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 physicist's problem is to find a mathematical scheme which describes the experimental results.
I don't like to talk about myself.
The most powerful method of advance that can be used is to employ all the resources of pure mathematics in the elucidation of problems, and then to apply the results to the interpretation of nature.
It seems to be one of the fundamental features of nature that fundamental physical laws are expressed in terms of a mathematical theory of great beauty and power, a theory which has to be developed by mathematicians with a a view to its applications in the physical world.
The research worker, in his efforts to express the fundamental laws of Nature in mathematical form, should strive mainly for mathematical beauty. It often happens that the requirements of simplicity and beauty are the same, but where they clash the latter must take precedence.
One does not discover new principles by being a good boy, but by making a mess.
God is a mathematician of a very high order and He used very advanced mathematics in constructing the universe.
The world is a much more wonderful place than we are able to comprehend.
I was taught at school never to start a sentence with 'and' or 'but'.
The great advances in physics have come about through the application of mathematics to physical problems.
The physicist's aim is to find the laws of nature, and to express them in mathematical form.
The most important thing for a physicist is to have a good sense of beauty.
It is not the job of the physicist to question the existence of God, but to find the laws of nature.
The laws of nature are expressed in terms of mathematical equations, and these equations are beautiful.
The aim of science is to make the world comprehensible.
The physicist's task is to understand the universe, and to express that understanding in mathematical form.
The value of a scientific theory is not in its ability to explain everything, but in its ability to predict new phenomena.
The most important thing in science is not to get the right answer, but to ask the right question.
The laws of nature are not arbitrary, but are dictated by mathematical beauty.
The human mind is not capable of comprehending the full beauty of the universe.
Contemporaries of Paul Dirac
Other Physicss born within 50 years of Paul Dirac (1902–1984).