Final answer:
In 'Gulliver's Travels', Laputan scientists focus on impractical scientific experiments and mathematical equations, which Swift uses to satirize the disconnection of intellectuals from real societal problems.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, the Laputan scientists are preoccupied with a range of outlandish scientific experiments and mathematical equations that seem to have little practical application to everyday issues. For example, they attempt to extract sunbeams from cucumbers, turn ice into gunpowder, and build houses from the roof down. Swift satirizes the thinkers of his time by depicting these scientists as absurdly disconnected from the real problems affecting society, implicating that although they are engaged in scientific experiments, they are failing to address social issues or political conflicts that could genuinely benefit from their knowledge.