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Oliver Heaviside
8 quotes
“However absurd it may seem, I do in all seriousness hereby declare that I am animated mainly by philanthropic motives. I desire to do good to my fellow creatures, even to the Cui bonos.”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) first seen 1882 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Electrical Papers (1882), Vol. I; Preface, p. vii; Maxmillan and Co., London and New York. Full Text.
“We do not dwell in the Palace of Truth. But, as was mentioned to me not long since, "There is a time coming when all things shall be found out." I am not so sanguine myself, believing that the well in which Truth is said to reside is really a bottomless pit.”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) first seen 1893 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Electromagnetic Theory (1893) Vol. 1, p. 1.
“Waves from moving sources: Adagio. Andante. Allegro moderato.”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Electromagnetic Theory (1912), Volume III; p. 1; "The Electrician" Pub. Co., London. Full Text.
“Electric and magnetic forces. May they live for ever, and never be forgot, if only to remind us that the science of electromagnetics, in spite of the abstract nature of its theory, involving quantities whose nature is entirely unknown at the present, is really and truly founded on the observations of real Newtonian forces, electric and magnetic respectively.”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Electromagnetic Theory (1912), Volume III; p. 1; "The Electrician" Pub. Co., London.
“Mathematics is of two kinds, Rigorous and Physical. The former is Narrow: the latter Bold and Broad. To have to stop to formulate rigorous demonstrations would put a stop to most physico-mathematical inquiries. Am I to refuse to eat because I do not fully understand the mechanism of digestion?”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) said by 1925 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: This quote cannot be found in Heaviside's corpus, Edge provides no reference, the quote first appears around the 1940s attributed to Heaviside without any references. The quote is actually a composite of a modified sent…
“The following story is true. There was a little boy, and his father said, “Do try to be like other people. Don’t frown.” And he tried and tried, but could not. So his father beat him with a strap; and then he was eaten up by lions. Reader, if young, take warning by his sad life and death. For though it may be an honour to be different from other people, if Carlyle’s dictum about the 30 million be still true, yet other people do not like it. So, if you are different, you had better hide it, and pretend to be solemn and wooden-headed. Until you make your fortune. For most wooden-headed people worship money; and, really, I do not see what else they can do. In particular, if you are going to write a book, remember the wooden-headed. So be rigorous; that will cover a multitude of sins. And do not frown.”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Electromagnetic Theory (1912), Volume III; p. 1; "The Electrician" Pub. Co., London.
“More than a third part of a century ago, in the library of an ancient town, a youth might have been seen tasting the sweets of knowledge to see how he liked them. He was of somewhat unprepossessing appearance, carrying on his brow the heavy scowl that the "mostly-fools" consider to mark a scoundrel. In his father's house were not many books, so it was like a journey into strange lands to go book-tasting. Some books were poison; theology and metaphysics in particular they were shut up with a bang. But scientific works were better; there was some sense in seeking the laws of God by observation and experiment, and by reasoning founded thereon. Some very big books bearing stupendous names, such as Newton, Laplace, and so on, attracted his attention. On examination, he concluded that he could understand them if he tried, though the limited capacity of his head made their study undesirable. But what was Quaternions? An extraordinary name! Three books; two very big volumes called Elements, and a smaller fat one called Lectures. What could quaternions be? He took those books home and tried to find out. He succeeded after some trouble, but found some of the properties of vectors professedly proved were wholly incomprehensible. How could the square of a vector be negative? And Hamilton was so positive about it. After the deepest research, the youth gave it up, and returned the books. He then died, and was never seen again. He had begun the study of Quaternions too soon.”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Electromagnetic Theory (1912), Volume III; Appendix K: Vector Analysis, p. 135; "The Electrician" Pub. Co., London.
“My own introduction to quaternionics took place in quite a different manner. Maxwell exhibited his main results in quaternionic form in his treatise. I went to Prof Tait's treatise to get information, and to learn how to work them. I had the same difficulties as the deceased youth, but by skipping them, was able to see that quaternionics could be employed consistently in vectorial work. But on proceeding to apply quaternionics to the development of electrical theory, I found it very inconvenient. Quaternionics was in its vectorial aspects antiphysical and unnatural, and did not harmonise with common scalar mathematics. So I dropped out the quaternion altogether, and kept to pure scalar and vectors, using a very simple vectorial algebra in my papers from 1883 onward. The paper at the beginning of vol. 2 of my Electrical Papers may be taken as a developed specimen; the earlier work is principally concerned with the vector differentiator ∇ and its applications, and physical interpretations of the various operations. Up to 1888 I imagined that I was the only one doing vectorial work on positive physical principles; but then I received a copy of Prof. Gibbs's Vector Analysis (unpublished, 1881-4).”
Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925) first seen 1912 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Electromagnetic Theory (1912), Volume III; Appendix K: Vector Analysis, p. 136; "The Electrician" Pub. Co., London.