Wan weigang's master

Wan Weigang, a former physicist and modern popular science writer. He has been engaged in nuclear fusion plasma research for a long time, and now lives in the United States, specializing in writing.

This song "Master" is the first season selection of "Get" column "Wanweigang Elite Day Class". What Wanwei Port strives for is to arm us with the global mainstream elite thinking for the first time.

The content of each article is basically different, and there are also many continuous discussions combining some topics. Therefore, it is easier to read, and you can read them one by one. There is no strict context.

On the topic selection, the pursuit of "being new, being excellent and being accessible to readers" will make the topic more practical and grounded, and it will be less obscure to read and rewarding. In his words, it is necessary to write good articles supported by dry goods, and to have serious research results, not those chicken soup articles that groan without illness.

Part 1: the myth of elite society

Success and luck

40% of Canadian professional ice hockey players were born in June 5438+ 10, February and March, and only 10% were born in June 5438+ 10, June 5438+10, February. Why? Because when they joined the junior ice hockey team when they were young, they were all grouped according to their age. From 1 to 1, children born early have a physical advantage of nearly one year at the same age.

Children start school in September, so children born in summer are the youngest in the class as soon as they enter school, which is a disadvantage. Older children are influenced by leadership since childhood, which is why the number of CEOs born in June and July in American companies is lower than the average 1/3.

I have heard something similar in Fan Deng before. In the same grade, older children have advantages both physically and intellectually, and are easy to win in sports and study, and have accumulated advantages and self-confidence for a long time.

Knowing these data, I don't know how parents who are going to have children before August 3 1 lived.

Part two: The thin line between genius and madman.

Scott Sonam En Shi, a professor of management at Slay University, wrote "Thrift", which means frugality and frugality.

Extreme environmentalists and minimalists are half right. Asking for more is really unsustainable, but you are not sustainable yourself. Less things can really make things play their greatest role, but less is not the purpose. A happy life can't just ask for less, development is the goal. Sonam En Shi's point of view is to avoid falling into the blind pursuit of more modes of thinking, make full use of the existing development resources, and add value to resources through innovation.

Schrodinger's "Roll"

If your girlfriend asks you to "roll", she is actually in a "superposition state" of two psychological States: really asking you to roll and letting you hug her.

Your next move-called "observation" in physics-will make this superposition state collapse to a fixed state. If you really come out, she may really want you to come out; If you hug her, she may think that she wanted you to hug her.

The difference between a genius and a madman lies in the difference between intelligence and wisdom.

Among people with high IQ, geniuses are the ones with high cognitive inhibition, while those with low cognitive inhibition are those who lack creativity but are capable and reliable;

Among people with low intelligence, those with high cognitive inhibition are lunatics, and those with low cognitive inhibition are most ordinary "normal people";

Creativity = Dare to try new ideas * Intelligence

"The test of first-class intelligence is whether you can have two opposite thoughts in your mind at the same time and still maintain your ability to act normally." -Fitzgerald, American writer

Part 3: Tools of the Giant

Adams said that if you want to achieve outstanding achievements, you probably have two choices.

The first choice is that you practice one of your skills to the best in the world. This is very difficult, few people can do it.

The second option is that you can choose two skills and practice each skill to the top 25% in the world, which is easier. Few people have two skills that can rank in the top 25% at the same time, and if you can combine these two skills to do one thing, you may achieve great success.

For example, Adams himself. He is not the best painter in the world, but his painting skills can reach the top 25%. His skill in writing jokes is not the best in the world, but his ability to write jokes can reach the top 25%. Now he combines these two skills to draw Dilbert cartoons, which few people can do.

So Adams's advice to young people is that no matter what field you really like, you should try to practice in the top 25% of this field. Then you have to add another field-of course, adding two is better. If you don't know what fields to add, Adams suggests you practice your spoken English.

Part four: The art of decision-making.

Four steps of scientific decision-making:

1, expand your choices.

2. Test your point of view with reality.

3. In the long run.

4. Anticipate failure for unexpected victory, and prepare for decision-making mistakes.

The most important method in Stoic philosophy is "control dichotomy".

We should distinguish between what we can control and what we can't control, accept what we can't control, focus on what we can control, and have the courage to control it. Transform "external target" into "internal target".

Modest and prudent, bystanders see clearly, and reach a compromise. These "wise reasoning" are qualities that enable us to live a better life. He who can always do these three things in daily life is a wise man.

Part 5: Data rules the world

Random selection optimization life algorithm-"37% rule"

1, divided into two time periods, the first 37% is used for observation, and the best options encountered are remembered;

2. After 37% observation period, as long as you find that an option can reach or exceed the level of the best option you remembered before, you will immediately select it;

Part VI: Measurement of knowledge.

Extreme success is not suitable for everyone, and it needs the cooperation of genes and environment. The opposite of success is not failure, but mediocrity. Failure is actually synonymous with success, both of which mean going to extremes.

Never give up in the face of all kinds of setbacks and difficulties, and being able to persist for a long time is an essential quality for a successful person. Long-term persistence does not come from physical strength and willpower, but from optimistic spirit and stories we tell ourselves. Stories are all fictional, but they provide the meaning of work and life.

You can't do great things without persistence, and you can't find the right one without trying. This contradiction will always exist, and we need to find a balance.

It is too important for a master to be able to see himself from the perspective of a bystander.

Adam Smith's Theory of Moral Sentiment

(1) People should pursue self-interest.

(2) Self-interest means being loved.

To be loved is to be loved.

(4) Being loved, fame and fortune is not a good idea.

(5) Good methods are wisdom and virtue.

As long as we start from our own interests, do our own little things well and make subtle contributions, we can make real progress in society.

Part 7: Insight into the Future

The last chapter, about the astrophysics of busy people, is still so shocking, interesting and charming.

The ratio of positive matter to antimatter is 1 billion 1 to 1 billion. Every 1 100 million annihilations of positive and negative matter can leave 1, and the rest constitutes the universe as we know it at present.

Of all the existing energy in the universe, ordinary matter accounts for 4%, dark matter accounts for 26% and dark energy accounts for 70%. What exactly is dark matter and dark energy are two mysteries.

This book gives a "wonderful" photo of the sun, with a low resolution, but it was actually taken at night. The physicist put down the camera lens, crossed the earth and photographed the sun! That's because this photo was not taken by sunlight, but by neutrinos emitted by the sun.

The gravitational field equation of general relativity is also given in the book. It is impossible to understand it, but we can appreciate the simplicity and beauty of this equation. When I was reading Einstein's book Relativity, I saw E=mC. The derivation process of is simply beautiful. To tell the truth, I always thought Einstein came up with it by patting his head.

The advantage of studying astrophysics is to give us a "view of the universe". The most fundamental point is that the world does not exist because of you, and we always remain humble and respectful.

final result

After reading it, you will gain a lot. The world in front of us seems clearer, with more insight and more cognition. I can't wait to see the second season selection "You have your plan, the world has other plans".