Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
General view of Gateshead around 1910.
physics, in itself a quite remarkable achievement, but he taught
them physics through other subjects so that they hardly realised
they were learning it. They learnt physics in geology through
earthquake activity, mountain building and volcanic eruptions;
astronomy taught them about gases and solids, velocity and
motion, and even history played a part as he told them marvel-
lous stories about the discoveries and controversies involving
famous physicists. But there is nothing more guaranteed to
make learning exciting than a feeling of being 'involved', and it
so happened that one of the most dramatic times in scientific
history was unfolding right there and then.
Lord Kelvin had been the foremost physicist of his day and
for many years the leading protagonist in the 'Age of the Earth'
debate, an extraordinary scientific controversy that had endured
for the past fifty years. But as Arthur and Bob studied for their
Higher Certificate Kelvin was an old man of eighty-two and his
theory, that the Earth was only twenty million years old, was
being torn asunder by the young physicists of the day who were
