ANTIMATTER AND H N TI - U NIV E R S E S
DIRAC AND
NEWTON
Historians of science seeking to understand the origins of how Dirac
came up with his revolutionary equation and the concept of antimatter have often compared him to Newton. Strangely, Newton and Dirac
share a number of similarities. Both were in their twenties when they
did their seminal work at Cambridge University, both were masters of
mathematics, and both shared another stark characteristic: a total lack
of social skills, to the point of pathology. Both were notorious for their
inability to engage in small talk and simple social graces. Painfully
shy, Dirac would never say anything unless asked directly, and then he
would reply "yes," or "no," or "I don't know."
Dirac was also extremely modest and detested publicity. When he
was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, he seriously considered turning it down because of the notoriety and trouble that it would generate. But when it was pointed out to him that rejecting the Nobel Prize
would generate even more publicity he decided to accept it.
Volumes have been written about Newton's peculiar personality,
with hypotheses ranging from mercury poisoning to mental illness.
But recently a new theory has been proposed by Cambridge psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen that might explain both Newton's and Dirac's
strange personalities. Baron-Cohen claims that they both probably suffered from Asperger's syndrome, which is akin to autism, like the idiot
savant in the movie Rain Man. Individuals suffering from Asperger's
are notoriously reticent, socially awkward, and sometimes blessed
with enormous calculational ability, but unlike autistic individuals
they are functional in society and can hold productive jobs. If this theory is true, then perhaps the miraculous calculational power of Newton and Dirac came at a price, being socially apart from the rest of
humanity.
DIRAC AND
NEWTON
Historians of science seeking to understand the origins of how Dirac
came up with his revolutionary equation and the concept of antimatter have often compared him to Newton. Strangely, Newton and Dirac
share a number of similarities. Both were in their twenties when they
did their seminal work at Cambridge University, both were masters of
mathematics, and both shared another stark characteristic: a total lack
of social skills, to the point of pathology. Both were notorious for their
inability to engage in small talk and simple social graces. Painfully
shy, Dirac would never say anything unless asked directly, and then he
would reply "yes," or "no," or "I don't know."
Dirac was also extremely modest and detested publicity. When he
was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, he seriously considered turning it down because of the notoriety and trouble that it would generate. But when it was pointed out to him that rejecting the Nobel Prize
would generate even more publicity he decided to accept it.
Volumes have been written about Newton's peculiar personality,
with hypotheses ranging from mercury poisoning to mental illness.
But recently a new theory has been proposed by Cambridge psychologist Simon Baron-Cohen that might explain both Newton's and Dirac's
strange personalities. Baron-Cohen claims that they both probably suffered from Asperger's syndrome, which is akin to autism, like the idiot
savant in the movie Rain Man. Individuals suffering from Asperger's
are notoriously reticent, socially awkward, and sometimes blessed
with enormous calculational ability, but unlike autistic individuals
they are functional in society and can hold productive jobs. If this theory is true, then perhaps the miraculous calculational power of Newton and Dirac came at a price, being socially apart from the rest of
humanity.