When you drop molten glass into water, it creates a droplet shape with a long tail. The droplet head is unbreakable, yet the slightest touch of the tail makes the entire piece of glass explode. We now call this Prince Rupert’s Drop, named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine, who first demonstrated it to the Royal Society.
I have written before about the death of the Renaissance Man: the polymath who could discourse knowledgeably on diverse topics, from literature to astronomy. As what we know has grown, experts have had to specialize, in order to make advances at the frontier. Generalists are few and far between. But in this process, we have lost certain types of colorful characters. And one is the scientist-warrior-prince, embodied by Prince Rupert of the Rhine.
Prince Rupert of the Rhine lived in the Seventeenth Century, was a member of the German royal family, as well as being the nephew, first cousin, and uncle of several kings of England. He was a soldier and military leader. But he also was an active scientist and inventor. He helped found the Royal Society and was known as a “philosophic warrior.” He invented various weapons, was involved in chemistry, and even contributed to biology, with experiments related to the healing of wounds. Some more from Wikipedia :
He demonstrated a new device for lifting water at the Royal Society, and received attention for his process for “painting colours on marble, which, when polished, became permanent”. During this time, Rupert also formulated a mathematical question concerning the paradox that a cube can pass through a slightly smaller cube; Rupert questioned how large a cube had to be in order to fit. The question of Prince Rupert’s cube was first solved by the Dutch mathematician Pieter Nieuwland. Rupert was also known for his success in breaking cypher codes.
For even more, see “Prince Rupert as a Scientist” (behind paywall).
Aristocratic gentleman scientists are no longer a commonplace. And I’m not even sure we, as Americans, feel entirely comfortable with this idea. Yet, whether or not we need individuals exactly like Prince Rupert, it is important to try our best as a society to keep the potential for generalists alive. They are, if nothing else, very interesting people.
Top image:Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
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