The most exciting phrase to hear in science

[dansbell]

I am looking for a souce that would identify when or where this quoat was made

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that
 heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny..."
Isaac Asimov.

thanks for any help

dans...@qwest.net

[Big Egg]

On Sat, 29 Sep 2001 20:09:19 -0700, dansbell
<dans...@pop.eugn.qwest.net> wrote:

< snip: where? >

>"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that
> heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's
>funny..."
>Isaac Asimov.

Off the top of my head, it's in the intro to one of his short stories
in "Opus" (?) - his autobi(bli)ography - I think it was the murder
mystery involving the billiard ball becoming a wavicle.

I'm not even sure it was IA, it could have been Sir ACC or even
RAH (the Douglas-Martin solar panel story ?).

All this done from memory, from the pub. (Home - based office work
with a employer supplied lap-top and mobile :.)) )

[Jason Rhodes]

This is off the top of my head. I think it was an essay about the
Michelson-Morely Experiment called something like "The Light that Wasn't."

Jason

"Big Egg" <big...@hardboiled.org.uk> wrote in message
news:99kert8c2m1rrk773...@4ax.com...

[Edward Seiler]

In article <99kert8c2m1rrk773...@4ax.com>, Big Egg
<big...@hardboiled.org.uk> wrote:

It most certainly was not in an introduction to "The Billiard Ball" in one
of the Opus books, since that story didn't appear in an Opus book.

[For those that don't know, in the U.K., the books _Opus 100_ and _Opus
200_ were published as a single volume titled _Opus_. That's why our U.K.
brethren usually don't specify a number in the title.]

Perhaps it appears in one of the other Opus introductions. If anyone can
find it there, I encourage them to let the rest of us know.

--
Ed Seiler

[Edward Seiler]

In article <9p7l35$p5$1...@bob.news.rcn.net>, "Jason Rhodes"
<bigd...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>This is off the top of my head. I think it was an essay about the
>Michelson-Morely Experiment called something like "The Light that Wasn't."

Sorry, but it was not in the essay "The Light That Failed".

This remains one of the more elusive quotes to track down.

--
Ed Seiler

[Big Egg]

On Sun, 30 Sep 2001 18:56:13 GMT, ejse...@earthlink.net (Edward
Seiler) wrote:

>In article <99kert8c2m1rrk773...@4ax.com>, Big Egg
><big...@hardboiled.org.uk> wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 29 Sep 2001 20:09:19 -0700, dansbell
>><dans...@pop.eugn.qwest.net> wrote:
>>
>>< snip: where? >
>>
>>>"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that
>>> heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's
>>>funny..."
>>>Isaac Asimov.
>>
>>Off the top of my head, it's in the intro to one of his short stories
>>in "Opus" (?) - his autobi(bli)ography - I think it was the murder
>>mystery involving the billiard ball becoming a wavicle.

>It most certainly was not in an introduction to "The Billiard Ball" in one

>of the Opus books, since that story didn't appear in an Opus book.

This is p-ing me off.

I just went through 200+ google hits for the quote, and all of them
are not referenced. I'm going to have to do this the hard way.

BTW I concur that it is Asimov, not RAH, or SirAAC.

(rec.sf.written added)

[Dave O'Neill]

"Big Egg" <big...@hardboiled.org.uk> wrote in message

news:250frt0o49tursjj2...@4ax.com...

> On Sun, 30 Sep 2001 18:56:13 GMT, ejse...@earthlink.net (Edward
> Seiler) wrote:
>
> >In article <99kert8c2m1rrk773...@4ax.com>, Big Egg
> ><big...@hardboiled.org.uk> wrote:
> >
> >>On Sat, 29 Sep 2001 20:09:19 -0700, dansbell
> >><dans...@pop.eugn.qwest.net> wrote:
> >>
> >>< snip: where? >
> >>
> >>>"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that
> >>> heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's
> >>>funny..."
> >>>Isaac Asimov.
> >>
> >>Off the top of my head, it's in the intro to one of his short stories
> >>in "Opus" (?) - his autobi(bli)ography - I think it was the murder
> >>mystery involving the billiard ball becoming a wavicle.
>
> >It most certainly was not in an introduction to "The Billiard Ball" in
one
> >of the Opus books, since that story didn't appear in an Opus book.

I thought the Billiard Ball one was in Opus 100?

I'd love to check but all my books are in storeage :-(

Dave O'Neill

[Andrew Wheeler]

Big Egg wrote:
<snipped>

I thought the most exciting phrase in science was "The grant has been approved"...

--
Andrew Wheeler
Editor, SF Book Club (USA) -- speaking only for myself
"Life is a god-damned, stinking, treacherous game and
nine hundred and ninety-nine men out of a thousand are
bastards." -- Theodore Dreiser

[Stan Pope]

"Edward Seiler" wrote:
>
> Sorry, but it was not in the essay "The Light That Failed".
>
> This remains one of the more elusive quotes to track down.
>

Isaac Asimov wrote the essay "The Eureka Phenomenon" for the June 1971
F&SF. It would make sense that he uttered or wrote the phrase after that
date. Also, what is the earliest known citation of that quote? He obviously
couldn't have said it before it was repeated.

