Feynman diagrams revolutionized theoretical physics
Feynman diagram
Feynman diagrams revolutionized theoretical physics
Feynman diagrams are a pictorial representation of mathematical expressions describing particle interactions. They simplify complex calculations in quantum field theory. David Kaiser notes their increasing use since the mid-20th century.
Example
A Feynman diagram representing electron-electron scattering shows two incoming electrons, an intermediate photon, and two outgoing electrons.
Remember this
Feynman diagrams make abstract particle physics calculations more accessible.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Related concepts
Virtual particle
Why do particles sometimes pop in and out of existence?
Path integral formulation
Feynman showed a particle takes all possible paths simultaneously
Renormalization group
Renormalization group (RG) explains physics changes with observation scale
Richard Feynman's diagrams turned quantum field theory calculations from intractable algebra into picture-bookkeeping
How can a complex quantum world be simplified?
Quark
Why can't you see tiny particles called quarks?
Davisson–Germer experiment
Did light behave like waves or particles? Imagine trying to understand a mysterious shadow
Swipe through more Physics concepts
Open Pocket Polymath