Part 2: The Amateur Scientist Summary and Analysis

As a child, Feynman likes to play in his "lab." He does not do much in the way of actual experiments, but he likes to play around with the equipment and observe nature in a disorganized fashion.

When observing the behavior of paramecia under a microscope, he notices the paramecia do not act in a way that is as simple or one-dimensional as he has been led to believe in textbooks. He thinks a lot may be lost by oversimplifying the behavior of the paramecia into something easy for the observer to understand, but may or may not be accurate.

He also enjoys observing insects, and this fascination follows him into adulthood. While at Princeton, Feynman studies ants—not as a part of his professional research, but merely for recreation. He is fascinated by...