Richard Feynman was an American theoretical physicist known for his contributions to quantum physics, quantum electrodynamics and particle physics. He was also made his mark in quantum computing and nanotechnology. He has also made his mark in quantum computing and nanotechnology. He was widely regarded as the most brilliant and influential figure of his time. For contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics Feynman received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965 jointly with Julian Schwinger and Shin’ichiro Tomonaga.
Richard P. Feynman was born in New York City in 1918. He studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he obtained his B.Sc in 1939 and at Princeton University where he obtained his Ph.D. in 1942. As a child, he was a keen learner. In the 1930s, high schools didn’t teach advanced math, but he learnt calculus, advanced algebra and analytic geometry by reading self-instruction books.
While at Princeton, Feynman assisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. But after the destruction of Hiroshima, he suffered bouts of depression. He was against the use of bombs after the defeat of Nazi Germany.
After the war, Feynman taught theoretical physics at Cornell University from 1945 to 1950 and then at the California Institute of Technology for the rest of his career. During his time at the California university, he worked on quantum electrodynamics (the theory of the interaction between light and matter), for which he was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics. He developed an important tool known as Feynman diagrams to help conceptualise and calculate interactions between particles in space-time.
As a legendary educator, Feynman was awarded the Oersted Medal for Teaching in 1972. He became known to a wide public in 1980s for investigating the disaster of the Challenger Space Shuttle. Feynman gained a reputation for being able to explain complex elements of theoretical physics in an easily understandable way. He is also remembered for his great sense of humour. Richard Feynman died of abdominal cancer in 1988.
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