FEYNMAN WEEK: Part 2

Richard Feynman (1918-1988) was a legendary American physicist, lecturer and one helluva bongo player. During his Ph.D studies he was selected to work on the Manhattan project to develop the atomic bomb. From there he won the Nobel Prize for Physics and became professor at Caltech where he spent the majority of his career. Later in his life, he served on the committee that investigated the Challenger space shuttle disaster. However, he appeals to many non-scientists for his eccentric personality, zest for life and the beautiful, wonder-inspiring way he shared his love for science to the public.

One of the best things about this site is not only do I share my favourite people with you, but I’ve discovered new and exciting things from your quote submissions. I had never heard of Richard Feynman before I started Zen Pencils, but readers bombarded me with his quotes after I expressed my love for Carl Sagan and soon I was on my way. I watched all his YouTube videos and read his autobiography Surely You’re Joking, Mr Feynman! and now I’m totally obsessed with him. His way of thinking and looking at the world was breathtaking, and he communicated science with so much joy and fun – a truly remarkable man.

This quote was taken from the brilliant Horizon episode The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. You can watch the short clip here but I highly recommend you watch the whole interview.

My favourite Feynman clip is this one where he talks about light waves, or as he puts it ‘the inconceivable nature of nature’. I watch this clip at least once a week and it never fails to put a smile on my face. It’s five minutes of magic. Why couldn’t my science teachers explain things like this?!

– And here he is playing bongos and singing his Orange Juice song.

– There are too many of you to name, but thank you to everyone who suggested I look into Feynman.

– I’ll be doing another Feynman quote on Thursday.