When I was young (in 2-3 grade) and did not have knowledge of how things work, I liked to read fairy tales, including Bible (my grandma had one). It fascinated me how much ancient life resembles our today's struggle. But in 4th grade we started to study algebra, in 5-th - chemistry (boy, how many fascinating pirotechnical and other chemicals I experimented with back then), in 6-th physics (made crystal radios, then numerous transistor amplifiers, AM radios, FM walkie-talkie, even 3-inch screen oscilloscope), also started study biology, geology. In 8th grade accomplished general education as required by scool program. By this time I knew from my school textbooks how Earth geologically evolves, how DNA works and evolves, how viruses replicate, where and how "homo sapiens" evolved, as well as what is magnetic fild and light, knew algebraic basics of special relativity, what 4 forces govern everything around us, what is size and age of visible Universe, and that Solar system is but one out of billions of other solar systems lost in all corners of vast Milky Way, and that there are billions and billions of other milky ways, etc etc.

And ANYTHING goes hand-by-hand with math and mathematically and automatically follows from fundamental Laws of physics.

So, I did not need Santa Clause and Holy Bible any more. Grew up.

Later I learned calculus, electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, relativity and some general relativity and understood how all laws of physics follow just from basic symmetries of space and time.

• interesting. too bad it's wasted. - gwynj - February 11, 2001 - 20:23 UTC
  • If that's true, what's the alternative? - stormcrow - February 12, 2001 - 15:24 UTC
    • to some, that's enough - gwynj - February 12, 2001 - 15:30 UTC
      • When brain ages, we get all more primitive. - alexander - February 12, 2001 - 20:07 UTC
        • so let's all go play - gwynj - February 12, 2001 - 21:10 UTC
          • We all should. - alexander - February 13, 2001 - 00:08 UTC
      • True - stormcrow - February 12, 2001 - 20:29 UTC
        • same as choice - gwynj - February 12, 2001 - 21:08 UTC