The Bearing of Statistical and Quantum Mechanics on School Work

Extract

As the President has told you, the subject of this lecture was not my own choice. When first asked to speak on it my impression was that, as the phrase goes, the answer was a lemon; but, on thinking it over further, it seemed that quantum mechanics might have some bearing on school work, although that influence is in a sense only accidental, as I will explain. As far as I can see, however, statistical mechanics, the other half of the subject of the paper, has no bearing on school work, and it only occurs in the title because that title was given me!