Physicist Richard Feynman (1918-1988) worked at Cal Tech in Pasadena California, a few blocks from where I went to community college (and made famous by the TV show "The Big Bang Theory"). But I did not become aware of him until I read part of his autobiography entitled "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" This refers to an incident in which a dean's wife asks the young professor if he wants cream or lemon in his tea. Unfamiliar with tea etiquette, Feynman replied "I'll have both, thank you"--a faux pas. The title is the lady's response. It was typical of Feynman to use this sort of self-deprecating humor.

    He received a Nobel Prize in 1965, but his theoretical work is only part of his story.

    The book's subtitle is "Adventures of a Curious Character," and curious he was--in both senses of the word. That is, he was an unusual person (the usual meaning of "a curious character,") but he was also curious about everything.

    One of the more amusing sides of his personality was his passion for playing the bongos. In fact, this led to an even more interesting hobby. While he was lecturing in Brazil, he ended up marching in a samba parade playing the frigideira, a percussion instrument that is, essentially, a frying pan.

    He also had a desire to visit Tuva, a part of Russia next to Mongolia. He had seen it on a postage stamp when he was a boy, and he and a friend, Ralph Leighton, sought ways to get there. Because of the relations between Russia and the United States at the time, they were unable to go. Permission to do so arrived the day after he died, and his daughter, Leighton, and other friends took the trip in his honor. Some see his interest in such an obscure place as an allegory for his curiosity about new things.

    Of course, had he not had such an outstanding career in physics, we would not have heard about these other adventures. Aside from the Nobel, he is remembered for the creation of Feynman diagrams, his role in the investigation of the space shuttle Challenger disaster, and pioneering work in quantum computing and nanotechnology.

    Vocabulary: Which word above means:

    1. proper behavior

    2. a kind of symbol

    3. past tense of "seek"

    4. an instrument that is hit to create sound

    5. a simple kind of drum

    6. the ability to make fun of oneself

    7. nickname for The California Institute of Technology

    8. a kind of Brazilian music and dance

    9. a social mistake

    10. not well-known

    ANSWERS: 1. etiquette 2. allegory 3. sought 4. percussion instrument 5. bongos 6. self-deprecating humor 7. Cal Tech 8. samba 9. faux pas 10. obscure