weber, Weltanschauung, weltschmerz, mittleschmerz

readingthedictionaryztoa.blogspot.com
glennlouisfeole@gmail.com

weber [Wilhelm Weber, a German physicist, 1891]  a ‘practical’ unit of magnetic flux

     Here is the explanation in simpler terms so the you may understand it: …one unit of flux produces one volt of electromagnetic force, at one ampere per second (which equals 10 to the 8th amperes or 100,000, 000 maxwells).  

     OK?

     I do have one relevant anecdote about the emptiness of my brain pan when it comes to certain aspects of science.   As a Freshman, I was a premedical student/philosophy major whose main love was poetry and literature so you can see where this story is leading.   I took all the required sciences such as chemistry, biochemistry, "Orgo" (organic chemistry), calculus and physics and have to admit that I found them interesting, even artistic and philosophical in many ways.  Even in medical school, though, I was always first drawn to reading about the literary and historical aspects of the medical concepts in pharmacology, anatomy, internal medicine...  

    I broke my right arm playing soccer Freshman year and had a cast from shoulder to wrist for over three months.  I was right handed...  During finals, the chairman of physics let me use his office high atop the  physics building with a beautiful panoramic view of the campus with its Fall colored foliage and cozy Gothic stone buildings dispersed throughout this vista.  He gave me unlimited time, probably about three hours, to finish the final exam.  Even today I am not able to fully grasp the kindness and magnanimity of his actions.  He sat me at his huge, paper strewn desk and waved as he left, giving me the use of his office with a smile.  I laboriously scribbled equations with my left hand.  He returned and graded the test in front of me, very cordially as he gave me feedback.  

     The one comment that sticks with me, besides his kindness and smile, was when he graded the section on electricity.  He turned to me and said with a grin,  "You did very well on this exam...except that you have no understanding of electricity."  Amen.  I took this as a deep and solemn compliment coming from the Chairman of Physics.  I agreed and I agree to this day.  I just changed the 9 volt battery in the smoke detector in my daughter's room tonight and I have no idea what I did.  The thought of volts, watts, ampere's, resistance and joules sends me into a confused, cold sweat and looking for my Norton Anthology of Poetry.  

Weltanschauung [German, Welt: world, schauung: view] \velt' en shung\: one's world view, a comprehensive conception of the world

     

     weltschmerz [German velt world, schmerz pain] sadness at the state of the world; mental apathy or depression caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state.  
A mood of sentimental sadness. 

     schmerz = 'pain'   Medically, mittleschmerz is pain during menses