Richard Feynman

Richard Feynman Picture

May 11, 1918 - Richard Feynman is born in Manhattan, New York to Melville Feynman and Lucille Phillips.

January 1, 1939 - Richard Feynman earns a B.Sc from Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT). MIT is where he found his interest in Theoretical Physics.

1941-1942 - Richard Feynman works on the atomic bomb project at Princeton with Albert Einstein.

December 10, 1965- - Richard Feynman wins the Nobel Prize in physics for "their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles."

Work - Following the establishment of the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, an initial relativistic theory was formulated for the interaction between charged particles and electromagnetic fields. This needed to be reformulated, however. In 1948 in particular, Richard Feynman contributed to creating a new quantum electrodynamics by introducing Feynman diagrams: graphic representations of various interactions between different particles. These diagrams facilitate the calculation of interaction probabilities.

Feynman also formulated a mathematical theory that dealt with the phenomenon of superfluidity in liquid helium. In collaboration with Murray Gell-Mann, he extensively studied weak interactions such as beta decay. Feynman played a vital role in the development of quark theory by presenting his parton model of high energy proton collision processes.

1972 - Feynman is credited with the introduction of fundamental computational techniques and notations into physics. The Feynman diagrams have radically changed the way in which basic physical processes are conceptualized and calculated. As a legendary educator, Feynman was awarded the Oersted Medal for Teaching in 1972.

1941-1942 - Richard Feynman works on the atomic bomb project at Princeton with Albert Einstein.

February 15, 1988 - Richard Feynman died of abdominal cancer on February 15, 1988, in Los Angeles. He was 69 years old.