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John Pople Quotes

John Pople Quotes & Quotations
Name:
John Pople
Type:
Scientist
Nationality:
English
Birth day:
October 31
Birth year:
1925

  • 1
    At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in mathematics. On exposure to algebra, I was fascinated by simultaneous equations and read ahead of the class to the end of the book. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 2
    I abandoned chemistry to concentrate on mathematics and physics. In 1942, I travelled to Cambridge to take the scholarship examination at Trinity College, received an award and entered the university in October 1943. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 3
    I developed an interest in nuclear magnetic resonance, which was then emerging as a powerful technique for studying molecular structure. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 4
    I found a discarded textbook on calculus in a wastebasket and read it from cover to cover. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 5
    I had changed from being a mathematician to a practicing scientist. I was increasingly embarassed that I could no longer follow some of the more modern branches of pure mathematics. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 6
    I had to leave Cambridge and take up industrial employment for a period. This was with the Bristol Aeroplane Company. There was little to do there. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 7
    I have had many opportunities to visit universities all over the world in the past 50 years. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 8
    I was a close observer of the developments in molecular biology. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 9
    I was approaching the age of 40 with a substantial publication record, but had not yet held any position in a chemistry department. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 10
    In the war, most young men were inducted into the armed forces at the age of 17. A group of students was permitted to attend university before taking part in wartime research projects. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 11
    Leaving England was a painful decision, and we still have some regrets about it. However, at that time, the research environment for theoretical chemistry was clearly better in the U.S. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 12
    Like many other Laureates, I have benefit immeasurably from the love and support of my wife and children. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 13
    Looking through the list of earlier Nobel laureates, I note a large number with whom I became acquainted and with whom I interacted during those years as they passed through Cambridge. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 14
    On my return to Pittsburgh, I resolved to go back to the fundamental problems of electronic structure that I had contemplated abstractly many years earlier. John-PopleJohn Pople
  • 15
    Our children were mostly brought up and educated in the Churchill suburb east of Pittsburgh. Each summer, we took them back to England for an extended period. John-PopleJohn Pople