John wrote:

[snip lots of good stuff]

Atoms have got much more complicated than when I was at school.

Not really. It's the unification of the small and the large scale
theories (and the incorporation of gravity) that makes even the
Hilbert-space quantum theory look simple,


Interesting and informative, thanks.

When I was at school electrons were like planets in neat circular
orbits. The only mystery was that there was no in-between. Later they
were spinning and occupying spirograph patterns. When they became
uncertain I lost the plot, like most folk, probably.

The distinction between invention and discovery isn't as easy to
define as it seemed to be. I'm quite drawn to the view that science
has finished.

cheers, Ian