Name: Eric Laithwaite 1974 Christmas Lecture 6: It's My Own Invention
Uploaded: 2023-04-03T18:55:44+00:00
Duration: 59 min 17 s
Description: In this video I have uploaded Eric Laithwaite's 1974 lecture titled It's My Own Invention. This is the sixth of his series of Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution, and which are in Eric's typic

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In this video I have uploaded Eric Laithwaite's 1974 lecture titled It's My Own Invention. This is the sixth of his series of Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institution, and which are in Eric's typical Alice in Wonderland theme. In this sixth lecture, Eric explores the topic of "invention" as it relates to engineering, and in particular to his specialty of electromagnetism and his later passion on gyroscopes. He explains that the inventive mind needs both large amounts of curiosity but also courage to explore the unknown, especially if that unknown runs counter to the already established institutions. Eric also describes his encounter with an amateur inventor by the name Alexander Charles Jones whom had invented a gyroscopic device that can "propel itself outside of its own dimension", aka inertial propulsion. This moment was the start of Eric Laithwaite's research into gyroscopes!

Interestingly, at the 52:50 mark of the video Eric mentions the now famous "Google Number" as being more than all the particles in the universe. Note that a Google is a 10^100.

Finally, Eric ends this sixth and last lecture of his 1974 Christmas Lectures series with a large precessing gyroscope hanging from the roof, and quoting from the late Michael Faraday: "All this is a dream, nothing is too wonderful to be true."

Watch more Eric Laithwaite lectures: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLai3U8-WIK0FZChU_6OaCmWA2byX1oEM3

The links to the original videos on the Royal Institution website are shown below:

- Lecture 1: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/1974/the-engineer-through-the-looking-glass/looking-glass-house
- Lecture 2: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/1974/the-engineer-through-the-looking-glass/tweedledum-and-tweedledee
- Lecture 3: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/1974/the-engineer-through-the-looking-glass/jam-yesterday-jam-tomorrow
- Lecture 4: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/1974/the-engineer-through-the-looking-glass/the-jabberwock
- Lecture 5: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/1974/the-engineer-through-the-looking-glass/the-time-has-come-the-walrus-said
- Lecture 6: https://www.rigb.org/christmas-lectures/watch/1974/the-engineer-through-the-looking-glass/its-my-own-invention