The Shadow of Great Britain

However, even though the place where I teach is different, Martin and I harbor the same dream. I aspire to become one of those figures from your stories of yore, longing to achieve my accomplishments in the academic field. Temporary hardships cannot defeat me, because I have a steadfast father like you as a role model.

Although the scientific instruments in the middle school are far from as complete and good as those in the university, I am the son of the best locksmith in all of Erlangen, so this little obstacle is hardly a challenge for me. Whether it's carpentry, turning, or fitting, I am skilled in all of them.

Since entering the 19th century, Volt invented the Voltaic pile, Ampere put forward Ampere's law, and Oersted discovered the magnetic effect of current; new discoveries in the field of electricity came one after another, and countless people flocked to this popular field.

Thus, it was only natural for me to shift my research focus toward electricity. I utilized the magnetic effect of current discovered by Oersted to make a current torsion balance and used the materials I had at hand to create a Voltaic pile. However, due to unstable voltage, I gritted my teeth and bought a newly invented thermoelectric battery.

I conducted experiments tirelessly, recording data in the laboratory whenever I had time. Finally, my efforts paid off. Amidst the towering stacks of data, a sudden flash of insight allowed me to glimpse the truth given to humanity by God — in Galvani's circuit, the size of the current is proportional to the total voltage!

This colossal discovery instantly overwhelmed my mind. I wrote a paper titled "Determination of the Law of Metal Conductivity" overnight and sent it to the "Journal of Chemistry and Physics" the next morning.

Father, how I longed for you to be by my side at that moment. Because had you been there, you surely would have reminded me to stay calm; researchers in natural philosophy must work with a rigorous attitude.

But at that time, I was so overjoyed that I neglected to proofread the paper. Such outcomes always result when I become too pleased with myself, and this time was no exception. The formula I sent out was wrong, and the results calculated with it also did not match my subsequent experimental results.

I immediately realized the seriousness of the issue and planned to retract the sent paper, but when I rushed to the "Journal of Chemistry and Physics" editorial office, it was already too late. They told me that the new issue was already on sale.

I thought I would use this opportunity to turn the tables and dispel my earlier disgrace. However, my hasty pursuit of success led to yet another bitter experience. Researchers across all of Germany were outraged by my actions, and everyone believed I was just seeking to create a sensation, posing as an expert.

Overnight, I became the laughing stock of the entire scientific community. Everyone scorned me, thinking of me as an academic charlatan trying to squeeze into the scientific world. My ears were filled with ridicule, sarcasm, and even harsh words. They called me a mere middle school teacher, the son of a locksmith, a fraud professor.

All of this made me feel as if I had fallen into an ice cave, but it wasn't because of the hurt I personally suffered. It was because I felt extremely apologetic to you. I made a mistake and deserved punishment, but it was not a reason to implicate you. I don't think there is anything shameful about being the son of a locksmith; I am proud of being a locksmith's son.

Born into a poor family, yet achieving accomplishments that noble professors have not, I originally intended to repay your nurturing kindness in this way. However, due to my mistake, not only did I become a clown in the scientific community, but you were also implicated, becoming the father of a fraud.

In the face of their attacks, I panicked, but due to the previous lessons, I did not dare to draw conclusions recklessly again. I spent a year summarizing and verifying the previous experimental results, and then published my academic monograph "Mathematical Calculation of Current."

I originally thought this book could quell the dispute, but unexpectedly, my bad reputation was already formed, so they did not even bother to read the work carefully. Most of those who understood did not want to waste time on an academic fraud, while those who did not understand simply followed the trend to criticize me.

Even those who were truly knowledgeable experimental physicists, perhaps because of my label as an 'academic fraud,' did not believe in the concept of resistance I proposed, and instead thought I was fabricating some non-existent imaginary products.

The editor-in-chief of "Proz Analay," John Bogendoff, John Puff of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Gustav Fechner of Leipzig University, and Ludwig Kamz, etc. They all swarmed in, severely criticizing my conclusion.

They insisted that my conclusions were contrary to the generally accepted common sense in physics. How could the current produced by a battery have anything to do with its potential?

What saddened me the most was that even my friend, Georg Poer, who earned his doctorate in the same year as I did at Erlangen University, directly criticized my work.

He said: "Those who look at the world with reverent eyes should not read this book, as it is purely an unbelievable deception, with the sole purpose of desecrating the dignity of nature."

These conflicts were so intense that nearly all friendship and collaborations with my colleagues in German physics were broken. My research work could not proceed normally, not to mention that even my teaching work at school was disrupted.