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The Book That Feynman Used to Teach Himself Calculus
A brief look at the self-taught foundations of 20th century Physics genius
Fourteen-fifteen is the age when most of us are dazzled by romances or movies; I, for some reason, was captivated by the world of gaming. Feynman was captivated by curves and infinitesimals. His father, Melville, a uniform salesman with an unfulfilled passion for science and nature, instilled in Richard a sense of wonder about the natural world.
“He taught me to notice things,”
Feynman later mentions in his memoir, Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman! — like the difference between knowing the name of a bird and understanding its behavior.
His dad used to tell him not just to learn what was in the textbooks, but to ask, “Why?” It was this hunger for “why” that pushed Richard toward Thompson’s unpretentious guide. This wasn’t some dusty academic tome — it was an engineer’s handbook full of practical examples and clear steps. As admirers of science, we often remind ourselves that discovery need not always follow formal corridors. Feynman’s story, and his entire life in general, gives a poking reminder that genuine understanding comes when we take ownership of our learning: fight with mathematical problems ourselves, question every assertion and orthodox beliefs…
