Richard Feynman (1918-1988), one of the truly great theoretical physicists of our time, was born a hundred years ago on this day.
Feynman’s most celebrated work is his contribution to quantum theory which won him the Nobel Prize in Physics 1965, which was awarded jointly to Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger and Richard P. Feynman "for their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles".
Like Hawking and Einstein, Feynman’s personality, humor, energy, his sense of curiosity to understand and to explain won him fame and recognition beyond the halls of physics and physicists. His pioneering Caltech lectures and two autobiographical books gained him celebrity status.
Caltech, where Feynman worked for almost four decades until his death in 1988, is hosting a two-day event on May 11 and 12 — the “Feynman 100” - “to celebrate and honor his adventures as scientist, teacher, explainer, and general enthusiast for finding things out”. The Evening Celebration on Friday will feature talks by scientists, family, friends, and those who hope to continue his legacy.
Here are some notable tweets from distinguished organizations and people reflecting on Feynman’s lifetime of achievements and contributions —
He was also known as the 'Great Explainer' because of his passion for helping non-scientists to imagine something of the beauty and order of the universe as he saw it. In the “Fun to Imagine” series produced by BBC, Feynman looked at the mysterious forces that make ordinary things happen and, in doing so, answered questions about why rubber bands are stretchy, why tennis balls can't bounce for ever and what you're really seeing when you look in the mirror.
Quotable Quotes
- I was born not knowing and have had only a little time to change that here and there.
- Study hard what interests you the most in the most undisciplined, irreverent and original manner possible.
- If you want to master something, teach it.
- You're unlikely to discover something new without a lot of practice on old stuff.
- You must not be afraid of your uniqueness and you must care less and less what people think of you. You have no responsibility to live up to what other people think you ought to accomplish. I have no responsibility to be like they expect me to be.
- To not know mathematics is a severe limitation to understanding the world!
- If you cannot explain something in simple terms, you don't understand it.
- A physicist is just an atom's way of looking at itself.
- Here I stand, atoms with consciousness, matter with curiosity. A universe of atoms, an atom in the universe.
- Physics isn't the most important thing. Love is.
On Religion, Government and Science
- Religion is a culture of faith; science is a culture of doubt.
- Science and the pursuit of knowledge have no country, no religion, and no political affiliation.
- Democracy is a trial and error system - the best we can do because nobody really knows how to run a society.
- No government has the right to decide on the truth of scientific principles.The power of government should be limited. Governments ought not be able to determine the validity of scientific theories!
- I would rather have questions that can't be answered than answers that can't be questioned.
- Scientific knowledge is an enabling power to do either good or bad — but it does not carry instructions on how to use it.
- The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
A Poem by Feynman
Richard Feynman included this poem in his address to the National Academy of Sciences. More like the History of the Universe in a poem -
There are the rushing waves
mountains of molecules
each stupidly minding its own business
trillions apart
yet forming white surf in unison
Ages on ages
before any eyes could see
year after year
thunderously pounding the shore as now.
For whom, for what?
On a dead planet
with no life to entertain.
Never at rest
tortured by energy
wasted prodigiously by the Sun
poured into space.
A mite makes the sea roar.
Deep in the sea
all molecules repeat
the patterns of one another
till complex new ones are formed.
They make others like themselves
and a new dance starts.
Growing in size and complexity
living things
masses of atoms
DNA, protein
dancing a pattern ever more intricate.
Out of the cradle
onto dry land
here it is
standing:
atoms with consciousness;
matter with curiosity.
Stands at the sea,
wonders at wondering: I
a universe of atoms
an atom in the Universe.
Epilogue
What are your favorite memories, experiences and impressions of Feynman?
Further Reading
- Richard Feynman at 100 — www.nature.com/…
- A celebration of curiosity for Feynman’s 100th birthday — www.sciencenews.org/…
- Feynman the joker — physicstoday.scitation.org/...
- Wiki — en.wikipedia.org/…
- www.feynman.com
- www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu
- The ‘Dramatic Picture’ of Richard Feynman — Book reviews by Freeman Dyson — www.nybooks.com/…
- Webcast of the feynman100 celebration at Caltech, starting at 8:00 p.m., PDT — www.ustream.tv/...