Blog 21

This reading showed me a few reasons why Feynman was so successful as a scientist. On pg 244, the book talks about how he relied on physical examples to fully grasp the math that others were struggling with. He had many real world examples, which he would be able to explain mathematically. By doing this, he was able to solve almost any problem. In his chapter on beta-decay, I think it is funny how he experiences the same emotions as someone who is watching a romantic drama. When he finally figures out that the neutron-proton coupling is V instead of T, he experiences joy, happiness, and satisfaction in his work. In discovering this, he realized that he should never pay attention to “experts”, because they all just assumed the coupling was T. Instead, he should always do the calculations himself to ensure that they were correct. This portion of the book showed he did not care if someone was considered an expert or a novice, all he wanted was to satisfy his curiosity about the natural world.

I found it interesting that he was so involved in art later on in his career. Most people decide that they are either creative or logical in their way of thinking from early on in life. So when Feynman decided to take up drawing, I was kind of shocked. However, knowing how Feynman loved to try new things to gain more knowledge and understanding about the world, it did not surprise me as much as if Einstein were to do it. Due to Feynman’s problem-solving mindset, he was able to connect how art and science could be combined. The art allows the scientist to express his emotions in a way that experiments, lectures, and poster presentations cannot. They allow for the inner feelings of a scientist to flourish. Taking that into consideration, I think it is valuable that science majors at MSU have to take art and history classes. It allows them to become more well-rounded individuals, and grants them the ability to express themselves in a more abstract way.