Lord Kelvin on powered flight (impossibility prediction)

Mentioned in passing as Tom's stock example of scientific prediction outrun by engineering practice. ## Figures and themes referenced (not cases)

There's also the quote from Frank Whittle, the British engineer who developed the first turbine engine. He did this in the 1930s and early 40s, and there were predictions by other scientists that this is impossible. Remember Lord Kelvin's quote, something about powered flight being impossible. Well Kelvin was wrong. And it turns out people were telling [Whittle] that you couldn't build the turbine engine, it wouldn't work. His quote was: it's a good thing I was stupid, I was too stupid to know it wouldn't work. Because he made it work. He was an engineer. So one of the differences is, the scientist will simplify the problem to where it can be solved; an engineer has to figure a way around the problem.