“Show us your next electronic design problem,” said Dr. Nagle.
Norcross scanned through some sheets in a notebook. “It’s an airborne radar,” he said. “Thirty-mile range —”
Almost at once there began to appear on the white wall a schematic diagram. A little shaky at first, it grew in complexity with startling rapidity. Beside the components there appeared electrical or mechanical specifications. In a little less than ten minutes the intricate diagram was completed. Norcross took off the headset. “I think it’ll work,” he said, “but I wouldn’t want to guarantee it!”
“It will work,” said Nagle confidently. He turned to the others. “These items are part of Mr. Norcross’ graduation program, incidentally. This is the kind of routine all our students go through before they leave.”
Montgomery continued to regard the wall with the same sense of unreality that had come upon him in the other room. He touched a finger to its smooth, glassy surface. The markings were on the other side.
“We photograph them for permanent record,” said Nagle. “Except when it’s a mere practice session which the pupil does not wish to keep. For most of that kind of work, however, we use the small three-dimensional box.”
He went to the rear of the room and drew away from the wall a four-foot cube on rollers. He pressed a button at one side and the thing became luminous in the interior.
“Would you care to demonstrate?” he suggested to Norcross again.
The latter plugged his headset into the side of the panel at the cube’s bottom edge. Almost instantly, a small silver airplane appeared inside the cube. Realistically, jet fire poured from the engine. The plane maneuvered as if in actual flight, diving, climbing, rolling.
“Perhaps you’d like to try it?” Nagle suggested to Gunderson.