What is Feynman: Definition and 646 Discussions

Richard Phillips Feynman (; May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist, known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics, the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as his work in particle physics for which he proposed the parton model. For contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga.
Feynman developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions describing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime, Feynman became one of the best-known scientists in the world. In a 1999 poll of 130 leading physicists worldwide by the British journal Physics World, he was ranked the seventh greatest physicist of all time.He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II and became known to a wide public in the 1980s as a member of the Rogers Commission, the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Along with his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing and introducing the concept of nanotechnology. He held the Richard C. Tolman professorship in theoretical physics at the California Institute of Technology.
Feynman was a keen popularizer of physics through both books and lectures, including a 1959 talk on top-down nanotechnology called There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom and the three-volume publication of his undergraduate lectures, The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Feynman also became known through his semi-autobiographical books Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and What Do You Care What Other People Think?, and books written about him such as Tuva or Bust! by Ralph Leighton and the biography Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman by James Gleick.

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  1. R

    What is the correct pronunciation of Feynman?

    pronunciation of "Feynman" How is the "ey" in "Feynman" pronounced: 1. "ei" like in the word "hey" 2. "ai" like in the word "hi" 3. neither of 1,2.
  2. marcus

    Long-awaited Freidel Baratin (QG related to Feynman diagrams)

    http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0604016 Hidden Quantum Gravity in 3d Feynman diagrams Aristide Baratin, Laurent Freidel 35 pages, 4 figures "In this work we show that 3d Feynman amplitudes of standard QFT in flat and homogeneous space can be naturally expressed as expectation values of a specific...
  3. P

    Feynman Parameters: Solving an Induction Problem

    Hey, this is a pretty simple induction problem, but I suck at induction and I think I'm missing something really obvious here, though trying to figure it out whilst having a pretty bad cold isn't much of a good idea. The identity \frac{1}{A_1\cdots A_n}=\int_0^1 dx_1\cdots dx_n \delta...
  4. zoobyshoe

    Feynman And The Challenger Explosion

    The National Geographic Channel has started airing its docu/recreation of the Challenger disaster and the consequent investigation. I watched most of it tonight and was interested to see that they decided to make Feynman a major character in the show. That in contrast to another special about...
  5. M

    Richard Feynman Lectures on Light

    Hey everyone, I found an AWSOME site that broadcasts science programs for free over the internet. http://www.vega.org.uk/index.php" If you go to Science Programmes > Vega Science Lectures > Richard Feynman you will find the lectures that he gave at the University of Auckland (New...
  6. E

    Feynman, photons and magnetic fields

    In one of his lectures Richard Feynman describes the effect of a magnetic field on an electron. In doing this he describes the magnetic field as being made up of many photons. If a photon is an oscillating electromagnetic field how can it be just a magnetic field also ?
  7. D

    Feynman vs Resnick & Halliday: Mechanics for 11th Grade

    Hey, I am currently in 11th grade. Were studying Mechanics from Resnick & Halliday 7th edition. I'd like to know If Feynman does a better job with mechanics? (Volume one). Next year , were going to study electromagnetism, and I was planning on reading Feynman Vol II in the summer, should I or...
  8. D

    Feynman Rules for Phi to the 6th theory

    What are the Feynman rules for phi to the sixth theory? Can anyone please help? Peskin and Schroeder does phi ^ 4th... I can't help thinking the derivation is the same for phi to the sixth, and that the rules are the same. Could that be correct? Thanks so much for your time, Job...
  9. T

    How do you pronounce Sophus Lie?

    How is it pronounced? The Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Feynman) says it is pronounced like "Fine-man". This has been bugging me for some time.
  10. F

    Richard Feynman, 1965 Physics Nobel Prize Winner

    Heres a new website dedicated to the hero of all physics geeks: Richard P. Feynman.The site features many Feynman articles like his lectures, anecdotes, jokes, stories etc.. other resources like jokes and daily news feed and others make it a good site to kill time or learn some random stuff...
  11. B

    Drawing a Feynman Diagram for K^{*+}→K^0 + \pi^+

    Hi I have to draw a Feynman diagram for the following reaction: K^{*+} \rightarrow K^0 + \pi^+ The K^{*+}-meson is composed of an u and an anti-s quark, the K^0-meson is composed of a d and an anti-s quark, and the \pi^+-meson is composed of an u and an anti-d quark. I have drawn...
  12. marcus

    Wonderful wise article about Feynman

    http://www.nybooks.com/articles/18350 Freeman Dyson, reviewing a collection of Feynman's personal letters assembled and edited by Michelle, Feynman's daughter
  13. R

    LaTeX Feynman diagrams in threads or latex

    Hey, I was wandering if anyone knew if the Feynman diagrams could be created in Latex or in threads like this? If not then maybe it would be an interesting development avenue...
  14. M

    Where can i download the videos of the Feynman lectures?

    i.e. the Douglas Robb memorial lectures from Auckland University, They're available streamed here: http://www.vega.org.uk/series/lectures/feynman/ But i want to download the files. Can i grab them anywhere?
  15. L

    How to compute the number of loops in a Feynman diagram?

