Charles Percy Snow was an English physical chemist, novelist and civil servant. He was Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Technology from 1964 to 1966. He presented the 1959 Rede Lecture in which he made a statement about science which was picked up by the contemporary media.
A good many times I have been present at gatherings of people who, by the standards of the traditional culture, are thought highly educated and who have with considerable gusto been expressing their incredulity at the illiteracy of scientists. Once or twice I have been provoked and have asked the company how many of them could describe the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The response was cold: it was also negative. Yet I was asking something which is the scientific equivalent of: Have you read a work of Shakespeare’s?
I now believe that if I had asked an even simpler question — such as, What do you mean by mass, or acceleration, which is the scientific equivalent of saying, Can you read? — not more than one in ten of the highly educated would have felt that I was speaking the same language. So the great edifice of modern physics goes up, and the majority of the cleverest people in the western world have about as much insight into it as their neolithic ancestors would have had.
C. P. Snow
The theme: describing the Second Law of Thermodynamics was eagerly embraced by two talented gentlemen to whom science shall be forever indebted. But first a word about two other gentlemen, the two Boyles.
Robert Boyle the scientist is famous for his work on hot air. That is all you need to know about him for our present purposes. Edward Boyle the politician, by way of contrast, was famous for his production of hot air.
And now, the two aforementioned talented gentlemen: Flanders and Swann. They deserve lasting fame and many plaudits, to say nothing of kudos, for their brilliant insights regarding the problems of science communication and for their exposition of the Second Law of Thermodynamics.
In case the following Youtube video is deleted, or in case English is not your first language, or in case of non-functional video player or WW3, I have posted a transcript below the video.
The following is a transcript from the Youtube recording of a part of the Flanders and Swann revue: At the Drop of Another Hat -
First and Second Law - Flanders and Swann
One of the great problems in the world today is undoubtedly this problem of not being able to talk to scientists, because we don't understand science. They can't talk to us because they don't understand anything else, poor dears. This problem, I think it was C.P. Snow first raised it, Sir Charles Snow in private life in his books Science and Government, and so on. Mind you I haven't read it: I'm waiting for the play to come out.
He says quite rightly, he says it's no use going up to a scientist and saying to him as you would to anbody else, you know: "Good morning, how are you, lend me a quid" and so on. Him, he'd just glare at you, or make a rude retort, or something. You have to speak to him in language that he'll understand. I mean, you go up to him and you say something like: "Aaah! H2SO4, Professor! Don't synthesise anything I wouldn't synthesise! Oh, and the reciprocal of Pi to your good wife!" This he will understand.
Snow says that nobody can consider themselves educated who doesn't know at least the basic language of Science. I mean, things like Sir Edward Boyle's Law, for example: the greater the external pressure, the greater the volume of hot air. Or the Second Law of Thermodynamics - this is very important. I was somewhat shocked the other day to discover that my partner not only doesn't know the Second Law, he doesn't even know the First Law of Thermodynamics.
Going back to first principles, very briefly, thermodynamics is of course derived from two Greek words: thermos, meaning hot, if you don't drop it, and dinamiks, meaning dynamic, work; and thermodynamics is simply the science of heat and work and the relationships between the two, as laid down in the Laws of Thermodynamics, which may be expressed in the following simple terms:
After me.
The First Law of Thermodymamics:
Heat is work and work is heat
Heat is work and work is heat
Very good!
The Second Law of Thermodymamics:
Heat cannot of itself pass from one body to a hotter body
Heat cannot of itself pass from one body to a hotter body
Heat won't pass from a cooler to a hotter
Heat won't pass from a cooler to a hotter
You can try it if you like but you far better notter
You can try it if you like but you far better notter
'Cause the cold in the cooler with get hotter as a ruler
'Cause the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a ruler
'Cause the hotter body's heat will pass to the cooler
'Cause the hotter body's heat will pass to the cooler
First Law:
Heat is work and work is heat and work is heat and heat is work
Heat will pass by conduction
Heat will pass by conduction
Heat will pass by convection
Heat will pass by convection
Heat will pass by radiation
Heat will pass by radiation
And that's a physical law.
Heat is work and work's a curse
And all the heat in the Universe
Is gonna cooool down 'cause it can't increase
Then there'll be no more work and there'll be perfect peace
Really?
Yeah - that's entropy, man!
And all because of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which lays down:
That you can't pass heat from the cooler to the hotter
Try it if you like but you far better notter
'Cause the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a ruler
'Cause the hotter body's heat will pass to the cooler
Oh, you can't pass heat from the cooler to the hotter
You can try it if you like, but you'll only look a fooler
'Cause the cold in the cooler will get hotter as a ruler
That's a physical Law!
Oh, I'm hot!
Hot? That's because you've been working!
Oh, Beatles - nothing!
That's the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics!
.
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