Why quantum mechanics?

[Stephen Goranson]

reportedly:
 Sir Horace Lamb (in a speech to the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1932) said that ‘when I die and go to heaven there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment. One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather optimistic’.
SG
________________________________________
From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of Dave Wilton [dave at WILTON.NET]
Sent: Friday, January 10, 2014 7:48 AM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: [ADS-L] Why quantum mechanics?

Today's xkcd comic contains a variant of the WOTY use of "because," a use of
"why," as in "Why quantum mechanics?" and "Why turbulence?"

http://xkcd.com/1315/

(I haven't looked into whether Horace Lamb actually said anything of this
nature.)

--Dave Wilton
   Doctoral Candidate, Department of English
   University of Toronto
   dave.wilton at utoronto.ca / dave at wilton.net

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org