Who is your favorite physicist and why?

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Discussion Overview

The thread explores participants' favorite physicists and the reasons behind their choices. The discussion includes a variety of perspectives on historical and contemporary figures in physics, touching on their contributions, personalities, and cultural significance.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express admiration for Richard Feynman, citing his approachability and commitment to academic integrity.
  • Others favor Schrödinger, with mixed opinions on his character and contributions.
  • Several participants mention historical figures like Newton, Archimedes, and the ancient Greeks, highlighting their foundational roles in physics.
  • Some participants appreciate the ingenuity of Eratosthenes and the discoveries of Robert Hooke.
  • Einstein is noted for his humanitarian efforts and unique contributions, though some express critical views on his personal life.
  • Participants mention a range of physicists, including Fermi, Curie, and Tesla, each for different reasons such as innovation or cultural impact.
  • There are humorous mentions of fictional physicists like Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth and Chuck Norris.
  • Some participants express difficulty in choosing a favorite due to the many great physicists, indicating a subjective nature to the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on a single favorite physicist, with multiple competing views and preferences expressed throughout the discussion.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects a variety of personal biases and cultural references, with some participants engaging in light-hearted banter and humor, which may influence their choices.

Benzoate
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I don't think there been a thread on a use'sr favorite physicist , so I decided to create one.

For me , Richard feynman because he tried to help both graduate student and the lay public under QED and any other topic on physics. And to me , he comes across as a regular guy you would play poker with instead of a supergenius. I'm not going to doubt that he wasn't a smart man . I'm only saying that did not come across as intimidating to other to laymen and had the a'priori notion that anyone can learn and understand physics. He also , in a subtle manner, criticize academic elitism ; he pointed out that he didn't like clubs or organizations that existed primary for people to talk about how smart they were or how high their IQ was.
 
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Schrödinger all the way!
 
"Favorite"= Feynman. Everybody loves Feynman.
 
Humanino :!)
 
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, of course.

if not then the ancient Greeks who started studying these things in a more logical manner. ... their assumptions were wrong for the most part, but you got to hand it to them.
 
Eratosthenes for ingenuity.
Robert Hooke for discoveries.
Richard Feynman for cuddliness.
 
moe darklight said:
Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, of course.

>.< lol.
 
Janna Levin

http://www.jannalevin.com/bio.html
 
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Archimedes
 
  • #10
Math Jeans said:
>.< lol.

"Doomsday device! Ahh the balls in Farnsworth's court now."

Assortment of doomsday devices appear.

"I suppose I could part with one of these and still be feared."

Best episode ever! >.<
 
  • #11
tacosareveryyum said:
"Doomsday device! Ahh the balls in Farnsworth's court now."

Assortment of doomsday devices appear.

"I suppose I could part with one of these and still be feared."

Best episode ever! >.<

He he. I remember that one. The basketball bit was funny.
 
  • #12
Benzoate said:
I don't think there been a thread on a use'sr favorite physicist ,

Not in the past 6 months, maybe.

Still, Maxwell for me!
 
  • #13
There are so many great physicists that it is too hard to choose which one is the best. So I asked my mother to help me out. Modesty prevents me from divulging the answer.
 
  • #14
jimmysnyder said:
There are so many great physicists that it is too hard to choose which one is the best. So I asked my mother to help me out. Modesty prevents me from divulging the answer.

:smile:
 
  • #15
Fermi no doubt.
 
  • #16
clearly Newton
 
  • #17
Feynman was committed to academic integrity like very few others.
 
  • #18
proton said:
clearly Newton

indeed

'standing on the shoulders of giants' youll find on 2£ coins was a dig at Hooke.
bit of character, though all boffins seem to be highly eccentric
 
  • #19
That would be Madame Marie Curie.
 
  • #20
newton5.jpg
 
  • #21
Since everyone avoided making the generic, trendy answer:

Enstein.

Mostly because he was a humanitarian, but also because of his unique contributions to science.
 
  • #22
Feynman because his love of physics is so contagious
 
  • #23
I suppose I'd pick Max Born... but mostly because I have a biography about him.
 
  • #24
I asked my wife :approve:

She said Feynman:cry:
 
  • #25
No one else favors Schrödinger?

Fine. Be that way.
 
  • #26
Heisenberg =] He had cool german style (who cares if he helped the Germans with the bomb?) and he was a genius. I remember reading in his biography or (autobiography, i forget which ones which, the one that someone else wrote on him), and one of the things that amazed me most was that on hiking trips with his brother, they would play chess, in their heads! Imagine that, "Queen to B9, ha I took your bishop!". His Uncertainty principle is one of the most, if not the most, controversial principals of physics, considered unintuitive for many and even more so its consequences. And everyone loves going home after a long day and doing some matrix mechanics don't they =]? I know what your thinking Math Jeans, Schrödinger's Wave Mechanics is the same thing, and more intuitive, but that's never been Heisenbergs style =]
 
  • #27
Math Jeans said:
No one else favors Schrödinger?

Fine. Be that way.

I think most people can't get past his blithe position on animal cruelty. Evidently, scientific testing on animals didn't matter one way or the other to him.
 
  • #28
Has to be Sylvia Brown from the Physics Friends Network. Wayne Newton's not bad either. And there's Pam "Big Mac Attack" Dirac.
 
  • #29
Dead, Einstein easily. Alive, probably Michio Kaku, mostly because he sparked my interest in science.
 
  • #30
Math Jeans said:
No one else favors Schrödinger?

Fine. Be that way.

I do. He was handsome as well and a polymath that knew six languages; apart from being a great scientist he was a man of culture as well. His book on Greek philosophers is one of the best I have read.
 
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