Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Feynman diagram
Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics
Images
Feynman diagram Feynman diagram Feynman diagram Feynman diagram
At a Glance
default image
Feynman diagram summary
Quizzes
Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.
Physics and Natural Law
Italian physicist Guglielmo Marconi at work in the wireless room of his yacht Electra, c. 1920.
All About Physics Quiz
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Feynman diagram
Feynman diagram Feynman diagram of the interaction of an electron with the electromagnetic force

The basic vertex (V) shows the emission of a photon (Ξ³) by an electron (eβˆ’).

Feynman diagram

physics
Written by
Christine Sutton
Science writer. Research Associate, Department of Nuclear Physics, University of Oxford. Author of The Particle Connection and Spaceship Neutrino.
Christine Sutton
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Feynman diagram, a graphical method of representing the interactions of elementary particles, invented in the 1940s and ’50s by the American theoretical physicist Richard P. Feynman. Introduced during the development of the theory of quantum electrodynamics as an aid for visualizing and calculating the effects of electromagnetic interactions among electrons and photons, Feynman diagrams are now used to depict all types of particle interactions. A Feynman diagram is a two-dimensional representation in which one axis,...

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile