Very relatable story here: this scientist spent 10 years trying to measure a value that doesn't really have a practical use, and managed his nerves at a hotel water park before the measurement was revealed www.scientificamerican.com/article/one-...
One scientist’s 10-year quest to calculate the strength of gravityEarth’s gravitational force, g, has been known for centuries. But the exact value of G, the universal gravitational constant, is elusivewww.scientificamerican.com