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Feynman's major contribution was to [[quantum electrodynamics]]. He introduced the diagrams, now called [[Feynman diagrams]], which are used to describe the behaviour of systems of interacting particles. He was awarded a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965.
Feynman's major contribution was to [[quantum electrodynamics]]. He introduced the diagrams, now called [[Feynman diagrams]], which are used to describe the behaviour of systems of interacting particles. He was awarded a Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965.
Feynman liked to tell a story about how when he was a little kid, he asked his father, "Why do things fall?" As an adult, he praised his father for answering, "Nobody knows why things fall. It's a deep mystery, and the smartest people in the world don't know the basic reason for it." Contrast that with the average person's off-the-cuff answer, "Oh, it's because of gravity." Feynman liked his father's answer, because his father realized that simply giving a name to something didn't mean that you understood it. <ref>http://www.vias.org/physics/bk1_05_01.html</ref>
Feynman liked to tell a story about how when he was a little kid, he asked his father, "Why do things fall?" As an adult, he praised his father for answering, "Nobody knows why things fall. It's a deep mystery, and the smartest people in the world don't know the basic reason for it." Contrast that with the average person's off-the-cuff answer, "Oh, it's because of gravity." Feynman liked his father's answer, because his father realized that simply giving a name to something didn't mean that you understood it. <ref>[http://www.vias.org/physics/bk1_05_01.html]</ref>
He had a leading role in the investigation of the crash of the [[space shuttle]] Challenger ("behind-the-scenes descriptions of [[science and policy]] colliding" <ref>http://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/0553347845</ref>).
He had a leading role in the investigation of the crash of the [[space shuttle]] Challenger ("behind-the-scenes descriptions of [[science and policy]] colliding" <ref>[http://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/0553347845]</ref>).
Feynman cut through the red tape and figured out what caused the [[Challenger disaster]].
Feynman cut through the red tape and figured out what caused the [[Challenger disaster]].