/
Article

Creative research

APR 01, 1949
Why confine support of scientific research to projects? The author, in what he calls “random thoughts on creative research,” suggests that a few individuals capable of creative scientific work should themselves be supported for what they might do.
Roman Smoluchowski

It is a truism to state that progress in science depends upon the entire range of research, from the hypothetical extreme of observing and collecting facts to the equally hypothetical extreme of boldly running far ahead into the realm of pure speculation and intuition, thus giving spur to search for new facts. Nevertheless, it is often the case that a disproportionate weighting is accorded to research near the first extreme because of its easily tangible results.

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the authors

Roman Smoluchowski, Carnegie Institute of Technology.

Related content
/
Article
To go beyond classical models and tie our understanding of gravity to the quantum world, experiments are needed.
/
Article
The first African American physicist to earn a PhD made the best of a difficult career path.
/
Article
Apprehension about career pathways and research funding dominated the list of concerns expressed by physics and astronomy undergraduates in a recent survey.
/
Article
This Content Appeared In
pt-cover_1949_04.jpeg

Volume 2, Number 4

Get PT newsletters in your inbox

pt_newsletter_card_blue.png
PT The Week in Physics

A collection of PT's content from the previous week delivered every Monday.

pt_newsletter_card_darkblue.png
PT New Issue Alert

Be notified about the new issue with links to highlights and the full TOC.

pt_newsletter_card_pink.png
PT Webinars & White Papers

The latest webinars, white papers and other informational resources.

By signing up you agree to allow AIP to send you email newsletters. You further agree to our privacy policy and terms of service.