Ed Witten: From History Major to Physics Legend

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In summary, Edward Witten, a renowned physicist, did not study physics in his undergraduate years but instead focused on history and linguistics. However, he later pursued physics in grad school and became a physics professor with only 7 years of experience in the field. He is known for his exceptional abilities in quickly picking up complex concepts and has even been praised by his former professor for his remarkable work as a TA.
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pivoxa15
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Does anyone know about Witten's early years such when he was in High School and University? He didn't even do physics as an undergrad and instead majored in history and minored in Linguistics. Apparently he tried other things after his BA like politics, economics and mathematics before finally settling into physics in grad school. How does someone be accepted into physics grad school without a physics undergraduate degree? How did he become a physics professor with only around 7 years of experience doing physics (presumably he had not done phyiscs in high school)?
 
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He is certainly quite amazing. I wonder how he was able to pick up physics so quickly. Why didn't he do it earlier? Why did he decide to drop out of the maths postgrad?
 
  • #6
Why don't you ask him yourself:

witten@sns.ias.edu

If he is too busy to respond, ask one of his research buddies.

John G.
 
  • #7
A. Zee, in the preface to his book Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell, tells the following story about Witten.

A. Zee said:
The genesis of this book goes back to the quantum field theory course I taught as a beginning assistant professor at Princeton University. I had the enormous good fortune of having Ed Witten as my teaching assistant and grader. Ed produced lucidly written solutions to the homework problems I assigned, to the extent that the next year I went to the chairman to ask "What is wrong with the TA I have this year? He is not half as good as the guy last year!"

I feel sorry for the guy who had to fill Witten's shoes.

Regards,
George
 

1. Who is Ed Witten?

Ed Witten is a renowned American theoretical physicist and mathematician. He is best known for his contributions to string theory, quantum gravity, and supersymmetry.

2. What are Ed Witten's early years?

Ed Witten was born on August 26, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in a family of academics, with both his parents being physicists. He showed an interest in mathematics and physics from a young age and excelled in these subjects in school.

3. Where did Ed Witten study?

Ed Witten received his undergraduate degree in history and physics from Brandeis University in 1971. He then went on to earn his Ph.D. in physics from Princeton University in 1976.

4. What were Ed Witten's early career achievements?

After completing his Ph.D., Ed Witten joined the faculty at Princeton University as an assistant professor. He made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics, including the development of the first non-abelian gauge theory and his groundbreaking work on string theory.

5. When did Ed Witten receive the Fields Medal?

Ed Witten received the Fields Medal, one of the highest honors in mathematics, in 1990 for his contributions to mathematical physics. He is the only physicist to have ever received this prestigious award.

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