Nobel Insanity

The Nobel Prize. We know the one for Peace is political: Why else would Gandhi not win it while Obama won it right after assuming office the first time?! The one for Literature is obviously subjective: everyone has their own taste and who can possibly compare literature across languages?

That leaves the science prizes. Surely they must be less controversial. But no, even the Physics prizes has had its share of craziness. Like Einstein never winning it for Relativity! And it gets worse. Here’s that story.

As quantum theory was evolving, Werner Heisenberg came up with matrix mathematics to describe it. Ironically, he didn’t even know there was such a branch of maths! But one of his colleagues, Max Born, did know about matrices and worked with his colleague, Pascual Jordan, to develop the theory further. Working independently, Paul Dirac reworked the entire theory using another branch of maths developed by William Hamilton! Dirac’s way was a lot easier to use and even Heisenberg acknowledged that.

And Erwin Schrödinger came up with a third way to describe quantum mechanics using wave equations. Schrödinger’s way was the easiest; so that’s the one that got popular. Ironically, he never liked the full implication of quantum theory as illustrated by his famous line:
“If all this damned quantum jumping were really here to stay, I should be sorry I ever got involved with quantum theory.”
The famous Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment was his attempt to prove how ridiculous quantum theory was; but that’s another story.

Anyways, getting back to the topic of this blog, now there were 5 men who had contributed to developing quantum mechanics: Heisenberg, Born, Pascal, Dirac and Schrödinger. But the Nobel Prize could only be given to a maximum of 3 people at a time. So the committee withheld the award in 1932. And in 1933…if you thought, they gave it to all 5 by combining the prize for the two years, you’d be wrong! Instead, in 1933, they gave the 1932 prize to Heisenberg and the 1933 prize to Schrödinger and Dirac. Poor Born and Jordan got nothing! What the hell had happened?

One theory is that the plan was to give all 5 the prize; but when Jordan joined the Nazi Party in 1933, the committee decided to remove Jordan from the list. And they felt it was wrong to give Born the prize while excluding Jordan since they had worked together, so they felt obliged to remove Born as well! Just goes to show that no matter how many wrong’s you add up, they don’t make a right.

Perhaps the Nobel committee isn’t always insane: after all, Einstein did win the prize twice. But not for Relativity. So we’re back to the Nobel committee is insane.

Comments

  1. Ramiah KumarJune 14, 2017 at 2:06 PM

    There are interesting and expectable points in the blog.

    My views in this context go thus: I don't think naming the Nobel prize selection "crazy" would be right though. Nobel is an institution and it is pretty much prone to politics, both within in and the world outside. As rightly pointed out 'Peace' and 'Literature' prizes will be highly subjective. The only place where craziness can make sense maybe 'Economics' because nobody knows if theories of economics can have clear benchmark standing at all. :-)

    While the discussion on physics prizes for the chosen example are OK, there is at least one mis-information and two left-out details. The mis-information is that Einstein got Nobel prize twice. The only time it was give and that is (from net)

    The Nobel Prize in Physics 1921: Albert Einstein
    "for his services to Theoretical Physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect"

    The other left-out detail is there was no lament on why Schrödinger and Dirac had to share the prize in 1933. Each of them deserved full recognition and not sharing. It is partiality or compromised way on the part Nobel committee.

    On more the left-out detail is this: the blog did not make any mention about Max managing to live on to finally be given the prize in 1954, but it was shared prize. There is cheapness about this. At least the Nobel committee saved themselves from total disgrace by giving the prize to Max Born before too late.

    With money and fame in it why should we even expect Nobel selections to be free of lowly politics? It is unfortunately it is the most coveted prize in physics. By God's grace maths is saved from Nobel politics.

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