My Son, the Physicist

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My Son, the Physicist is a science fiction short story by Isaac Asimov. It was commissioned by Hoffman Electronics Corporation and appeared in February 1962 in Scientific American. It later appeared in Asimov's collection Nightfall and Other Stories (1969).

The story is a very short one, only covering three pages in the paperback edition.

Gerard Cremona, a communications engineer with a American space agency, is trying to maintain communication that has been established with an expedition that has apparently reached the planet Pluto after four years in space. The difficulty lies in the significant delays for the radio signal to travel back and forth, making timely and meaningful interaction impossible.

His proud Mother, who happens to visit his office whilst he's wrestling with the problem, ultimately advises him to keep talking and get the expedition crew to keep talking as well. That way, although it normally takes twelve hours for radio waves to cover the distance, it's possible to have effectively continuous conversation.

As Mrs Cremona points out, all women know that the secret to spreading news is to Just Keep Talking. Thus, by constantly transmitting data and instructions from both ends, and interjecting questions or responses as needed, no time need be wasted.

Although not part of the Multivac series of stories, the fictional supercomputer is mentioned inter alia in the story.

Nightfall and Other Stories

Nightfall | Green Patches | Hostess | Breeds There a Man...? | C-Chute | In a Good Cause- | What If- | Sally | Flies | Nobody Here But- | It's Such a Beautiful Day | Strikebreaker | Insert Knob A in Hole B | The Up-To-Date Sorcerer | Unto the Fourth Generation | What is This Thing Called Love? | The Machine that Won the War | My Son, the Physicist | Eyes Do More Than See | Segregationist