Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

Celebrating Richard Feynman’s 100th Birthday

In honor of Feynman's centennial.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
May 11, 2018
in Science

Credit: YouTube.
Credit: YouTube.

On this day one century ago, a brilliant mind was born. Richard Feynman is considered one of the 20th-century’s most accomplished theoretical physicists, along with Albert Einstein and the recently-deceased Stephen Hawking.

Feynman’s most celebrated work is his contribution to quantum theory — especially its electrodynamics, “with deep-plowing consequences for the physics of elementary particles,” which won him the Nobel Prize. He could have won it again, many believed, for his work with Murray Gell-Mann that led to a theory for weak interactions, describing such phenomena as the emission of electrons from radioactive nuclei.

”I won the prize for shoving a great problem under the carpet,” Feynman said disingenuously, ”but in this case there was a moment when I knew how nature worked – it had elegance and beauty,” referring to his later work.

He was also one of the members of the top-secret team of scientists at Los Alamos who would go on to invent the atomic bomb. While there, Feynman would often be up to no good, spending his time cracking safes containing secret papers and leaving mocking notes inside, demanding one dollar for the return of patents.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=4zZbX_9ru9U

In this archival footage from BBC TV, celebrated physicist Richard Feynman explains what fire, magnets, rubber bands (and more) are like at the scale of the jiggling atoms they’re made of. This accessible, enchanting conversation in physics reveals a teeming nano-world that’s just plain fun to imagine.

Like Hawking, Feynman is one of the few scientists who has entered the public’s consciousness thanks to his uncanny personality and charisma. His pioneering Caltech lectures and two autobiographical books gained him celebrity status, earning him the reputation of a quirky physicist whose humor and stage persona rivaled those of TV personalities.

Credit: Public Domain.
Credit: Public Domain.

Despite his many accomplishments, it wasn’t until the 1986 unfortunate accident, the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, that Feynman came to the attention of millions of Americans. At the time, Feynman was appointed to the Presidential commission investigating the explosion. His presence proved essential to uncovering the root cause of the disaster that claimed the lives of all seven astronauts on board, including high school teacher Christa McAuliffe, and brought NASA’s human spaceflight program to an abrupt but temporary halt.

In honor of one of the most creative and original scientists of modern history, the California Institute of Technology, where Feynman worked for almost four decades until his death in 1988, is hosting a two-day meeting. The “Feynman 100” event will feature some of the world’s leading scientists, and some of Feynman’s closest friends and family, including his sister Joan and his adopted daughter Michelle. Some of the guest stars present at the event include Freeman Dyson, David Gross, Lisa Randall, Sara Seager, Leonard Susskind and Kip Thorne who will “survey the current frontiers of knowledge and share their vision of where science is heading.”

[ALSO SEE] Book review: ‘The Quotable Feynman‘

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

No related posts.

Tags: Richard Feynman

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW