While doing some casual research, I came across a wonderful article and video about the ten most significant formulas (derived from mathematics, physics, engineering, chemistry and a variety of other frequently disruptive and often controversial academic fields) discovered since the beginning of time. I enjoy all of these disciplines, and have a great amount of respect for those for work at them, whether from a theoretical standpoint or from an application standpoint..
First, we have an embedded video player (which frequently fails to appear due to Murphy's Law, which was my late father's favorite -- the funny thing about this law is that it is interactive, and as such cannot be defeated -- for example, if I get onto a line at the supermarket that seems shorter, it will become longer than the other line that I would have chosen; or if I drop buttered toast on the carpet, it will invariably fall with the buttered side down):
The other interesting thing about Murphy's Law, which is often quoted as "If anything can go wrong it will, and at the worst possible time, yielding the greatest damage or inconvenience. It's different that the laws expressed in the ten formulas because it actually addresses, in a most pessimistic manner, the way we interact with the Universe.
Then we have a link to the original article: http://video.answers.com/top-10-mathematical-equations-that-changed-the-world-517505208
Wildly enough. I unearthed this gem of an article on Ask.Com while on a completely unrelated search.
If you'd like to go on a fabulous mind excursion, just look up any item on one of the search engines, arbitrarily click on some link and see where it leads you. Those of us in Braintenance, have a tremendous appreciation for this random yet often serendipitous stream-of-conscious rambling activity because it is unfocused, not fully controlled (consciously) by us, and because it often takes on a very important tangent leading us to something which we find utterly fascinating.
If you read The Braintenance Blog, you'll know that I believe that a foray into the wilderness of irrelevance (i.e., something like the 'rabbit hole' stream-of-consciousness search engine adventure described in the preceding paragraph) often creates new interests, and therefore increases and broadens the scope of things which we consider relevant from that moment on.
I've referred to it as "The Virtue Of Irrelevancy" - it is a wonderful counterbalance to obsessive focus and elusive answers, and a way to increase your knowledge base and ability to associate.
By the way, please remember to read an older article which I recently posted:
Trick Your Mind Into Expanding! - Braintenance (braintenance.blogspot.com)
The suggested exercise (in the above article) requires a great deal of time, but it is well worth the beneficial effects on consciousness, cognition and neuronal plasticity.
Briefly going back to those 10 revolutionary formulas which we opened this article with, it is important to note that every one of them has an inherent ability to benefit us as well as the inherent ability to destroy us, or some aspect of our civilization. Whether an object is a tool (to build or heal) or a weapon (to destroy or injure) is fully dependent upon the intentions and abilities of the individual who wields it.
As I've said before, let's avoid confusing cause and effect when we are beset by bullying or violence. I can build a house with this brick, or I can throw it at some unfortunate person and cause him or her a concussion. The responsibility resides with me, not with the inanimate brick. Carrying this just a bit further, the person whom I clobbered could have been a terrorist, planning to bomb a packed shopping mall, or a person who was otherwise headed on a course to win a Nobel Peace Prize.
We Humans never fully know the power that we wield over the future.
Enjoy the 10 Formulas That Changed The World not only for what they describe, but for what their potentials are, each one separately, for construction or destruction.
Thank you for reading me me and for sharing my thoughts with your social media networks.
Douglas E. Castle for The Braintenance Blog and for CrowdFunding Incubator LLC
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