Inside the Mind of Richard Feynman: The Great Explainer

In today's SciShow episode of Great Minds, we're diving into the life of Richard Feynman. Aside from being a great scientist and teacher, he was a kooky and curious guy who played the bongos, painted, and did math in strip clubs. Hank shares favorite facts about Feynman with us in this fun episode of SciShow: Great Minds. Let's go!

Like SciShow? Help support us, and also get things to put on your walls, cover your torso, or hold your liquids!

[nidurnevets]

My Uncle Abe Bader was Feynman's high school physics teacher.  I remember hearing him tell my father about a brilliant student he had taught, who could understand more physics in a weekend than he could understand in an entire summer.  He mentioned that he had lent this brilliant student advanced books to study. I was a kid when I heard this story, and I didn't catch the name of who he was talking about.  But the story stuck with me because of the idea that there could be someone that brilliant    It was only when Feynman died, and my uncle had also died, that I found out, all those years ago, my uncle had been talking about Feynman.  

[bozolazic]

"He had just written out the hardest math of the century, in a picture."
...then a smiling Feynman comes in on the bongos.
That cracked me up. (;
Feynman Lives!

[Haldurson]

I met Richard Feynman back at Caltech around 1980 or so -- he was a dinner guest at my student house and he shared all sorts of anecdotes about Los Alamos and helping to defend a strip club that the city of Pasadena was trying to shut down, and so on. He even taught an informal class on safe-cracking while I was there (I didn't take advantage of it).

He loved the students so much that he participated in the various theater events usually playing the bongos. And even back then, he taught Freshman and Sophomore Physics -- unfortunately I missed him by one year (I was a Freshman in a year when he was teaching Sophomore physics, and vice versa). I was not a great physics student, but I still wish I could have taken his classes. He had a really great sense of humor and everyone really loved him there. I feel very lucky for the brief time our house got to spend with him.

[mauikeith]

I was lucky enough to have taken twp physics classes from him.

MOST AMAZING TEACHER EVER!

[johntate]

I recently read a letter he wrote to his first wife and childhood sweetheart a year after she died of TB. It's one of the most moving and heartbreaking things I have ever read. He was a pretty special man with the mind of a scientist and the soul of an artist. A rare combination.

[ryanlacroix]

Having studied physics, studied particle physics and doing the math involved in Feynman diagrams all the praise of his intelligence is well deserved. Look up re-normalization, that's how he solved the problem about infinite possibilities in the checkers board analogy. Also turned out to be super useful in theoretical pure math so he was a double boss there. You know, just strolling down the street solving the biggest physics problem of the day with pictures and at the same time creating a new tool for mathematicians that they didn't even know they wanted or needed. Like a bawse.

[Javaman]

Richard Feynman has long been my favorite scientist. His enthusiasm and curiosity and love of life instantly endeared him to me. I too wish I could have met him.

[mrburns]

You and your brother have given the rest of us an amazing gift. Through your own insights, through the experts you find or that flock to you, through simple speech and diagrams, you have become two more great explainers. The list of things you teach us grows by the day. I am so lucky to know about Crash Course and Sci Show. And grateful. 

[seggyRK]

Math In strip clubs >> math in the library

[nikhildrogbacena]

Leaving notes making physicists think their research has been stolen by spies.. Lololololololololol.. The best!

[genessab]

I have a cute shirt that has a bongo drum with a Feynman diagram shooting out of it, no one has gotten it yet but i still think it's adorable

[IronPriest]

So I watched this video when it was originally posted and found Feynman interesting. Since then I've probably watched every video on Feynman on youtube and can't get enough listening to him. Just wanted to thank you for introducing Feynman to me, as it's brought a lot of joy to this fan of science!

[dprague]

"I'd hate to die twice. It's so boring."

[JWMCMLXXX]

Your enthusiasm for the man is contagious.
Great subject, great video.

[icollectstories]

What impressed me most was that he never stopped being curious.

[coena]

When I was 7-years-old I was told, for the first time, that the whole world was made out of these little tiny solar systems called atoms (yes, I know atoms don't look like solar systems, in the second grade I was taught they do). It blew my mind and I spent the rest of the day squinting really closely at various objects, trying to see the atoms. That's how I feel whenever I watch Feynman's lectures. I often times watch videos of him when I'm feeling unmotivated in my studies, he reminds me why I'm getting a degree in mathematics (which, even to a math nerd, can feel boring at times).

[lexagon]

Everyone, I repeat, everyone should read "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!". It's a sort of anecdotal autobiography of Feynman, which is more about his funny experiences and view on life than any hardcore physics.

[sarahkearns]

"i don't know why we make these videos when feynman did it all already" -- how i feel as a science journalist

[dfein]

For some reason, I particularly like this guy.

[Cochise]

I watched a biography on Feynman years ago and it really struck a chord with me. The way he was devastated after his research ended up being used on a civilian population (twice) & his subsequent cathartic journey through his soul which led him to the throat singing monks of Touvre, and bongo playing; simple things. Peaceful things. I would have also liked to have gotten to know him. R.I.P.