for instance. Access to the full article is free, but requires you to register. Registration is simple and quick – all we need is your name and a valid e-mail address. We appreciate your interest in bridges. |
Thomas Brabec, a professor of physics at the University of Ottawa, is
one of these theoretical physicists, which basically means that he does
the thinking part while others, so-called experimental physicists, run
experiments to see whether his thinking amounts to anything worthwhile
in the real world. That doesn’t mean, of course, that the experimental
physicists don’t think. They also are known to think a lot, just not in
quite as pure a manner as theoretical physicists. One might say that
experimental physicists are thinkers with a practical slant and
theoretical physicists are pure thinkers. This is evidenced by the fact
that Thomas Brabec, for instance, spends most of his time just
thinking. Judging by the numerous and very prestigious awards he has
received for his work, one can safely assume that he must be quite good
at it.
