Richard Phillips Feynman (years of life - 1918-1988) is an outstanding physicist from the USA. He is one of the founders of such a field as quantum electrodynamics. From 1943 to 1945, Richard participated in the development of the atomic bomb. He also created a path integration method (in 1938), a 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 a 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.
Richard's childhood
Richard Feynman was born into a Jewish wealthy family. His parents (perhaps only his father or even grandfather were immigrants from Russia), Lucille and Melville, lived in Far Rockaway, which is located in New York, in the south of Queens. His father worked in a clothing factory in the sales department. He respected scientists very much, had a passion for science. Melville equipped a small laboratory at home in which he allowed his son to play. Father immediately decided that if a boy was born, he would be a scientist. Girls in those years were not expected to have a scientific future, although they could get an academic degree. However, Joan Feynman, Richard's younger sister, has denied this opinion. She became a famous astrophysicist. From early childhood, Melville tried to arouse interest in Richard in his knowledge of the world. He answered questions of the child in detail, using answers from physics, biology, and chemistry in his answers. Melville often referred to various references. During training, he did not apply pressure, he 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 gather neighbors and friends for whom he arranged spectacular shows. Feynman inherited a sense of humor from his mother.
First work
At age 13, Richard got his first job - he began to repair radios. The boy gained fame - many neighbors turned to him, because, firstly, Richard quickly and efficiently repaired them, and secondly, he tried to logically determine the cause of the malfunction before starting work. The neighbors admired Feynman Jr., who always thought before disassembling another radio.
Training
After completing his four-year studies at the Department of Physics at 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 unjustly screened out during a psychiatric checkup.
Marriage to Arlene Greenbaum
Richard Feynman continued his studies, now for a Ph.D. At this time, he married Arlene Greenbaum. Richard was in love with this girl from the age of 13, and at 19 he was engaged to her. Arlene at the time of the wedding was doomed to death, because she was sick with tuberculosis.
Richard's parents were against their wedding, but Feynman did his own thing. The wedding was played on the way to the train station before leaving for Los Alamos. The accountant and bookkeeper, employees of Richmond City Hall, have witnessed. Relatives of the newlyweds were not present at the ceremony. When it was time to kiss the bride, Feynman, remembering her illness, imprinted a kiss on her cheek.
Participation in the development of the atomic bomb
Richard in Los Alamos took part in the atomic bomb development project (Manhattan project). He was still studying in Priston when staff recruitment was carried out. The idea to join this project was submitted to him by Robert Wilson, a famous physicist. Feynman was not enthusiastic at first, but then he wondered what would happen if the Nazis first invented it, and decided to join the development. While Richard was busy with such a crucial business as the Manhattan project, his wife was in a hospital located near Los Alamos in the city of Albuquerque. They saw each weekend. Physicist Richard Feynman spent all his weekends with her.
Feynman becomes a cracker
Feynman, while working on a bomb project, acquired good safe cracker skills. Richard was able to convincingly prove that the security measures applied at that time were not effective enough. He stole information related to the development of the atomic bomb from the safes of other employees. These documents, however, were necessary for him for his own research. In 1985, the first autobiographical book was published by Richard Feynman ("You are joking, of course, Mr. Feynman!"). In it, he noted that out of curiosity he was engaged in opening safes (as well as many other things in his life). Richard carefully studied this subject and discovered several tricks that he tested in the laboratory on safe cabinets. In this case, luck often helped him. All this created Richard a reputation as a cracker in his team.
Drumming
Richard's other hobby was drumming. He accidentally once picked up a drum and has since played it almost every day. Richard admitted that he practically did not know the rhythms, however, he used the Native American ones, which were quite simple. Sometimes he took drums with him to the forest so as not to disturb anyone, he sang and beat them with a stick.
A new stage in life
Since the 1950s, Richard Feynman, whose biography continues with a new stage in his life, worked as a researcher at the California Institute of Technology. After the end of the war and the death of his wife, he felt devastated. Feynman never ceased to amaze many letters with offers of posts in the departments of various universities. He was even invited to work at Princeton, where great geniuses such as Einstein taught. Feynman finally decided that if the world wants him, he will receive it. But whether expectations to get a great physicist will be justified - this is not his problem. After Feynman ceased to doubt himself, he again felt a surge of inspiration and strength.
Key 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 he applied the Schrödinger equation to this phenomenon. This discovery, together with the explanation of superconductivity, which was obtained a little earlier by three scientists, led to the fact that theoretical low-temperature physics began to develop actively. In addition, Richard, together with M. Gell-Mann, the discoverer of quarks, worked on the theory of so-called weak decay. It manifests itself best when beta decay of a free neutron into an antineutrino, an electron, and a proton occurs. This theory of Richard Feynman actually opened a new law of nature. The scientist owns the idea of ​​quantum computing. Theoretical physics has made great progress thanks to him.
