The original version of this story appeared in Quanta Magazine.
In the movie Oppenheimer, Niels Bohr challenges the physicist early in his career:
Bohr: Algebra is like sheet music. The important thing isn’t “can you read music?” It’s “can you hear it?” Can you hear the music, Robert?
Oppenheimer: Yes, I can.
I can’t hear the algebra, but I feel the machine.
