Outstanding American scientist Richard Feynman: biography and achievements, quotes

Richard Phillips Feynman (years of life - 1918-1988) - an outstanding physicist from the United States. He is one of the founders of such a direction as quantum electrodynamics. In the period from 1943 to 1945, Richard participated in the development of the atomic bomb. He also created a method for integrating along trajectories (in 1938), the Feynman diagram method (in 1949). With their help, one can explain such a phenomenon as the transformation of elementary particles. Richard Feynman also proposed in 1969 the parton model of the nucleon, the theory of quantized vortices. In 1965, together with J. Schwinger and S. Tomonaga, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics.

Childhood of Richard

Richard Feynman was born in a Jewish wealthy family. His parents (perhaps only his father or even grandfather were from Russia), Lucille and Melville, lived in Far Rockaway, which is in New York, in the south of Queens. His father worked at a garment factory in the sales department. He had great respect for scientists, he had a passion for science. Melville equipped the house with a small laboratory, in which he allowed his son to play. Father immediately decided that if a boy appears in the world, he will be a scientist. From the girls in those years did not expect a scientific future, although they could get an academic degree. However, Joan Feynman, Richard's younger sister, denied this view. She became a famous astrophysicist. Melville tried since early childhood to cause Richard's interest in knowing the world. He answered the child's questions in detail, using answers in his answers from physics, biology, chemistry. Melville often referred to various reference materials. During the training, he did not apply pressure, never told his son that he should become a scientist. The boy liked the chemical tricks that his father showed him. Soon, Richard himself mastered them and began to collect neighbors and friends for whom he arranged spectacular shows. Feynman inherited a sense of humor from his mother.

First job

At age 13, Richard received his first job - he began to repair radio receivers. The boy gained fame - many neighbors addressed him, because, firstly, Richard repaired them quickly and qualitatively, and secondly, he tried to logically determine the cause of the malfunction before he started to work. Neighbors admired Feynman, Jr., who always thought before deconstructing the next radio.

Training

After four years of study at the Physics Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Richard Feynman continued his education at Princeton University. During the Second World War, he tried to volunteer for the front, but was unfairly screened during a psychiatric check-up.

Marriage to Arlene Greenbaum

Richard Feynman continued his studies, now with a Ph.D. At this time he married Arlene Greenbaum. In this girl, Richard was in love with 13 years, and in 19 - engaged to her. Arlene was doomed to death by the time of the wedding, as she was ill with tuberculosis.

Richard's parents were against their wedding, but Feynman did the same in his own way. The wedding was played on the way to the station before leaving for Los Alamos. The bookkeeper and the bookkeeper, employees of the mayoralty of Richmond, have acted as witnesses. Relatives of the newlyweds were not present at the ceremony. When the time came to kiss the bride, Feynman, remembering her illness, sealed a kiss on her cheek.

Participation in the development of the atomic bomb

Richard in Los Alamos took part in the project to develop an atomic bomb (Manhattan project). He was still studying at Priston, when recruitment was being conducted. The idea to join this project was given to him by Robert Wilson, a famous physicist. Feynman was not enthusiastic at first, but then he thought about what would happen if the Nazis invented it first and decided to join the development. While Richard was busy with such a responsible work as the Manhattan Project, his wife was in a hospital near Al-Mosquito near Albuquerque. They saw each weekend. The physicist Richard Feynman spent all his weekends with her.

Feynman becomes a burglar

Feynman, while working on a bomb project, acquired good safecap cracker skills. Richard was able to convincingly prove that the security measures applied at that time were not effective enough. He stole from the safes of other employees information related to the development of the atomic bomb. These documents, however, were necessary for him for his own research. In 1985, an autobiographical book was first published by Richard Feynman ("Of course, you're joking, Mr. Feynman!"). In it he noted that he was curious about opening safes (as well as many other things in his life). Richard carefully studied this subject and found several tricks that he tried in the laboratory on safe cabinets. In this case, he was often helped by luck. All this created Richard the reputation of a burglar in his team.

Playing the Drums

Another passion for Richard was playing the drums. He accidentally once picked up a drum and has since played it almost every day. Richard admitted that he did not know the rhythms, but he used Indian, which were quite simple. Sometimes he took drums with him to the forest, so as not to bother anyone, he sang and beat them with a stick.

A new stage in life

Since the 1950s, Richard Feynman, whose biography continues a new stage in his life, worked as a researcher at the California Institute of Technology. After the war and the death of his wife, he felt exhausted. Feynman has not ceased to amaze a lot of letters with proposals for posts in the departments of various universities. He was even called to work in Princeton, which was taught by great geniuses, such as Einstein. Feynman eventually decided that if the world wants him, he will. But whether expectations will meet expectations for a great physicist is no longer his problem. After Feynman stopped doubting himself, he again felt a surge of inspiration and strength.

The main achievements of Richard

Richard continued his research in the field of his theory of quantum transformations. He also made a breakthrough in the physics of superfluidity as a result of the fact that the Schrödinger equation applied to this phenomenon. This discovery, together with the explanation of superconductivity, which was received a little earlier by three scientists, led to the fact that theoretical low-temperature physics began to develop actively. In addition, Richard, along with M. Gell-Mann, the discoverer of quarks, worked on the theory of so-called weak decay. It manifests itself best when a beta decay of a free neutron occurs on the antineutrinos, the electron and the proton. This theory of Richard Feynman actually opened a new law of nature. The scientist owns the idea of quantum computation. Theoretical physics has made great progress thanks to it.

