Matt+King+-+Entry+12+(Due+Nov.+20)

Copenhagen

I found the movie //Copenhagen// to be an interesting outlook on the relationship between the Dane scientist Neils Bohr and the German scientist Werner Heisenberg. Throughout the movie, the two seem to go through cycles of great friendship to incredible animosity towards one another. Bohr, because he is half-Jewish, is insulted every time that Heisenberg mentions Germany, even if the topic is about skiing there; although, to be fair, Bohr's sensitivity is justifiable, since Denmark was occupied by the Nazis during their meeting. The fact that Heisenberg is a working in nuclear physics for the Germans doesn't make the situation any less awkward, either.

Bohr and Heisenberg also argue about what the other is working on. For example, Heisenberg states that he was trying to build a nuclear reactor for his country, for the purposes of creating energy and helping his people. Bohr had asked him if he felt the technology could be altered into making a weapon, to which Heisenberg replies, "Yes". (One could easily counter-argue Bohr here; even the most seemingly innocent household items can be used as weapons, although the thought of this analogy with unstable nuclear elements adds a much greater level of terror to the whole situation). Heisenberg later gives one reason for coming to visit Bohr, claiming that, as nuclear scientists, they could create the large and expensive nuclear bombs. He believes the the countries of each of these scientists will eventually ask them if the bombs will be ready in time to actually use, if they are worth all the effort and money. Ultimately, he thinks that it will be up to them to all tell the government that the bombs should not be used. He also asks Bohr if the Allies are building nuclear weapons, stating that knowing so will allow him to make the decision of whether or not to have Germany continue its nuclear science program. Later in the movie, which is supposed to take place after the war is over, both men say that the scientists went through with making and using the bombs out of fear alone.

We later learn that Heisenberg hypothesized that a nuclear bomb would need 1000 kg of uranium (the bomb dropped on Hiroshima contained only 50 kg). When Heisenberg realizes this great error, Bohr asks why he hadn't made the (apparently 'simple') diffusion calculation, which, if he had done so, would have given him sufficient knowledge to know how to build the bomb; Heisenberg replies that he had no idea why he overlooked such a minor and seemingly obvious error. He gives his real reason for visiting Bohr in Copenhagen all those years ago, claiming that his ideas were all scattered and running around too quickly in his head for him to be able to think clearly; he needed Bohr, who had always been a mentor and father-figure, to help him sort himself out. When asked why Bohr hadn't made the diffusion calculation, he stated it was because he wasn't trying to build a bomb. We also learn that, if, during one of their aruments, Bohr hadn't stormed off, but instead stopped, turned around, and gave Heisenberg the idea to make the diffusion calculation, he may have successfully made Germany an atomic bomb, which would have certainly changed the world as we know it.