[Feynman, Richard P.]

DOCUMENTS RELATING TO RICHARD FEYNMAN'S DOMINATING PERFORMANCES IN HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE MATH COMPETITIONS

Richard Feynman's mathematical abilities were clear even in his early adolescence. For example, in a letter to his father being offered in this sale (Lot 29), Feynman credits his father with teaching him both the Pythagorean theorem and the geometric derivation of π as a young child. By high school and college, Feynman's extraordinary talents would be clear to most everyone.

Feynman's biographer, James Gleick, says of the Putnam Competition that, "Feynman learned later that the scorers had been astounded by the gap between his result and the next four" (Gleick, Genius, p. 83). As the most prestigious undergraduate mathematics competition in North America — and one in which many entrants fail to solve a single problem — this is quite a feat.

One of the other Fellows whom Feynman bested in 1939, William Nierenberg, would also go on to work on the Manhattan Project. In addition, at least three Fields Medalists and one other Nobel Prize winner, Kenneth Wilson, have also been Putnam Fellows.

RELATED LOT:

See Lot 28, a letter from Richard Feynman to Melville Feynman, telling his father how he fostered his love of science

REFERENCES:

Gleick, James. Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman. New York: Vintage, 1992, p. 83.