Paul Dirac
Predicted antimatter and formulated Dirac equation
Most quoted
"The underlying physical laws necessary for the mathematical theory of a large part of physics and the whole of chemistry are thus completely known, and the difficulty is only that the exact application of these laws leads to equations much too complicated to be soluble. It is the purpose of theoretical physics to show that it is possible to derive, from these equations, the properties of the actual world."
— from Proceedings of the Royal Society, 1929
"The methods of progress in theoretical physics have undergone a vast change during the present century. The classical tradition has been to consider the world to be an association of observable objects (particles, fluids, fields, etc.) moving about according to definite laws of force, so that one could form a mental picture in space and time of the whole scheme."
— from Quantised Singularities in the Electromagnetic Field, 1931
"The most powerful method of advance that can be suggested at present is to employ all the resources of pure mathematics in attempts to perfect and generalise the mathematical formalism that forms the existing basis of theoretical physics, and after each success in this direction, to try to interpret the new mathematical features in terms of physical entities."
— from Quantised Singularities in the Electromagnetic Field, 1931
All quotes by Paul Dirac (692)
The value of a scientific theory is not to be judged by its agreement with experiment, but by its internal consistency and mathematical beauty.
I don't understand why people are so afraid of new ideas. I'm not afraid of new ideas.
The physicist's job is to find the laws of nature, and the mathematician's job is to find the laws of mathematics. But the two are very closely related.
The most important thing is to have a good idea, and then to work on it with all your might.
I have always been interested in the fundamental laws of nature, and I have always tried to express them in a mathematical form.
The laws of nature should be expressed in terms of beautiful mathematics.
The theory of quantum mechanics is a very strange theory, but it is a very successful theory.
One should not try to explain everything. Some things are just given.
I have always tried to make my theories as simple as possible, but not simpler.
The laws of nature are expressed in terms of mathematics, and the more beautiful the mathematics, the more likely it is to be correct.
In science, one tries to tell people, in such a way that they understand, something that nobody knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite.
I was taught that one should not put into a scientific paper anything that is not well-established. It is better to be clear than to be right.
A theory with mathematical beauty is more likely to be correct than an ugly theory that fits some experimental data.
I have had my solutions for some time, but I do not know how to get to them.
I don't understand why people are so surprised that I don't talk much. I have nothing to say.
The most important thing is to make a theory that is beautiful.
I do not see why one should be so surprised that I do not talk. I have nothing to say.
It seems that the main object of physical science is not the provision of pictures, but the formulation of laws governing phenomena and the application of these laws to the discovery of new phenomena.
The world is not as simple as we would like it to be.
I was not interested in politics. I was interested in physics.
Contemporaries of Paul Dirac
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Paul Dirac (1902–1984).