Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman is a very facinating book to me because it is filled with wonderful personal experience about how different people from different fields differ in the way they think and look to the world.This is one funny story from the book:
One time, in 1957, I went to the gravity conference at the university of North Carolina. I was supposed to be an expert in a different field who looks at gravity.
I landed at the airport a day late for the conference, and went out to where the taxies were. I said to the dispatcher,"I would like to go to the University of North Carolina."
"Which do you mean"he said,"the State University of North Carolina at Raleigh, or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?"
Needless to say, I had not the slightest idea."Where are they?" I asked.
"One is north of here, and the other is south of here, about the same distance.
I had nothing with me that showed which one it was, and there was nobody else going to the conference a day late like I was.
That gave me an idea. "Listen,'' I said to the dispatcher "The main meeting began yesterday, so there were a whole lot of guys gonig to the meeting who must have come through here yesterday. Let me describe them to you: They would have their heads kind of in the air, and they would be talking to each other, not paying attention to where they were goning, saying things to each other, like "G-mu-nu. G-mu-nu."
His face lit up. "Ah, yes" he said.'' You mean chapel hill" He called the next taxi waiting in line."take this man to the university at Chapel Hill."
"Thank you," I said, and I went to the conference.
One time, in 1957, I went to the gravity conference at the university of North Carolina. I was supposed to be an expert in a different field who looks at gravity.
I landed at the airport a day late for the conference, and went out to where the taxies were. I said to the dispatcher,"I would like to go to the University of North Carolina."
"Which do you mean"he said,"the State University of North Carolina at Raleigh, or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill?"
Needless to say, I had not the slightest idea."Where are they?" I asked.
"One is north of here, and the other is south of here, about the same distance.
I had nothing with me that showed which one it was, and there was nobody else going to the conference a day late like I was.
That gave me an idea. "Listen,'' I said to the dispatcher "The main meeting began yesterday, so there were a whole lot of guys gonig to the meeting who must have come through here yesterday. Let me describe them to you: They would have their heads kind of in the air, and they would be talking to each other, not paying attention to where they were goning, saying things to each other, like "G-mu-nu. G-mu-nu."
His face lit up. "Ah, yes" he said.'' You mean chapel hill" He called the next taxi waiting in line."take this man to the university at Chapel Hill."
"Thank you," I said, and I went to the conference.
