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Peter Higgs

Peter Higgs Quotes

Physicist

Peter Higgs is a renowned physicist born on May 29, 1929, in Scotland, United Kingdom. He is best known for his work on the Higgs mechanism, which explains how particles acquire mass. Higgs's contributions have been revolutionary in the field of particle physics, leading to the discovery of the Higgs boson.

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Famous Peter Higgs Quotes

“When you look at a vacuum in a quantum theory of fields, it isn't exactly nothing.”

Looks Fields Theory Quantum Vacuums Quantum Theory

Author:Peter Higgs

“There is a sort of mythology that grows up about what happened, which is different from what really did happen.”

Different Happens Grows Growing Up Happened Mythology

Author:Peter Higgs

“Nobody else took what I was doing seriously, so nobody would want to work with me. I was thought to be a bit eccentric and maybe cranky.”

Want Bits Eccentric Cranky

Author:Peter Higgs

“The model I came up with in 1964 is just the invention of a rather strange sort of medium that looks the same in all directions and produces a kind of refraction that is a little bit more complicated than that of light in glass or water.”

Looks Kind Littles Light Bits Water Produce Strange Little Bit Models Glasses Complicated Invention Mediums

Author:Peter Higgs

“If the U.K. were threatening to withdraw from Europe, I would certainly want Scotland to be out of that.”

Ifs Want Europe Scotland Threatening

Author:Peter Higgs

“That name was a kind of joke, and not a very good one. An author, Leon Lederman, wanted to call it 'that goddamn particle' because it was clear it was going to be a tough job finding it experimentally. His editor wouldn't have that, and he said 'okay, call it the God particle', and the editor accepted it. I don't think he should've have done, because it's so misleading.”

Thinking Should Kind Said Done Wanted Jobs Names Clear Findings Jokes Tough Okay Very Good Accepted Editors Particles Mislead Leon

Author:Peter Higgs

“I never expected this to happen in my lifetime and shall be asking my family to put some champagne in the fridge.”

Happens My Family Asking Lifetime Expected Champagne Fridges

Author:Peter Higgs

“This summer I have discovered something totally useless.”

Author:Peter Higgs

“The way that the background fields generates mass is rather like the way in which when light passes through a transparent medium like glass or water, it gets slowed down. It no longer travels with the fundamental velocity of light c. And that's the way to think of the generation of mass.”

Thinking Way Light Water Generations Fields Mass Fundamentals Glasses Backgrounds Mediums Transparent Velocity

Author:Peter Higgs

“I would send back a statement: ‘None.’”

Author:Peter Higgs

“Fundamentalism is another problem. I mean, Dawkins in a way is almost a fundamentalist himself, of another kind.”

Way Kind Mean Problem Fundamentalism Fundamentalist

Author:Peter Higgs

“My recollection of the higher school certificate, which involved a practical exam in physics, was being confronted with an experiment involving a sort of barometer arrangement, wondering why I couldn't make it work.”

School Wonder Higher Involved Physics Practicals Experiments Arrangements Involving Recollection Exam Certificates Barometer

Author:Peter Higgs

“I was an embarrassment to the department when they did research assessment exercises. A message would go round the department: 'Please give a list of your recent publications.' And I would send back a statement: 'None.'”

Giving Exercise Please Messages Research Rounds Lists Statements Department Embarrassment Publication Assessment

Author:Peter Higgs

About the Author

Born: May 29, 1929
Known for: Physicist
Quotes: 13

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