Explore reading: The top eureka moments Read the text about The top eureka moments in science. Some parts are missing. Choose the correct part (A–K) for each gap (1–8). There are two extra parts that you should not use. Write your answers in the spaces provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. 25 The top eureka moments Most inventions and scientific advances really come after hours and hours of hard work in the lab and years of trying to get funding. But the following stories represent times (0) like a bolt out of the blue and the world was changed by that eureka moment. Either that, or perhaps these scientists are just the ones with the best PR. Special relativity It was only very recently that psychologists discovered the science behind eureka, or aha moments. That eureka moment involves first being stuck and (1) . That’s exactly how special relativity came to Einstein. For years, he had been trying to reconcile – or prove – one of two seemingly contradictory theories about space and time. But then, while riding a street car home one day, he was struck by the sight of (2) . The answer was simple and elegant: time can pass at different rates throughout the universe, depending on how fast you move. Alternating current Nikola Tesla was one of those strange people for whom eureka moments (3) . Ideas for inventions would spring from his head, fully formed, like Athena. One of his most famous eurekas, though, was the idea for alternating current. From the first time, he saw direct current demonstrated, Tesla knew that there had to be a better way, but the answer eluded him. One day he was out for a walk (quoting Faust, according to legend) when it just came to him. He used his walking stick to draw a picture explaining how alternating current would work (4) . Tesla partnered with George Westinghouse to advocate for Alternating Current, or AC, over Thomas Edison’s DC, or Direct Current. AC (5) , but not before a publicity battle so bitter that it would put many of today’s political campaigns to shame. Nerve impulses transmitted chemically Otto Loewi discovered that nerve impulses were transmitted chemically, not electronically, all thanks to a dream. In the early 1900s, scientists first (6) of the chemical transmission of nerve impulses, but 15 years later it was still just that – a hypothesis. Otto Loewi was about to change all that. The story goes that just before Easter Sunday, in 1920, Loewi dreamed of an experiment he could do that would prove once and for all how nerve impulses were transmitted. He woke up in the middle of the night, excited and happy, scribbled the experiment down and went back to sleep. When he woke up, he (7) . Luckily, he had the same dream the next night. The experiment and his later work earned him the title “The Father of Neuroscience”. Archimedes and the golden crown He may not have been the first person in history to get a sudden flash of inspiration, but Archimedes is the man who made eureka famous. It all started when King Hiero II grew sceptical about his new crown, which was shaped like a laurel leaf. The king wanted to know whether the crown was solid gold, or if some other metal had been added. It was up to Archimedes to figure this out. Only there was one catch: he couldn’t destroy the crown. After what probably felt like days with the Jeopardy theme song playing in his head ad nauseam, Archimedes drew a bath, and suddenly it all became clear. He could determine the density of the crown by noting how much water it displaced. If any other material (8) to the crown, it would be less dense than if it were made entirely of gold. Archimedes was so excited that he ran naked through the streets (remember, he was about to take a bath) shouting, “Eureka! I have found it!” 16 Language skills Extras Explore 1 Discovery Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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