Murray Gell-Mann talks about Richard Feynman
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Published 2012-01-12
In this interview, Murray Gell-Mann talks about his experience of working along with Richard Feynman in Caltech. A good insight into the two clashing personalities of the two great men, both equal in intelligence, but very different in mannerisms and image.
Winner of the 1969 Nobel Prize in Physics for his unique classification of elementary particles into his meson and baryon groups, for which he called his "Eight fold ways", Murray Gell-Mann led to development of the quark model using his concept of "strangeness" and isospin in the the Gell-Mann--Nishijima formula which was proven correct with the discovery of the Omega Minus baryon, which contained 3 strange quarks in his model.
• Murray Gell-Mann on The Quark Model
The quark model allowed for the appearance of particles with the same spin in the same quantum state, as long as they have different "color charge" which led to development of Quantum Chromodynamics, using the Dirac Lagrangian for SU(3) fields, represented by the Gell-Mann Matrices, QCD describes nonabelian vector fields which would later describe the color confinement and asymptotic feedom of QCD. This is similar to Feynman's use of the Dirac Lagrangian applied to SU(2) fields represented by the Dirac Matrices which describe abelian scalar fields and contain the electron propogator, mass and interaction terms which are invarient under gauge transformation when a field is introduced that transforms like an electromagnetic field, hence creating the photon propogator. Feynman's diagrams stem from these terms, and these apply for Quantum Chromodynamics as they do for Quantum electrodynamics, except requiring gluons instead of photons.
Richard Feynman shared the 1965 Nobel prize in Physics for his work on QED with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, which triggered the modern view of particle physics: The Standard Model of Particle Physics.
The inclusion of Gell-Mann's work into the Standard Model would define particle physics up untill the present day, the QCD Lagrangian describes the essential features of quark confinement which result in the Strong Force induced jets of mesons and baryons from quark-antiquark pair production seen in particle accelerators.
All Comments (21)
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I think people in the comments section have forgotten that this guy worked with Richard Feynman for a number of years. He knew Feynman's behaviour and mannerisms and actually engaged with him. He's entitled to make a criticism on Feynman's personality, whether it be a good or bad criticism, he still understood Feynman better than anyone in the comments section.
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This is a refreshing video. I like Feynman a lot. He's one of my heroes. Yet this criticism of Feynman's ego sounds correct. It's nice to see a less flattering side of Feynman. It makes him more human. Thanks for posting it.
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In the 70s while working on my degree in physics at The U of Minnesota, a group of students from Cal Tech came over to work with some students at The U of M on theoretical concepts of elementary particles. Murray Gell-Mann led the group. He was just brilliant, amazingly so! I learned so much from him. I'd never seen such a quick mind. He was also the biggest self-righteous, egotistical and judgmental prick I'd ever met before or since.
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"Years ago, when I was an assistant professor of physics at Berkeley [1960-66], I used to be invited down to Caltech about once a year to give a talk. It was usually the low point of my year. In the audience at Caltech were two leaders of modern physics, Murray Gell-Mann and Richard Feynman, who interrupted with frequent questions, ruthlessly probing to see if I really knew what I was talking about and had anything new to say. Of the two, Feynman was the more frightening. Gell-Mann was mostly interested in finding out whether there was anything in my talk that he should know about, so he was no problem if I did have anything worthwhile to say. Feynman was having fun." - Steven Weinberg, Nobel laureate in physics 1979.
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Ironically this interview turns out to be yet another great anecdote about Feynman.
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I found it funny that he starts by saying he hated how Feynman always made anecdotes about himself and then finishes by telling an anecdote about Feynman while smiling and laughing.
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Rest in Peace Professor Murray Gell-Mann after a vibrantly rich degree of life and research at the very frontiers of physics.
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Gell-Mann is one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century. His achievements are outstanding. How many people watching this are even qualified to say if Feynman was a greater physicist. I don't know, I know that. Feynman had the knack of making his work seem accessible and was good at making people feel like they understood physics. The truth is only a small group of elite physicists really understand what Gell-Mann did and what Feynman did and who did the greater work.
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He taught me for a year. Weird, freaky and utterly captivating individual. It was an utter joy to hear his- to my Scottish ears- Noo Yoik accent describing things with such clarity of thought was enlightening and uplifting. I am better for having heard him, deeply indebted too. But it has to be said that he made me realise that i could never be anything more than mediocre as a physicist. I remain interested in physics but made my poverty stricken life as a musician....no bongoes...:-)
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He loved Feynman really, you can tell. Opposites attract. Both absolutely brilliant scientists
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The jacket and tie story was hilarious.
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2 geniuses. But 2 opposites. Yet 2 legends. End of story. :D
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Legendary Physicist, feynman had his own flaws. Fully accepted.
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I own two books filled with funny stories that Feynman told about himself. They are extremely entertaining, but also reveal that the man was indeed full of himself. It is very possible to admire someone and still see their warts. It's good that some balancing stories about Feynman are told, they don't take away from his accomplishments, they just illuminate the side of him that he didn't choose to brag about. I bumped into a comment about Feynman years ago that was written by a former student at Cal-Tech. While he was there, he heard that Feynman had had sex with the wives of many of his fellow professors. I don't know if that is true or not, but it fits with the stories he's told about himself. And it fits with female psychology, that they are attracted to men who are confident, well placed, humorous, and dynamic.
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Well, there's so much hero-worship surrounding Feynman that it's actually refreshing to hear Gell-Mann speaking about him in slightly less than reverent tones. The idea that Feynman spent a great deal of time burnishing the Feynman legend has a certain ring of truth to it, doesn't it?
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I don't doubt that he was annoying, but have you ever noticed that EVERY physicist's best stories are about Feynman?
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I can completely understand how the antics of Feynman would wear somebody down. At the same time that is what made him our favorite screwball scientist... And with Feynman as the gateway drug of science fandom, people like Gell-Mann and Bethe become known as well.
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Whatever Richard Feynman's personal eccentricities were, he seemed like a fun guy who took mathematics & science as a serious endeavor & who enjoyed life in many ways. There are those who probably resented Feynman's personality & were jealous of him (and I don't mean Dr.Gell-Mann). I'm not a scientist, but I appreciated him for his iconoclastic approach to life and science. He wasn't perfect; just a guy who seemed to enjoy sharing his love of science & physics, & exploring the natural world.
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I find it hilarious that Gell-Mann can't help giggling while sharing Feynman anecdotes after complaining about Feynman crafting anecdotes to build his legacy.
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Feynman and Gell Mann were great science thinkers.
