About Bethe liking to work with people: He was one of the few theoretical physicists who went out of his way to help experimenters. His German Handbuch articles and his later 'Bethe's Bible' articles were designed to sum up all knowledge in the field with reference to experimental evidence and techniques. His amazing memory made him able, for a while, to hold the whole field in his mind.
Yeah, it seems like most of those physicists from the "golden age" were not only honest, but didn't take things personally either. Like HenryDavidT (Walden anyone?) pointed out, Dyson was grateful to Fermi after he demolished Dyson's entire research program, so they didn't waste years running down the wrong path. Or Feynman telling Bethe and also Bohr "No, you're wrong. You're idea is no good, and here's why..." Being a genius didn't mean one was necessarily correct, and being wrong didn't mean one was a fool. The truth was what mattered above all else.
I had the pleasure to get to know Profs. Wilhelm Klemm and Hans Georg von Schnering and they conveyed to me a glimpse of the academical world Freeman Dyson describes here, especially with respect to the human aspect and to inspiration. A former assistant of both was my first instructor in experimental chemistry, Claus Brendel, whom I remember most fondly. I took from these encounters a deep love of the experiment for its own sake - meaning that working out a way to discover something new is what science is about. The road is the goal, all else is just textbooks, no matter how beautiful finished theories may seem as you learn. As a person, you grow on the search, not on simple knowledge. Your desire to go forward is what makes you really feel alive, and each find is delightful. That has set a spark into my heart that still burns after all these years, probably till my end.
Feynman tells a story about Bethe's calculating ability from their time together in his very entertaining talk, "Los Alamos from Below" (it's on UA-cam!).
Fascinating glimpse into a world gone by....thank you so much for the upload. These people really were the movers and shakers who shaped our world today.
Years later at SLAC I met Feynman and was the first physicists to discuss parton ideas for deep inelastic scattering. It was at the hotel Flamingo in El Camino Real. I realized it was original and applied it to the experiments at SLAC.
My impression of Feynman is that he was very smart, very fast thinking, but rather arrogant and unfriendly unless you were one of the few people he respected.
Yes, more important things got in the way of even a footnote. I didn't even read the video description - I just had some curiosity about how he was getting on... I somehow thought he was immortal, and in a sense, he is, if not in the most important way.
That's not what he said at all. He only said that Feyman was more imaginative but that Bethe was more structured in his thinking. Nowhere in that clip did I get the idea that Feyman was a more talented physicist.
His accent was quite English. Admittedly, it was not one of the more familiar (to Americans) accents like the many accents of London, or any of the northern ones, but English nonetheless. Berkshire I think. (Speaking of English physicists with less familiar accents, also listen to Dirac. He had a rhotic West Country accent, also less familiar to Americans.)
@@remlatzargonix1329 I have lived in Germany for years, and been to London at least three times. I'm just reporting what I hear. Perhaps you are the one with the incapacitation.
From here on, things went terribly wrong in Physics: "If you could calculate something, then the problem was solved" (they thought). Amazingly naive! They were not trying to find a physical explanation at all. Bethe & Dyson seem nice gents to me, but they really took the wrong exit.
About Bethe liking to work with people: He was one of the few theoretical physicists who went out of his way to help experimenters. His German Handbuch articles and his later 'Bethe's Bible' articles were designed to sum up all knowledge in the field with reference to experimental evidence and techniques. His amazing memory made him able, for a while, to hold the whole field in his mind.
I like Dyson because he's so honest!
Yeah, it seems like most of those physicists from the "golden age" were not only honest, but didn't take things personally either. Like HenryDavidT (Walden anyone?) pointed out, Dyson was grateful to Fermi after he demolished Dyson's entire research program, so they didn't waste years running down the wrong path. Or Feynman telling Bethe and also Bohr "No, you're wrong. You're idea is no good, and here's why..." Being a genius didn't mean one was necessarily correct, and being wrong didn't mean one was a fool. The truth was what mattered above all else.