    In doing my \phi^{3} theory I didn't know exactly how to count the number of loops in a diagram given the number of vertices, internal and external lines. Is there a general algorithm in doing this? What if we have more than one interaction vertex (e.g. the Standard Model)? PS. What does it...
  16. B

    Did Feynman Know How to Drive? Answering Your Burning Question"

    Ok folks. Now to waste your time on a idiotic question.. Did Feynman know how to drive?
  17. robphy

    Celebrate Richard Feynman: Stamp Dedication, Book Readings & Drumming

    http://www.nyas.org/snc/calendarDetail.asp?eventID=4057&date=5/11/2005%2010:00:00%20AM "Richard Feynman Stamp Dedication A special postmark based on a Feynman diagram will be unveiled along with the Feynman stamp. Also, drumming and readings from Feynman's popular books. Free and open to...
  18. R

    Are the Feynman Lectures on Physics books good?

    Are the "Feynman Lectures on Physics" books good? Are the "Feynman Lectures on Physics" books good? I'm going into my junior year next year and wonder if these books are any good to study over the summer?
  19. jtbell

    Put Feynman on your snail mail

    For those of you who live in the USA and still use snail mail... The US Postal Service is issuing a set of four 37-cent "American Scientists" postage stamps next week. They picture Richard Feynman, Josiah Willard Gibbs, John von Neumann and Barbara McClintock. They should be available at most...
  20. R

    What is the Justification for Using a Delta Function in the Feynman Propogator?

    Ok - so essentially the Feynman propogator is a Green function solved for a point source - i.e a delta function in 3 dims. My question is more mathematical. When you solve for the Green Function you assume (id-m)G(x,x') = delta(x-x') (roughly) Then solving this...
  21. I

    What are the highlights of the new book of letters from Richard Feynman?

    I went to a book signing tonight for a new volume of letters to and from Richard Feynman entitled Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track. The book is edited by Michelle Feynman, Richard's daughter. She gave a brief introduction to the book and then read several of the letters...
  22. marlon

    Live Feynman QED Lectures by Richard Feynman

    If someone is interested in live lectures given by Richard Feynman on introductory QED, just check out the site in my journal https://www.physicsforums.com/journal.php?s=&journalid=13790&action=view#LIVE%20FEYNMAN%20QED-LECTURES regards marlon
  23. M

    Learn Physics w/ Feynman: Is it Still Current?

    I'm interested in learning the fundamentals of physics, likely from Feynman's text. However, I'd like to know if there's anything in the Feynman that's been disproved since it was published as I'd hate to have to unlearn anything I didn't have to. Thanks.
  24. V

    Counting Feynman Diagrams with n Vertices

    Is there a systematical way to count all the possible feynman diagram with vertices less than or equal to n...
  25. M

    Feynman Diagram: Mathematics & Concepts Explained

    I have been researching Feynman and his diagram and really can't find much on the Diagram itself. Could anyone tell me the mathematics and other concepts behind it in excruciating detail? Or at least a site I can find it? Thanks
  26. O

    My first encounter with Feynman

    I just started reading The Character of Physical Law and I have to say I got goose bumps from some of the things I have read. I would like to share a few lines that I am sure a lot of you have either heard or read yourself and maybe you too can share your first experience with this fellow...
  27. K

    Where can i find the Feynman Lectures in mp3 fomat?

    Hi , i am very eager to listen to feyman lectures on physics. i tried to listen to some at http://www.vega.org.uk/series/lectures/feynman/index.php . But i could not , as there is some problem with the site. So , can anyone suggest an alternate site or if anyone has the lectures with...
  28. M

    Physical interpretation of Feynman path integral

    so I herd that atpms are actuall blob like particles insted of hard crystal orb like things but are quarks the same way? are quarks like blobs too?
  29. T

    Exploring Physics: A Review of the Feynman Lectures and Their Broad Scope

    I'm in grade 11 physics, and I was wondering if I'd be able to get through the Feynman lectures without being totally confused. As a side questions, would those lectures give me an insight on a broad range of physics topics? That is what I'm looking for right now.
  30. Eye_in_the_Sky

    Looking for a Feynman reference (re: P, C, and CP)

    I remember reading a discussion by Feynman somewhere. He talks about parity and charge conjugation in terms of a hypothetical scenario involving "radio communication" with an alien civilization living far off in outer space. I don't remember the name of book I read this in. Does anyone know...
  31. D

