Playing with science

could also include word jokes, or the playing of jokes or tricks upon other scientists. The element of play in science is thus an elusive and difficult topic, but it is fundamental to the experience of scientists. B One example of this connection is the jigsaw puzzle. Such puzzles present their players with two-dimensional fragments, each with a characteristic shape, from which to reconstruct an overall picture. Guessing the solution of a scientific problem has many similarities to completing a jigsaw puzzle. The scientists inspect each piece of data for a possible fit with its neighbours and, bit by bit, construct a whole argument. People who are good at jigsaw puzzles are able to guess which piece will fit even before trying it. In the same way, the best scientists are those who make the best guesses. C But scientists do not play only at out-guessing each other, or at putting together pieces to complete a puzzle. They also regard their work as 'playing' with 'toys'. Joseph Lambert, a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University in the US, shed some light on this tendency. In a letter he wrote the following: When I grew up, every kid put in some serious sandbox time, and it often involved building... complex sand…