At the request of the Academy in the 1960s, Feynman spent 3 years creating his new physics course. By 1964, the publication of a textbook titled "Feynman lectures on physics" (Richard Feynman), a book that is still considered to be the best manual for physics students, belongs. In addition, Richard has contributed to the very methodology of scientific knowledge. To his students he explained the principles of scientific honesty, and also published relevant articles on this subject (in particular, about the cult of the cargo).

Psychological experiments

Feynman in the 1960s participated in experiments on sensory deprivation, conducted by John Lilly, his friend. In his autobiographical book, which we have already mentioned, he describes the experiences of hallucinations that he experienced in a special chamber, isolated from all external influences. Feynman even smoked marijuana during the experiments, but refused to conduct an experiment with LSD, fearing to damage the brain.

Events in Personal Life

In the 1950s, Richard remarried - to Mary Lou. However, he soon divorced, realizing that he took for love a feeling that was just a strong passion. At a conference in Europe in the early 1960s, he met a woman who later became his third wife. It was Gwyneth Howarth, Englishwoman. The couple had a baby Carl. In addition, they also took a foster daughter, who was named Michel.

Hobby of drawing

After some time, Feynman began to take an interest in art in order to understand the impact that it has on people. Richard began to take drawing lessons. His work at first did not differ in beauty, but over time Feynman got used to it and even became a very good portraitist.

Failed trip

Richard Feynman, along with his wife and friend Ralph Leighton, who was the son of Robert Leighton, the great physicist, conceived a trip to the state of Tuva in the 1970s. It was at that time an independent country, surrounded by inaccessible mountains from all sides. It was located between Mongolia and Russia. A small state was under the jurisdiction of the USSR (Tuva ASSR). According to the only researcher who specialized in Tuva, the report on this trip could double the knowledge of this state. Before the trip, Feynman and his wife reread all the literature that existed at that time in the world about this country-two books. Feynman was fond of deciphering ancient texts belonging to the disappeared civilizations, and indeed puzzles in the history of mankind. In the Tuva ASSR, as he suspected, there could be clues to many world secrets. However, the visa was not given to the scientist, therefore, unfortunately, this historic trip did not take place.

The Feynman experiment

The National Aerospace Agency on 28.01.1986 launched the shuttle space shuttle with multiple use. After 73 seconds after the launch, it exploded. As it turned out, the reason was rocket boosters, which raised the shuttle and the fuel tank. Scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have reported to Feynman about the shortcomings of the design and the burnout of rubber that had already taken place. And General Kutin told him that at start-up the air temperature was close to zero, and under these conditions there is a loss of rubber elasticity. In the course of the experiment, which Feynman conducted with a ring, a glass with ice and pliers, it was shown that the ring at low temperatures lost its elasticity. Due to a breach of the tightness, hot gases burned the case. This happened on January 28.

A live experiment showed Feynman the glory of a man who unraveled the mystery of the catastrophe (note that he was undeserved), to which he, however, did not claim. The fact is that NASA knew that at low temperatures launching a missile is fraught with a catastrophe, but it was decided to take a chance. Service personnel and technicians who knew about a possible catastrophe were silenced.

Disease and death

In the 1970s, it was discovered that Richard Feynman was suffering from cancer, a rare form of it. A tumor was cut out that was in the abdominal part, but the body was badly damaged. Refused to work one of the kidneys. A number of repeated operations did not significantly affect the course of the disease. The Nobel prize winner in physics was doomed.

The state of Richard Feynman gradually deteriorated. In 1987, he was found with another tumor. It was carved, but Feynman was already very weak and was always in pain. He was hospitalized again in 1988, in February. In addition to cancer, doctors also discovered a burst ulcer. In addition, the remaining kidney refused. It was possible to give Richard a few more months of life by connecting an artificial kidney. However, he decided that he had enough, and refused medical help. Richard Feynman died on February 15, 1988. He was buried in Altadene, in a simple grave. The ashes of his wife rest next to him.

Feynman's car

Feynman in 1975 acquired the van Dodge Tradesman. It was painted in mustard colors, popular at that time, but inside it is painted in shades of green. On this car were drawn Feynman diagrams, which brought Richard the Nobel Prize. On vene he made many long trips. The scientist also ordered special number plates with the inscriptions QANTUM for him.

Feynman sometimes went to work on this car, but usually it was used by Gwyneth, his wife. At the traffic light, she was once asked about why Feynman diagrams were drawn on the machine. The woman replied that this was because her name was Gwyneth Feynman.

The car after Richard's death was sold for 1 dollar to Ralph Leighton, a friend of the family. The sale for this symbolic fee is the standard way by which Feynman got rid of his old cars. The machine served its new owner for a long time. In 1993 she took part in the march of memory of R. Feynman.

Richard Feynman: quotes

Today, many of his quotes are popular. We give only some of them.

• "What I can not recreate, I do not understand."
• "Trying to discover something secret is one of my hobbies."
• "I always liked to succeed in what I did not have to get."