nPostednon May 11, 2014
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Todaynis Mother’s Day in the U.S.A. (see below), and I am a mother, so I amnpleased to bring to your attention one of my favorite sciencencharacters:
Todaynis Mother’s Day in the U.S.A. (see below), and I am a mother, so I amnpleased to bring to your attention one of my favorite sciencencharacters:n
n Theoreticalnphysicist, author, and bongo player Richard Feynman.
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nAntheoretical physicist is someone who uses math and abstract models tonexplore physics – as opposed to an experimental physicist, whondesigns experiments or plans observations to test hypotheses madenabout how the universe works.
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nIfnyou were to ask, “Just what is physics?” I would be tempted tonanswer EVERYTHING!
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nPhysicsnis the study of matter and energy. Since everything is matter ornenergy, that means it is the study of everything, right?
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Feynman,nwho was born in New York City on this date in 1918, worked on quantumnmechanics, supercooled liquids, and other important topics. Henassisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II,nand he became well-known as a member of the commission investigatingnthe cause of the Challenger Space Shuttle’s disastrous breakup 73nseconds after launch. He actually ended up being the one person whonfigured out the exact reason for the explosion: he discovered thatnthe rubber O-ring used to seal the solid rocket booster joints failednto expand in freezing temperatures.
Feynman,nwho was born in New York City on this date in 1918, worked on quantumnmechanics, supercooled liquids, and other important topics. Henassisted in the development of the atomic bomb during World War II,nand he became well-known as a member of the commission investigatingnthe cause of the Challenger Space Shuttle’s disastrous breakup 73nseconds after launch. He actually ended up being the one person whonfigured out the exact reason for the explosion: he discovered thatnthe rubber O-ring used to seal the solid rocket booster joints failednto expand in freezing temperatures.n
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nHenalso wrote several popular books, including Surely You’re Joking,nMr. Feynman! n
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nOh,nthat’s right—he was presented with a little thing called a NobelnPrize!
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nHerenare some Feynman quotes I like:
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n“Itndoesn’t matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn’t matter hownsmart you are. If it doesn’t agree with experiment, it’s wrong.”
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“Thenfirst principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are theneasiest person to fool.”
“Thenfirst principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are theneasiest person to fool.”
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“Poetsnsay science takes away from the beauty of the stars – mere globs ofngas atoms. I, too, can see the stars on a desert night, and feelnthem. But do I see less or more?”
“Poetsnsay science takes away from the beauty of the stars – mere globs ofngas atoms. I, too, can see the stars on a desert night, and feelnthem. But do I see less or more?”
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Checknout some of Feynman’s videos.
Checknout some of Feynman’s videos. n
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- Herenis one about the incredibly complex nature of light, heat, and othernelectromagnetic waves.
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- Herenis a much longer video featuring Feynman. Good stuff!
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nAlsonon this date:
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nMother’snDay
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nBirthdaynof the first known “Siamese twins”
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nBirthdaynof the first known “Siamese twins”
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nSongwriternIrving Berlin’s birthday
nSongwriternIrving Berlin’s birthday
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nAnniversarynof the first printed book (maybe)
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nPlannahead:
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Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
Checknout my Pinterest boards for:
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nMayn holidays
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nMayn birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in May
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nAndnhere are my Pinterest boards for:
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nJunen holidays
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nJunen birthdays
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nHistoricaln anniversaries in June
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