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 entitled “Feynman Lectures in Physics” (Richard Feynman), a book which to this day is considered the best manual for physics students, belongs. In addition, Richard contributed to the very methodology of scientific knowledge. He explained to his students the principles of scientific honesty, and also published relevant articles on this subject (in particular, on the cult of cargo).
Psychological experiments
Feynman participated in the experiments on sensory deprivation conducted by John Lilly, his friend, in the 1960s. In his autobiographical book, which we already mentioned, he describes the hallucination experiments that he experienced in a special chamber isolated from all external influences. Feynman even smoked marijuana during the experiments, but refused to experiment with LSD for fear of damaging the brain.
Personal Events
In the 1950s, Richard remarried - to Mary Lou. However, he soon divorced, realizing that he took for love a feeling that was only 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, an Englishwoman. The couple had a baby Carl. In addition, they also took an adopted daughter, whose name was Michelle.
Passion for drawing
After some time, Feynman began to become interested in art in order to understand what effect it has on people. Richard began to take drawing lessons. At first, his works did not differ in beauty, but over time, Feynman became skilled and even became a very good portrait painter.
Failed trip
Richard Feynman, along with his wife and friend Ralph Leighton, who was the son of Robert Leighton, the great physicist, in the 1970s conceived a trip to the state of Tuva. It was at that time an independent country, surrounded by impregnable mountains on all sides. It was located between Mongolia and Russia. The small state was under the jurisdiction of the USSR (Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic). According to the only researcher specializing in Tuva, the report on this trip could double the knowledge about this state. Before the trip, Feynman and his wife re-read 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 disappeared civilizations, and indeed riddles in the history of mankind. In the Tuva Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, as he suggested, there could be clues to many world secrets. However, the scientist was not given a visa, therefore, unfortunately, this historic trip did not take place.
Feynman experiment
The National Aerospace Agency on January 28, 1986 launched the reusable space shuttle Challenger . 73 s after the launch, it exploded. As it turned out, the cause was rocket boosters, which lifted the shuttle and fuel tank. Scientists from the Jet Engine Laboratory informed Feynman of the design flaws and burnouts of rubber that have already taken place. And General Kutina told him that at startup the air temperature was close to zero, and under these conditions there is a loss of rubber elasticity. During the experiment, which Feynman conducted with the help of a ring, a glass with ice and pliers, it was shown that the ring lost elasticity at low temperatures. Due to a violation of the tightness, hot gases burned through the body. This happened on January 28th.
The experiment shown live, brought Feynman the fame of a man who unraveled the mystery of the catastrophe (we note that it was undeserved), which, however, he did not claim. The fact is that at NASA it was known that at low temperatures the launch of a rocket is fraught with disaster, but it was decided to take a chance. Attendants and technicians who knew about the possible disaster were silenced.
Illness and death
In the 1970s, it was discovered that Richard Feynman had cancer, a rare form of it. A tumor located in the abdominal region was excised, but the body was badly damaged. One of the kidneys refused to work. Several repeated operations did not significantly affect the course of the disease. The Nobel Prize winner in physics was doomed.
Richard Feynman’s condition gradually worsened. In 1987, another tumor was found in him. She was cut out, but Feynman was already very weak and was constantly tormented by pain. He was again hospitalized in 1988, in February. In addition to cancer, doctors also discovered a bursting ulcer. In addition, the remaining kidney failed. You could give Richard a few more months of life by connecting an artificial kidney. However, he decided that he had had enough, and refused medical help. Richard Feynman died on February 15, 1988. He was buried in Altaden, in a simple grave. The ashes of his wife rests beside him.
Feynman car
Feynman acquired the Dodge Tradesman van in 1975. It was painted in mustard colors, popular at that time, and inside painted in shades of green. Feynman diagrams were drawn on this car, bringing Richard the Nobel Prize. On the van, he made many long trips. The scientist also ordered for him special QANTUM number plates.
Feynman occasionally drove to work in this car, but usually Gwyneth, his wife, used it. At a traffic light, she was once asked about why Feynman diagrams were drawn on a car. The woman replied that this was because her name was Gwyneth Feynman.
After Richard's death, the car was sold for $ 1 to Ralph Leighton, a family friend. Selling for this nominal fee is the standard way in which Feynman got rid of his old cars. The machine has long served its new owner. In 1993, she took part in the march in memory of R. Feynman.
Richard Feynman Quotes
Today, many of his quotes are popular. We will give only some of them.
- "What I can’t recreate, I don’t understand."
- "Trying to discover something secret is one of my hobbies."
- "I always liked to succeed in what I did not have to succeed."