Richard Phillips Feynman (pronounced Fine-Muhn) (1918-1988) was an American theoretical physicist known for his work in quantum mechanics,
quantum electrodynamics, and
particle physics. Feynman attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for his undergraduate studies, Princeton University for his doctoral degree, and later the California Institute of Technology (
Caltech) for his research and as a professor. Feynman assisted in the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb and worked with
Oppenheimer as well as many other great scientific minds. Feynman was a member of the Rogers Commission which investigated the 1986 Challenger Disaster. Although he is regarded as one of the greatest physicists of all time, he was not your typical genius. An example of this was when during his undergraduate studies at MIT, he stole the door to the room where a group of obnoxious know it all students would study. "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)" is a collection of memories from his life, and should be read by anyone who has ever walked into a physics class. In layman's terms, Feynman was the epitome of an intellectual badass.
Alec: "
What'cha reading Daniel?"
Daniel: "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman!"
Alec: "What's that about?"
Daniel: "The life of Richard Feynman, one of the greatest physicists of all time."
Alec: "Oh yeah! I remember that guy. He showed how superfluid
helium worked and embarrassed
liquid helium scientists even when they tried using Feynman diagrams to try and explain how the wave functions of helium atoms behave."
Daniel: "Yup, Feynman was an intellectual badass."
