Chapter 145, the last question in Physical Chemistry
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The final question is an original creation by Xu Kaiqing, rather than a conventional one.
Scientists at his level naturally have the qualification to set questions, and finding one challenging is not an easy task!
For example, in the Romanian Mathematical Master Competition two years ago, an original question by Xu Kaiqing appeared.
Yes, it was not a physics competition but one of the world’s top-level mathematics competitions.
Those who are not in the know like to join in the excitement. Some people, in order to attract attention and gain popularity, publicly questioned Xu Kaiqing’s personal ability and question-setting level online using their influencer status.
Holding onto the point that “physicists can also set mathematical problems” throughout the process, they criticized the academic atmosphere in the country thoroughly.
The process cited classic examples, and the wording was sharp and provocative.
But in the end, they were mocked as “ignorant” across the entire internet. Who said physicists cannot set mathematical problems?
Planck is not only a physicist but also highly accomplished in literature and music.
As for Leonardo da Vinci, not to mention, he is an all-around talent in physics, chemistry, mathematics, astronomy, painting, architecture… a true polymath.
Someone once asked how good Newton was at mathematics, and the answer was: If his contribution to physics is 1, then his contribution to mathematics is definitely not less than 0.9.
And Professor Xu, as a cross-disciplinary Ph.D. and doctoral supervisor, is not only a leading figure in the domestic physics community but also an honored guest in the fields of mathematics and chemistry.
Who dares to question his authority and expertise?
And the fact proves that Xu Kaiqing does live up to the title of “question-setter.”
In the Romanian Mathematical Master Competition that year, this question became the decisive battle in the championship journey for the 26 participating countries. In the end, Country Y successfully solved the problem, calculated the optimal solution, and won the gold medal.
After the competition, this question was included in the “IMDP” magazine as a key research example, known to mathematics enthusiasts worldwide.
Since then, Xu Kaiqing has not provided any original questions for international academic competitions.
Unexpectedly, there’s another one today!
“It’s impressive that Professor Xu personally took the lead.”
“If I steal the questions and sell them, can I get rich overnight?”
“Well, if someone buys the questions, they probably want the complete set. Do you have the answer key?”
“… Sorry to disturb.”
“I guess the difficulty of the question is not small. Can Jiang Fuyue and Huo Fanjin handle it?”
“I don’t know if Jiang Fuyue can handle it, but Huo Fanjin probably has no hope.”
She just finished a small part of the first question. When she completes the second one, doing the third one might take forever.
“According to the IPhO schedule, the theoretical exam lasts for 3 hours. Isn’t Huo Fanjin’s speed normal?”
“Normal is normal, but… I can only say, there’s no harm without a comparison.”
With Jiang Fuyue shining in the front, no matter how well Huo Fanjin performs, it can only be overshadowed.
“Hiss! Something’s not right. Look at the last question…”
“What’s going on?”
“Is this it? Nothing else?”
“Maybe the document didn’t load properly?”
On the projection screen, regarding the third question, there was only one sentence—
“Explain the physics of quasi-crystals with data support.”
When Jiang Fuyue saw the question, she couldn’t help but be stunned.
No context, no parameters, and not even a specific question raised. The phrase “physics of quasi-crystals” was vague and abstract, leaving people perplexed.
At first glance, it seemed like an essay for popular science.
But Jiang Fuyue quickly grasped the key point—”with data support”!
Supported by data.
Still a physics question, still requiring the use of formulas, and still involving a considerable amount of computation.
However, the starting point was extremely arbitrary, so much so that the test-taker’s choice would be a huge challenge.
The reactions of the people below were even more intense—
“Can this be called a question?”
“It doesn’t know me, and I don’t know it, thank you.”
“What are quasi-crystals?”
“Quasi-crystals.”
“What’s that again?”
“Who knows? We haven’t studied sub-disciplines of physics.”
Someone shook their head, “This is not within the scope of physics discussions.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“Quasi-crystals are a type of crystal structure. The arrangement of atoms in quasi-crystals does not follow a repetitive periodic symmetrical arrangement, and the arrangement of atoms is between crystals and non-crystals. The person who discovered it is Daniel Shechtman. In 2011, he became the Nobel Prize in Chemistry laureate thanks to this.”
“Oh, I see… wait! Did you say Nobel what award?”
“Chemistry prize.”
“Oh my, shouldn’t it be the physics prize?!”
“No. That’s why I said quasi-crystals do not belong to the scope of physics discussions.”
But it just happened to appear in the IPhO test questions!
And it’s still about discussing the physics!
Huo Fanjin hadn’t finished the first question yet, but hearing the continuous discussions and exclamations around her, she couldn’t help but distract herself to take a glance at the projection screen.
With just one glance, she was instantly stunned.
If the first and second questions were still within her ability range, requiring just a bit more time to solve smoothly, the third question was like an incomprehensible book for her.
The confusion in her eyes was no less than those watching the spectacle below.
At this moment, she suddenly became curious about Jiang Fuyue’s reaction. Was she as bewildered and at a loss as herself, or was she furrowing her brows, contemplating how to solve the problem?
Thinking like this, Huo Fanjin indeed looked towards her.
She saw Jiang Fuyue, who had been standing still for a long time, suddenly move. She walked to a clean whiteboard, took a marker, and wrote down a chemical formula—
Al57.0+xCu39.5-xRu3.5 (x = 0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10) and Al62.0Cu34.0+yRu4.0-y (y = 0, 0.5, 1.5)[1]
“What is she doing?”
Someone in the audience asked the question in Huo Fanjin’s mind.
Even Yan Zhenfeng couldn’t help but remind her, “This is a physics competition!”
Jiang Fuyue paid no attention…
Three updates, two thousand words.
The author is not an academic and not a research expert. All information comes from papers, and there’s no need to delve into details or be too strict. If there are any inaccuracies, please forgive.
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Thanks! These last few chapters were fun to read.