Freeman John Dyson FRS (born December 15, 1923) is an English-born American[5][6] theoretical physicist andmathematician, famous for his work in quantum electrodynamics, solid-state physics, astronomy and nuclear engineering. Dyson is a member of the Board of Sponsors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.[7]
Contents
[hide]Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Born at Crowthorne in Berkshire, Dyson is the son of the English composer George Dyson, who was later knighted. His mother had a law degree, but after Dyson was born she worked as a social worker.[8] Although not known to be related to the early 20th-century astronomer Frank Watson Dyson, as a small boy Dyson was aware of him and has credited the popularity of an astronomer sharing his surname as having helped to spark his own interest in science.[citation needed] At the age of five he calculated the number of atoms in the sun.[9] As a child, he showed an interest in large numbers and in the solar system, and was strongly influenced by the book Men of Mathematics byEric Temple Bell.[2]
From 1936 to 1941, Dyson was a Scholar at Winchester College, where his father was Director of Music. On July 25, 1943, he entered the Operational Research Section (ORS) of the Royal Air Force’s Bomber Command,[10] where he developed analytical methods to help the RAF bomb German targets during World War II.[11] After the war, Dyson enrolled in the University of Cambridge, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics.[12] From 1946 to 1949 he was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, occupying rooms just below those of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who would resign his professorship in 1947.[13]