3:29 "[Bethe was] a thoroughly solid person". A very high compliment indeed.
I was assistant to Bethe and he was wonderful teacher. My job was to correct the exercises. It is unfortunate he was not teaching field theory.
I had the pleasure to get to know Profs. Wilhelm Klemm and Hans Georg von Schnering and they conveyed to me a glimpse of the academical world Freeman Dyson describes here, especially with respect to the human aspect and to inspiration. A former assistant of both was my first instructor in experimental chemistry, Claus Brendel, whom I remember most fondly. I took from these encounters a deep love of the experiment for its own sake - meaning that working out a way to discover something new is what science is about. The road is the goal, all else is just textbooks, no matter how beautiful finished theories may seem as you learn. As a person, you grow on the search, not on simple knowledge. Your desire to go forward is what makes you really feel alive, and each find is delightful. That has set a spark into my heart that still burns after all these years, probably till my end.
Feynman tells a story about Bethe's calculating ability from their time together in his very entertaining talk, "Los Alamos from Below" (it's on UA-cam!).
Fascinating glimpse into a world gone by....thank you so much for the upload. These people really were the movers and shakers who shaped our world today.
Hans Bethe is one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century without a doubt.
Ozzy 👍🏻👍
So, where is Fermi on your list?
He was brilliant with his arithmetic.
Hans was truly an exceptional scientist and a most generous human being.
He also had a very happy marriage.
Marvellous man.
Bethe had a great smile and he just seemed so affable in the pictures.
His delivery of speech is soothing and wants to listen more and more. Great person
❤❤ even for someone like me who is on the literary side of life listening to Dyson is so much pleasureable and profiting.
What a great human being .... he will be missed.
Years later at SLAC I met Feynman and was the first physicists to discuss parton ideas for deep inelastic scattering. It was at the hotel Flamingo in El Camino Real. I realized it was original and applied it to the experiments at SLAC.
Amazing!
Interesting and worthwhile video.
Much respect Freeman Dyson 👌🌴
Wow - Thanks!
My impression of Feynman is that he was very smart, very fast thinking, but rather arrogant and unfriendly unless you were one of the few people he respected.
100 Percent accurate on all accords.. Especially on why Feynman was beyond a genius.. Coming straight from a big time math freak interview…
I started reading the video description, and it says "Freeman Dyson (1923-2020)...".
This stunned me. He died 9 days ago!
Yes, more important things got in the way of even a footnote. I didn't even read the video description - I just had some curiosity about how he was getting on... I somehow thought he was immortal, and in a sense, he is, if not in the most important way.
what I wanna know is how difficult was it to understand swingher ?
Dyson talks about that in this series, in the 70's I think.
I guess it explains why Bethe was in charge of the theoretical division since he was a human calculator.
Who was the person dyson was talking about when he was saying i can't imagine calling my best friend...??
Besicovitch.
☺️🙏
He praised Bethe all along to say he was less talented than Feynman
That's not what he said at all. He only said that Feyman was more imaginative but that Bethe was more structured in his thinking. Nowhere in that clip did I get the idea that Feyman was a more talented physicist.
I am curious why an Englishman has a German accent.
DumbledoreMcCracken ...uhm, I am guessing it's because you don't know what either an English accent nor what a German accent sounds like?
Huh?
His accent was quite English. Admittedly, it was not one of the more familiar (to Americans) accents like the many accents of London, or any of the northern ones, but English nonetheless. Berkshire I think. (Speaking of English physicists with less familiar accents, also listen to Dirac. He had a rhotic West Country accent, also less familiar to Americans.)
He dose'nt
@@remlatzargonix1329 I have lived in Germany for years, and been to London at least three times.
I'm just reporting what I hear.
Perhaps you are the one with the incapacitation.
From here on, things went terribly wrong in Physics: "If you could calculate something, then the problem was solved" (they thought). Amazingly naive! They were not trying to find a physical explanation at all. Bethe & Dyson seem nice gents to me, but they really took the wrong exit.
Long live democratic socialism and freedom