Ed Schweber (edschweb@ix.netcom.com)
Physics Teacher at The Solomon Schechter Day School, West Orange, NJ
Hi:
One of my professors when I was in grad school in the early 70's, Aage
Peterson, had worked with Bohr early in Peterson's career and toward the end
of Bohr's career.
Once Bohr, Peterson and some colleagues went to see an American western
and began evaluating the film afterward. What follows is the gist of what
transpired. The exact dialog is an approximation.
"What did you think?", they asked Bohr and he kept replying
"Too Implausible."
"Come on Bohr, its just a movie, you can't subject it to too rigorous an
analysis."
Bohr kept responding, "Too implausible."
Finally they relented. O.K. Bohr, why is it implausible?"
"That a man runs off with a woman - that I can accept - it
happens all the time.
That the woman had a jealous brother who chased after
them - that too I can accept - there certainly are jealous
brothers.
That the brother caught up with his sister - that too I can
accept. One person must have the faster horse and one
the slower horse,
That the brother caught his sister as they were crossing a
bridge - that I can accept as well. The brother has to catch
his sister somewhere.
And that the bridge collapsed just as everyone was crossing it
-even that I can accept. Bridges do collapse and the people
on them must have some reason for being there. And you
don't make movies of everyday events.
But that at the precise moment the bridge collapsed, a
movie crew should just happen to have been in the ravine
to film it
- too implausible !"