25
Russian Vase
given by Professor Victor S. Safronov and Eugenia L. Ruskol, 1992
Institute for Theoretical Physics
Fossilized nautiloid shell
Paleontology Collection, Geology
Core-memory from a computer, 1972
Physics Electronics Shop
Computer-generated images
of convection currents in the Earth's crust
Frank Spera, The vase is a gift from a distinguished Russian physicist, a part of the historical memory of the Institute for Theoretical Physics, a scientific institution devoted to purely theoretical and abstract analyses of the material world. The fossilized nautiloid belongs to paleontological collections used for the study of the ancient history of the world. The color diagram is a computer-generated image of models for the investigation of deep crustal processes. These objects represent three very different sciences, with different views of history and the structure of the earth. In all sciences, computers now play an increasingly important role in both analyzing data and creating models, hence the prominence of the computer circuit, itself, by now, an historical artifact.
