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Asimov once wrote about events like those which KH.
For a story he was writing, he needed the speed which the inner boundry of Saturn's rings were revolving. He searched through all kinds of reference books but could find nothing. But he concluded he could figure it out. He began a series of calculations, which after hours of work, led Asimov to rediscover Kepler's second law (IIRC).
Quoting Asimov as closely as I can remember:
For a story he was writing, he needed the speed which the inner boundry of Saturn's rings were revolving. He searched through all kinds of reference books but could find nothing. But he concluded he could figure it out. He began a series of calculations, which after hours of work, led Asimov to rediscover Kepler's second law (IIRC).
Quoting Asimov as closely as I can remember:
This sent me into a deep depression. The prerequisite for rediscovering Kepler's Second Law is having forgotten it in the first place.
But then I thought:
A stupid man wouldn't even know that Kepler's Second Law exists.
A smart man would remember Kepler's Second Law.
But a really smart man -- ah ha! -- would forget Kerpler's Second Law confident that, if he ever needed it, he could rediscovery it at will.
But then I thought:
A stupid man wouldn't even know that Kepler's Second Law exists.
A smart man would remember Kepler's Second Law.
But a really smart man -- ah ha! -- would forget Kerpler's Second Law confident that, if he ever needed it, he could rediscovery it at will.
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