The speed with which Oersted's pamphlet was translated and disseminated attests to:
Show Hint
- The scientific irrefutability of his "decisive observations"
- The general credulity of the scientific community
- The innovativeness of his self-publicizing methods
- The general acceptance of Oersted's findings
- European scientists' problematic linguistic diversity
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question asks us to determine what the rapid publication of Oersted's work implies. We need to analyze the cause-and-effect relationship described in the passage.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The passage states: "Written in Latin, the paper was published in various journals in English, French, German, Italian and Danish during the next few weeks." Such a rapid and widespread publication across multiple countries and languages indicates that the scientific community immediately recognized the importance of the discovery and accepted its validity.
\[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{(A) The scientific irrefutability...: While the findings were accepted, "irrefutability" is a very strong word. Science works by testing and verification, not by accepting things as irrefutable upon first announcement. } \\ \bullet & \text{(B) The general credulity...: "Credulity" implies a tendency to believe things too easily, without proper evidence. This has a negative connotation and is not supported. The community likely accepted it because the experiment was simple to replicate and the results were clear. } \\ \bullet & \text{(C) The innovativeness of his... methods: While his private printing method was "uncommon," the speed of translation was a reaction to the *content* of the pamphlet, not the method of its delivery. } \\ \bullet & \text{(D) The general acceptance of Oersted's findings: This is the most accurate conclusion. Journals would not rush to translate and publish a finding unless they accepted its importance and credibility. } \\ \bullet & \text{(E) European scientists' problematic linguistic diversity: The passage shows the opposite. The linguistic diversity was quickly overcome by translation, demonstrating a connected and collaborative scientific community, not a problematic one. } \\ \end{array}\]
Step 3: Final Answer:
The swift translation and publication of the pamphlet across Europe is strong evidence that Oersted's findings were immediately recognized as significant and were generally accepted by the scientific community.
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