Passion is the driving force of successful physicists and engineers in this world. It pushes people to explore their inner potential and achieve unimaginable heights in their respective fields through revolutionary breakthroughs. Richard Phillips Feynman was one of the greatest minds the world has ever seen. He was an American theoretical physicist who revolutionized physics through his contributions to quantum electrodynamics, integral formulation of quantum mechanics, and particle physics. His contributions in the field of astrophysics are like the building blocks of scientists to emulate. Come, let us dive into the life of this genius to understand his journey and valuable contributions to this world.
A Natural Born Genius
Richard Feynman was born on 11th May 1918 in New York City, USA, to a humble family that migrated from Minsk in Belarus. He was a late talker as he did not speak until his third birthday but later developed a thick New York accent. He was quite close to his younger sister Joan, who shared the curiosity of the world, just like him. He encouraged Joan to pursue her interests in physics, and this led to her choosing a career in astrophysics. Richard’s father was a salesman brought up in a Jewish family. However, despite his religious upbringing, he always encouraged Richard to ask questions to challenge orthodox thinking and religious beliefs. Richard got his sense of humour from his mother, a fun-loving and caring homemaker known for her prominent funny bone.
Ever since he was a child, Richard had a strong liking towards the way things work and was always in the pursuit of knowledge. As a pre-teen, he maintained an experimental laboratory at home and spent a lot of time repairing radios. In high school, he excelled beyond bounds in physics and would always analyze issues theoretically and arrive at the solution. In high school, he was promoted to a higher math class thanks to his proficiency in solving math equations being way higher than his peers. He was such a gem of a genius that he taught himself trigonometry, advanced algebra, integral calculus, and analytical geometry. He also won the New York University math championship during his last year in high school.
An Impressive Student
Feynman joined the Pi Lambda Phi fraternity when he attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Although he majored in math, he switched to electrical engineering and later on changed to physics, which he thought was more accurate for him. He published forces in molecules in his graduate years, which is now known as the Hellman-Feynman therom. In 1942, he received a PhD from Princeton with his thesis being the principle of least action in quantum mechanics.
Feynman analyzed problems in quantum mechanics and applied the principle of stationary action, which paved a platform for the path integral formulation and Feynman diagrams. His supervisor was astonished by his thesis and exclaimed that no physicist on earth could match Feynman’s command over native materials of theoretical science. Feynman had stellar intellect as he was able to decipher the substance behind equations like a walk in the park. He exhibited an enormous amount of dedication and intelligence, just like how Einstein was at his age.
Assisted in Creating the Atom Bomb
In 1941, he got married to his first wife Arline Greenbaum, who passed away due to tuberculosis in 1945. With world war two raging on and the rising tensions between Japan and the United States after the pearl harbour attack, Feynman was recruited by the government to produce enriched uranium for the atomic bomb in the Manhattan Project. He played a major role in this project and developed a formula with leading scientists to create the fission bomb. After a lot of experiments and trials using a miniature nuclear reactor, his team was able to build the weapon of mass destruction. He was able to provide value addition to the team thanks to his prior experience in working with ballistics problems at Frankford Arsenal in Pennsylvania.
Quantom electrodynamics is the study of how light interacts with matter and how charged particles interact with each other. Feynman was known for his contributions in this field. At Cornell University, Feynman worked on a formulation on electrodynamics which was approved by Freeman Dyson, renowned astrophysics at his prime. He proposed a paper on the theory of positrons, which addressed various equations. He also published papers on the mathematical formulation of applications in quantum electrodynamics in 1951, which paved the way for students at the university to aid in the research.
Contributions to Physics and Engineering
At high school, we all would have studied the superfluity of supercooled liquid helium. If you are lucky enough, your school would have also had experiments on exhibiting this quality of helium, where it showcases a lack of viscosity while flowing. Well, guess what? This concept was discovered by Feynman during his investigation at the California Institute of Technology. He proved this through the quantum mechanical explanation of a Russian physicist’s theory of superfluidity.
Feynman was not just the jack of all trades; he was also the master of all. He proved this through his work on the forces like the strong, weak, electromagnetic, and gravity; he established the investigations of all four interactions. This resulted in his success in quantum electrodynamics and quantum gravity. He was a force to be reckoned with in the field of physics as he established a new idea that aided computer engineers. He knew that there was a relationship between physics and computation; he was one of the first scientists to discover the possibility of quantum computers.
Feynman was a person who loved to explore and never had anything called a comfort zone. He was always on the lookout to learn new things, experiment on different aspects, and learn through questioning and reasoning. In 1980, he began working at Thinking Machines Corporation and helped in building parallel supercomputers. He also considered the idea of constructing quantum computers. He proposed the variational perturbation theory that helped in measuring satellite experiments.
A Dedicated Teacher
Feynman was known for his revolutionary teaching methods, which were unorthodox in nature. He often said that students should be made to think in the most open-minded manner like scientists, and teachers have to constantly kindle their creativity and address their doubts with patience. In his lectures, he would give a holistic view of science in the simplest manner that is easily understandable by even a child. He would emphasize the evolution of life and the nature of knowledge transfer of science to the next generation, which is essential as it would enable humans to achieve things in the realm of science fiction.
Feynman often taught concepts in a very engaging manner. Scientists and students who attended his lectures would say that when he teaches a concept, he explains it in a very personal manner that it feels like he is sharing his life experience. He encouraged students and young scientists to constantly question how everything works and, most importantly, what makes everything work. His lecturers were so engaging that people were glued to their seats like toddlers listening to a wonderful tale of the universe and the romantic interaction between subatomic particles.
Nobel Prize-Winning Physicist
Feynman’s achievements in his lifetime are the equivalent of 10 highly intelligent scientists. His dedication and passion for science was immeasurable, and his contributions in astrophysics and particle physics were unachievable by even renowned scientists. He received the Albert Einstein Award and a gold medal for his contribution to physics in 1954. In 1962, he received the Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award, followed by the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965. He shared the Nobel prize with two other scientists Schwinger, and Tomonaga, for their contributions in quantum electrodynamics and deep ploughing consequences of elementary particle research. He was also elected as a member of the national academy of sciences but resigned after a few years.
In 1978, tragedy struck Feynman when he faced abdominal pain, which was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. After multiple surgeries to remove the tumour that was the size of a football, his kidney failed due to duodenal ulcer in 1988. He refused to undergo haemodialysis, which could have prolonged his life for a few months. He passed away on 15th February 1988 at 69. His last words being “I hate to die twice. It’s so boring.”
Conclusion
Richard Feynman was truly one of the most remarkable physicists that the world could ever ask for. A Nobel Prize-winning astrophysics who found his work in the minds of several scientists today, he was one of the most magnificent personalities in science. His sense of humour and elegant personality helped him to hit the jackpot with the ladies. He may have passed away, but his work and ideas continue to tingle the minds of young scientists, students, and science lovers. He has proved that passion and curiosity are what drives people to achieve great heights.
Space Age 