Murphy posed several mathematical questions to test Hermione and Tom's abilities. As expected, their math skills were roughly equivalent to an average fourth or fifth grader's, with Tom being slightly better but still at a primary school level.
Among British children, this was already top-notch. Had Harry and Ron been tested, they would probably have struggled with basic multiplication within ten.
"You both need to improve your math," Murphy said. "Not to mention anything else, but you should at least understand some basic analytical tools. Quantification is the first step in research. Without it, it's difficult to analyze anything in depth."
Hermione was a bit dismayed; it was rare for her to disappoint a teacher. "But, teacher, we haven't even mastered simple spells yet. Isn't it too early to start studying advanced magic?"
This was a common sentiment among young wizards and witches. After all, it seemed odd to start magic research in their first or second year.
"I'm not expecting any major results," Murphy explained. "But I want you to learn how to approach and study magic from a standpoint of exploring the unknown, rather than just following what others say."
That was why Murphy chose to teach children from first to fourth year, leaving the older students to their own devices.
After four or five years of magical education at Hogwarts, the students were accustomed to the school's method of teaching, making it challenging to change their established ways of thinking.
"Come over here," Murphy said, leading the two children to a stand.
It was a tripod with a wand fixed on top, pointed at a target a meter away.
Behind the tripod, there was a wire mesh in the shape of a human figure, on which dozens of odd boxes were mounted.
"This is a portable magic power tester," Murphy explained, pointing to the boxes. "It took me a lot of effort to make them work at Hogwarts."
The magical fluctuations around Hogwarts were intense, rendering most sophisticated electronics useless. The magic power testers were Murphy's creation, designed to function in high-density magical environments.
Simply substituting magic for electricity worked for ordinary electronics but was less effective for precision devices like these testers. It was easier to improve their resistance to magic than to stabilize the magic itself.
As he spoke, Murphy took out an old-fashioned camera and aimed it at the tripod.
Modern cameras also struggled to function at Hogwarts, so he had to rely on this bulky, old-fashioned flash camera.
"This camera is for photographing the magic power testers," Murphy said. "During the experiment, we need to monitor the status of all testers simultaneously. There are dozens of them, and it's hard to discern and record everything at once with the naked eye. We'll use the camera to take pictures and then record the data one by one."
Seeing their puzzled expressions, Murphy decided to explain further.
"This setup is for testing the magical effects of wands."
"I want to understand how wands work before I start making them."
"Aren't you curious? Both wizards and magical creatures have magic, but magical creatures don't need wands, while wizards do—although not all wizards, as some from other countries don't use them."
"Still, most of us can't use many spells without a wand. I'm curious about the role wands play in this."
"Have you two ever wondered about this?" Murphy asked.
Hermione and Tom shook their heads. They had just entered the world of magic, where wand usage was the norm, so they never questioned it.
This was why new Muggle-born witches and wizards entering the school each year failed to bring scientific thinking to the magical world.
They were too young upon entering school, making it easy for their worldview to be shaped by this entirely new realm.
That's why Murphy, with the soul of a Muggle adult in Hogwarts, was such an anomaly.
"Okay," Murphy nodded encouragingly. "Let's not make scientific guesses; let's just speculate wildly. What does a wand's nature remind you of?"
Tom was clueless, but Hermione thought for a moment and then raised her hand. "Teacher, it's a bit like an antenna."
Murphy's eyes lit up. "Excellent! That's a great insight!"
"Your idea matches my first hypothesis exactly!"
"The shape of the wand, combined with its ability to enhance a wizard's spellcasting—doesn't that make it a kind of magical antenna?!"
"Very good, Miss Granger. You now possess a crucial quality of a researcher: the ability to make connections."
"The rules and patterns of the world are interconnected and similar. The ability to make connections is about linking two seemingly different things with similar characteristics to understand the unknown using what we know about the known part."
"Making connections, or associative guessing, is a valuable tool for researchers to solve problems."
"Research is essentially observing, summarizing, correcting, and then repeating the process. The crucial step of summarizing is, frankly, guessing."
"We guess why apples fall due to gravity; we guess why light diffracts because it behaves like a wave, and so on. All principles originate from guesses, and associative thinking is an effective method for that."
Hermione blushed at the praise but remained puzzled. "But teacher, isn't what you're describing the way Muggles study science? Can it be applied to magic too?"
Murphy nodded. "Exactly. It's the same method. What do you think science is? What about magic? How are they different?"
This question stumped Hermione. She pondered deeply, and Murphy waited patiently.
After a while, Hermione seemed to have an epiphany. "I heard a teacher at school say that science is materialistic and follows rules, while magic is idealistic. Is that the difference?"
That must have been something her Muggle school teacher said.
"That teacher was probably making a metaphor," Murphy said. "The concepts of materialism and idealism are philosophical. They represent ways of viewing the world. Materialism posits that the essence of the world is material, with consciousness arising from it, while idealism suggests that the essence is spiritual, with material being a product of the spirit."
"What that teacher meant by saying science is materialistic was that it provides a materialistic worldview. But actually, science is more importantly a methodology, a way of understanding the world."
___________________
(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)
If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters
Read Ahead
Patreon.com/INNIT