Couldn't do it now
This 1948 episode of 'Calling All Detectives' is unique at two levels. At the character level it portrays the conflict between real science versus the highly competitive team sport of academic science. At the plot level, the detective USES real science to find the culprit.

A geologist who runs a seismology research station has been killed. The prime suspect is a real scientist who dislikes the team sport. Our detective clears him by narrowing down the time when the murder occurred, and showing that the prime suspect wasn't there at the time.

How did he narrow down the time? After hanging around the facility and observing the delicately balanced seismographs, he realizes that the falling body would have made a blip on the graphs, which wouldn't be seen in other seismograph stations. Sure enough, they find a twitch during the relevant interval, which isn't matched by other stations.

Granted, a stabbed body wouldn't necessarily fall ... but the writers couldn't get overcomplicated in an 8-minute drama. Still, it's an accurate use of Constants And Variables, and an accurate representation of how real science works.

Modern TV and movies couldn't handle either level. All "scientists" must now be represented as pure altruists, even though the team sport is now UNIVERSAL. In reality, any scientist who puts the purity of measurement before the advancement of his career wouldn't get past the tenure committee.

And modern writers couldn't do real Constants And Variables even if they understood the concept, because it might feed the trolls. Heretics might start thinking in proper scientific terms about Holy Sacraments like lockdowns and distancing and ballgags. CRIMETHINK!

Those 1948 writers didn't realize they were the last of a breed. In 1946 Deepstate began its multi-front war of total destruction, founding CIA and NSF and WHO and CDC to obliterate science and civilization.

Labels: Constants and Variables, Entertainment, Equipoise, Metrology

  ¶ 10:13 PM