    Feynman Lectures, Chapter 24: Transients

    Hello everyone! A question came up as I was reading Chapter 24 of the Feynman Lectures book. To more specific, it's the comments after Eq. (24.2) on the first section---called "the energy of an oscillator". I don't quite get it. Thank you very much! :smile: "Now let us consider the...
  32. zoobyshoe

    Uncovering the Truth: Feynman's Perspective on Flying Saucers

    "If we come to the case of flying saucers, for example, we have the difficulty that almost everybody who observes flying saucers sees something different, unless they were previously informed of what they were supposed to see. So the history of flying saucers consists of orange balls of light...
  33. F

    Physical interpretation of Feynman path integral

    Hi What is the physical interpretation of Feynman path integral? Thanks :smile:
  34. F

    Path integral of Richard Feynman

    Good morning, After Feynman formulation's of quantum mechanics, he expressed the propagator in function of path integral by this formula: $G(x,t;x_i,t_i)=\int\int exp{\frac{i}{\hbar}\int_{t_i}^{t}L(x,\dot{x},P)dt'}DxDp$ the question is how we can define the integral measure Dx and Dp? thanks
  35. M

    Feynman Diagrams: Understanding Photon-Mediated Electromagnetic Force

    I'm pretty new to the particle physics world, and modern physics in general, so bear with me. I also don't have a book yet, so it's kind of messed up I'm a bit confused by a few apsects of feynman diagrams, although my confusion actually lies much deeper. Looking at this diagram...
  36. P

    Feynman & Time: Exploring the Physics of Perception

    Can I run something by you all please? Feynman asks us to believe that calculating where a photon goes involves us suspending our perception of nature, and that only by working out every path it could take are we able to actually work out where it will end up. We're also told that time...
  37. R

    New to Feynman Path Integral

    I am pretty new to the subject and hope someone can give me certain links to start off. We can express the time evolutions of a quantum mechanical state of a system as : |psi(Xf,T)> = Gv(Xf,T;X0,0) |psi(X0,0)> Now Gv can be expressed as a discretized Feynman Path integral which comes out...
  38. E

    Application for drawing Feynman diagrams

    Hi, I'm seeking for a software, witch will alow me to easily draw Feynman diagrams. I have currently found: FeynMF: LaTeX package. Not very nice to use, but very good quality diagrams FeynmanDraw: Very primitive WIN software. Not fine diagrams. FeynDiagram: C++ source for drawing...
  39. E

    What Software Can Be Used to Draw Feynman Diagrams on Windows?

    Hi, I'm seeking for a software, witch will alow me to easily draw Feynman diagrams. I have currently found: FeynMF: LaTeX package. Not very nice to use, but good quality diagrams FeynmanDraw: Very primitive WIN software. Not fine diagrams. FeynDiagram: C++ source for drawing. Complicated...
  40. R

    Good references on Feynman diagrams

    I'm looking for some excellent references on Feynman diagrams, from an overview of the basics to a description of the relation between the diagrams and the heavy duty mathematics that they represent. Any information would be appreciated.
  41. M

    Amplitude and phase of a Feynman path

    Can the amplitude and phase associated with each of the paths in the Feynman path integral be connected to geometric attributes of that path? For example, is the amplitude and phase connected to how long the path is or how much it curves or how much it deviates from the geodesic?
  42. S

    Screen with slits, on rollers, a la Feynman

    Plate with slits, on rollers, a la Feynman In one of Feynan's lectures, he describes a thought experiment about trying to 'beat' the uncertainty principle. Without going into all the details, this version of the two-slit experiment has the diffracting plate mounted on rollers. The text and the...
  43. N

    Feynman Lectures Physics Vol 1-3 MP3s - Find & Download

    hi all, I've been busy collecting the mp3's of the original tapes of Feynman lectures on physics during the 1960's. So far - using mainly Kazaa and dc++ - I've found nearly all the lectures of Volume 1 and 3. The lectures of Volume 2 are quite hard to find. Does anyone here know a database...
  44. A

    Why light diffracts and was directed to QED by Feynman

    A while ago I made a post asking why light diffracts and was directed to QED by Feynman. I have now read the book (or the relevant part at least) and it explains diffraction by the number of possible routes of photons through an aperture as being reduced when the is gap made smaller, and...
  45. F

    Exploring Feynman's Views on QED and Nuclear Physics

    As I was recalling one of the Feynam lectures, I rememberd him saying that the only phenomena QED couldn't explain are the physics of the nucleus and one other that I can't remember...gravity maybe? Anyway, since QED deals with atomic particle interactions it was the nuclier one that surprised...
  46. R

    Feynman Diagrams and free electrons

    Richard Feynman in his Physics lectures and diagrams show a free electron emitting a photo and/ or absorbing a photon. He (They?) always show the electron being deflected. My question is if the photon has no mass how can or why does the electron react by being deflected in motion? If it is a...
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