Physics Quote of the Day (January 3 - January 9)

"Skill can be increased with practice and the exercise of care contributes to success." Thomas T.Goldsmith, born 9 January 1910.

"If we do discover a complete theory, it should be in time understandable in broad principle by everyone. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people be able to take part in the discussion of why we and the universe exist." Stephen Hawking, born 8 January 1942.

"Whatever the progress of human knowledge, there will always be room for ignorance, hence for chance and probability." Émile Borel, born 7 January 1871.

"I think of physics as the liberal arts of technology." Richard A. Muller, born 6 January 1944.

"Research is a matter of overcoming obstacles. That's what research is about. There are problems. There are difficulties. It's hard to make sense of a collection of information or whatever. Obstacles are the nature of research. Maybe that's why some people give up. There's always an obstacle. You overcome one to find there's another one." Alexander Dalgarno, born 5 January 1928.

"To explain all nature is too difficult a task for any one man or even for any one age. Tis much better to do a little with certainty, & leave the rest for others that come after you, than to explain all things by conjecture without making sure of any thing." Isaac Newton, born 4 January 1643.

"For we may remark generally of our mathematical researches, that these auxiliary quantities, these long and difficult calculations into which we are often drawn, are almost always proofs that we have not in the beginning considered the objects themselves so thoroughly and directly as their nature requires, since all is abridged and simplified, as soon as we place ourselves in a right point of view." Louis Poinsot, born 3 January 1777.