Richard P. Feynman’s Oersted Medal.

[FEYNMAN, Richard P.].

Item Number: 125373

Richard P. Feynman’s Oersted Medal, awarded to him in 1972. Sterling silver, the medal features a relief portrait of Oersted demonstrating an experiment and reads on the reverse, “American Association of Physics Teachers For Notable Contributions to the Teachings of Physics Awarded to Richard P. Feynman.” Established in 1936 the Oersted Medal recognizes notable contributions to the teaching of physics and is the American Association of Physics Teachers’ most prestigious award. Named after Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted who discovered that electric currents create magnetic fields, well-known recipients of the award include Nobel laureates Robert Andrews Millikan and  Edward M. Purcell as well as Frank Oppenheimer, Robert Resnick, Carl Sagan, Freeman Dyson, and Daniel Kleppner. In fine condition. The medal measures 2 inches in diameter. Housed in a custom velvet-lined clamshell case.

Of the numerous awards conferred upon Feynman throughout his career, including his Nobel Prize in Physics, he was most proud of the Oersted Medal, awarded by the American Association of Physics Teachers for notable contributions to the teaching of physics. The Feynman Lectures on Physics, transcribed from his undergraduate lectures at Caltech from 1961-64 stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight. “Feynman was a remarkably effective educator. The Feynman Lectures on Physics were described by a reviewer on Scientific American as ‘tough, but nourishing and full of flavor... about 80 percent [of Feynman’s 1961-63 class] recall Feynman’s lectures as highlights of their college years. ‘It was like going to church.’ The lectures were a transformational experience ,‘the experience of a lifetime’” (Kip Thorne, Introduction to The Feynman Lectures on Physics, sixth edition).