Stan Pope

[e4e5]

Here is a hint as I can't lay my finger on it either....

 

I will confirm it is, indeed an Isaac Asimov quote.  I have been using it myself recently, quite frequently.

 

I am in the process of reading all of his books, in the order published.

I am currently reading _The Egyptians_, Houghton Mifflin, 1967 (no, not in that one); which is book #86

 

And I remember reading it recently, so it definately was before this one.

dansbell <dans...@pop.eugn.qwest.net> wrote in message news:3BB68CDE...@pop.eugn.qwest.net...

[Edward Seiler]

In article <W5Nt7.66589$L%5.428...@news1.rdc1.sfba.home.com>, "Dave
O'Neill" <done...@home.com> wrote:

>I thought the Billiard Ball one was in Opus 100?
>
>I'd love to check but all my books are in storeage :-(

Take my word for it, I've checked, and it's not in there.

--
Ed Seiler

[Edward Seiler]

In article <x3Rt7.5291$Gd6....@typhoon.mw.mediaone.net>, "Stan Pope"
<stp...@mediaone.net> wrote:

Has anyone found a citation of the quote other than from the Internet?

I see no reason why he couldn't have written the quote either before or
after "The Eureka Phenomenon", unless it was in an essay titled "The
That's Funny Phenomenon", and we know that's not the case. He could have
written "The Eureka Phenomenon" without mentioning the quote, since it is
an interesting phenomenon nonetheless.

--
Ed Seiler

[Stan Pope]

"Edward Seiler" wrote:

> I see no reason why he couldn't have written the quote either before or
> after "The Eureka Phenomenon", unless it was in an essay titled "The
> That's Funny Phenomenon", and we know that's not the case. He could have
> written "The Eureka Phenomenon" without mentioning the quote, since it is
> an interesting phenomenon nonetheless.
>

True, I was just trying to look for a way to narrow the search.

Stan

[e4e5]

**sigh** I still have not found it.

 

However, I remember the quote slightly different.  This might ring a bell with someone.

 

"The most profound words in science are not "Eureka! I've found it!" They are "That's funny..."."

 

of course, I too, am going from memory, so mine may not be quire right either.

 

 

 

dansbell <dans...@pop.eugn.qwest.net> wrote in message news:3BB68CDE...@pop.eugn.qwest.net...

[Ernest Fairchild]

I remember the quote, but I've got so many Asimov science books, I'd have no way
to find it. Try "Asimov on Physics," or "Atom," though.

Have a great day!

Ernest (ICQ #123375293)
(efair...@home.com)

_____________________
"Getting old is hard . . . I forgot my sigline!"

Visit my website at http://www.public.asu.edu/~ernestf

Try my freeware game, Candy is Dandy at:
http://www.public.asu.edu/~ernestf/programs/programs.html

"e4e5" <e4...@mninter.net> wrote in message
news:trq2o53...@corp.supernews.com...

[e4e5]

I have found the quote several places on the Web, but none of them gives the
exact source (other than it coming from Isaac Asimov).
The quote is also not found in _Isaac Asimov's Book of Science and Nature
Quotations_ or in _Asimov on Science, A Thirty Year Retrospective_
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds now
discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but rather, 'hmm. That's funny'.
(only slightly different from the one given below)

dansbell <dans...@pop.eugn.qwest.net> wrote in message
news:3BB68CDE...@pop.eugn.qwest.net...

[Ogden Johnson III]

"e4e5" <e4...@mninter.net> wrote:

>I have found the quote several places on the Web, but none of them gives the
>exact source (other than it coming from Isaac Asimov).
>The quote is also not found in _Isaac Asimov's Book of Science and Nature
>Quotations_ or in _Asimov on Science, A Thirty Year Retrospective_
>"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds now
>discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but rather, 'hmm. That's funny'.
>(only slightly different from the one given below)

This is as valid as anything else you'll find on the internet.

Where: A collection of his F&SF essays.
When: At *least* thirty years ago.
Exact Wording: YGTBSM - no way in H***

But, I do, and have, for thirty years or more, remembered,
(paraphrased) ... no I can't. I remember the introduction, the
apposition, and the position, but I cannot, for the life of me,
remember the exact words, Given the number of F&SF essays, and the
collections thereof, I will not make an attempt to find the quote. At
58, I don't have enough time {much as I would like to} to reread them
all.

IA wrote it, albeit it may not have been original with him. I,
myself, first read the thought, as I said above, in one his essays,
originally written for F&SF. I will leave it to other, younger people
than I, to seek out the source. I , certainly, don't have that time,
even if I *were* to live to my "three-score-and-ten".

OJ III

[e4e5]

LOL
indeed, John, that I truly do not "trust" the internet quotes.

There is even one source that gives the quote:

"Never let your sense of morals prevent you from doing what is right."
(misquoted, of course)
and attributes it to one.... Salvor Hardin

(As we all know, Salvoe did indeed say that, but as a character in the book,
not as the author)