The law of floatation was not discovered by contemplating the sinking of things, but by contemplating the floating of things which floated naturally, and then intelligently asking why they did so.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of understanding success rather than merely focusing on failure.
Thomas Troward's quote highlights a fundamental principle of inquiry: true discovery arises from observing successful phenomena, in this case, things that float, and then questioning the reasons behind their buoyancy. Rather than fixating on failures or what does not work, we should seek to understand and analyze successes to unlock deeper insights and advancements in understanding.
In practice
During a science class, the teacher quoted Troward to inspire students to focus on successful experiments.
I think the really cool and compelling thing about math and physics is that it opens up entry to all these hypotheticals - or at least, it gives you the language to talk about them. But at the same time, if a scenario is completely disconnected from reality, it's not all that interesting.
The way I see it, commercial interests should manage a lunar base while NASA gets on with the really important task of flying to Mars.
Chemistry is necessarily an experimental science: its conclusions are drawn from data, and its principles supported by evidence from facts.
I still hear some people say that science takes the wonder out of life. Those people are utterly wrong. Science takes us to the wonder
This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right.
A scientist who is also a human being cannot rest while knowledge which might be used to reduce suffering rests on the shelf.
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