Richard Feynman :: biography biographies bio

Early Years * Richard Phillips Feynman was born May 11, 1918 to Melville and Lucille Feynman. His sister, Joan, followed later, expose 31, 1928. * Richards life was charted for science before he was even born. Melville decided objet dart the child was still in the womb that if the baby was a son he would grow up to be a scientist. Richard, in fact, was a boy and his precocious young mind caught on quickly to his fathers early scientific teaching. His fathers practice of teaching Richard to ask investigative questions began a life sentence devoted to the wonder and mystery of the universe. * It was this process, learned early in life, of oppugn and observing, the classic scientific method, that Richard credited his discoveries by. As he stated in an address to science teachers in 1966, I think it is very important--at to the lowest degree it was to me--that if you are going to teach people to make observations, you should show that something howling(prenominal) can co me from them. I learned then what science was well-nigh it was patience. If you looked, and you watched, and you paid attention, you got a great reward from it--although possibly not all(prenominal) time. As a result, when I became a more mature man, I would painstakingly, hour after hour, for years, work on problems--some times many years, sometimes shorter times many of them failing, lots of stuff going into the wastebasket--but every once in a while there was the gold of a new ground that I had learned to expect when I was a kid, the result of observation. For I did not learn that observation was not worthwhile (What Is Science?). * In high work, Richards aptitude for learning was most evident. He excelled at math, edifice a solid foundation for his physical science career ahead. In fact, he won first prize in the New York University math disceptation in his final year in Far Rockaway high school (Wikipedia). * After high school, Richard continued his education at Mas sachusetts lend of Technology graduating with a degree in physics in 1939 as well as receiving the pretigious Putnam Fellow reward (Wikipedia). As an undergraduate, Feynman took every physics course offered at the university. He then continued his education, moving on to Princeton to study for his Ph.D. Once again, Feynman showed his facility with all things mathematical, receiving a perfect hit on the mathematical and physics portion of the Princeton entrance exam.