Richard Feynman’s Perspective on Music and the Art of Learning

A lesser-known fact about the award-winning scientist is that he was a passionate amateur musician.

Professor Richard Feynman pictured with his drums in the "The Big T," California Institute of Technology's 1986 yearbook. Public Domain

In February 1986, theoretical physicist Richard Feynman stood before a presidential commission tasked with uncovering the root cause behind the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, a midair explosion that took the lives of all seven crew members on board just over a minute after liftoff.

Feynman was an integral part of the commission, and the focus of his demonstration that day was the shuttle’s O-rings, a group of circular, rubber components acting as sealants in the shuttle’s rocket boosters. Feynman picked up an O-ring, clamped it, then submerged it in ice water. When he removed it from the water and clamp, the O-ring didn’t re-form to its original shape, showing how low temperatures prevent the gaskets from properly sealing off gasses.