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You and Your Research
16 pages, Unknown Binding
First published March 7, 1986
7 people are currently reading
501 people want to read
About the author
Richard Hamming
13 books138 followersProfessor Richard Wesley Hamming, Ph.D. (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1942; M.S., University of Nebraska, 1939; B.S., University of Chicago in 1937), was a mathematician whose work had many implications for computer science and telecommunications. His contributions include the Hamming code (which makes use of a Hamming matrix), the Hamming window (described in Section 5.8 of his book Digital Filters), Hamming numbers, sphere-packing (or hamming bound) and the Hamming distance.
Hamming was a professor at the University of Louisville during World War II, and left to work on the Manhattan Project in 1945, programming one of the earliest electronic digital computers to calculate the solution to equations provided by the project's physicists. The objective of the program was to discover if the detonation of an atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere. The result of the computation was that this would not occur, and so the United States used the bomb, first in a test in New Mexico, and then twice against Japan. Later, from 1946 to 1976, he worked at the Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he collaborated with Claude Shannon. During this period, he was an Adjunct Professor at the City College of New York, School of Engineering. On July 23, 1976 he moved to the Naval Postgraduate School, where he worked as an Adjunct Professor until 1997, when he became Professor Emeritus. He died a year later in 1998.
He was a founder and president of the Association for Computing Machinery. His philosophy on scientific computing appears as preface to his 1962 book on numerical methods: The purpose of computing is insight, not numbers.
Awards:
Turing Award, Association for Computing Machinery, 1968.
Fellow of the IEEE, 1968.
IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award, 1979.
Member of the National Academy of Engineering, 1980.
Harold Pender Award, University of Pennsylvania, 1981.
IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal, 1988.
Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, 1994.
Basic Research Award, Eduard Rhein Foundation, 1996.
Certificate of Merit, Franklin Institute, 1996
The IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal, named after him, is an award given annually by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), for "exceptional contributions to information sciences, systems and technology", and he was the first recipient of this medal.
Hamming discusses the use and potential of computers in the 1965 film Logic By Machine.
Hamming was a professor at the University of Louisville during World War II, and left to work on the Manhattan Project in 1945, programming one of the earliest electronic digital computers to calculate the solution to equations provided by the project's physicists. The objective of the program was to discover if the detonation of an atomic bomb would ignite the atmosphere. The result of the computation was that this would not occur, and so the United States used the bomb, first in a test in New Mexico, and then twice against Japan. Later, from 1946 to 1976, he worked at the Bell Telephone Laboratories, where he collaborated with Claude Shannon. During this period, he was an Adjunct Professor at the City College of New York, School of Engineering. On July 23, 1976 he moved to the Naval Postgraduate School, where he worked as an Adjunct Professor until 1997, when he became Professor Emeritus. He died a year later in 1998.
He was a founder and president of the Association for Computing Machinery. His philosophy on scientific computing appears as preface to his 1962 book on numerical methods: The purpose of computing is insight, not numbers.
Awards:
Turing Award, Association for Computing Machinery, 1968.
Fellow of the IEEE, 1968.
IEEE Emanuel R. Piore Award, 1979.
Member of the National Academy of Engineering, 1980.
Harold Pender Award, University of Pennsylvania, 1981.
IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal, 1988.
Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery, 1994.
Basic Research Award, Eduard Rhein Foundation, 1996.
Certificate of Merit, Franklin Institute, 1996
The IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal, named after him, is an award given annually by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), for "exceptional contributions to information sciences, systems and technology", and he was the first recipient of this medal.
Hamming discusses the use and potential of computers in the 1965 film Logic By Machine.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 4, 2022
1) A life of accomplishments is better than a life of survival and self amusement
2) You should believe that you CAN do important things. People less intelligent than you have made significant contributions to the world. Luck favors the prepared mind. Put yourself in a position to get "lucky". If luck was a major factor in doing important work, great things would not be done repeatedly by the same people. It would be a great error to depend on luck for the outcome of this one life you have to lead.
3) The difference between having a vision and no having a vision is almost everything. Plan for the future, otherwise you will drift like a drunken sailor & accomplish much less than you could have otherwise.
4) Share your ideas freely. People can critique them or build on them. They are rarely worth hiding.
5) Intellectual investment is like compound interest: the more you do, the more you learn how to do, so the more you can do, ect.
6) Ask larger questions on a regular basis to see the bigger picture of the direction(s) you're headed.
7) If you don't have the freedom to work on what you want to, invest your free time & establish a reputation for excellence. After developing your abilities, you can get paid to practice your expertise. Nobody pays an untrained plumber!
8) Master giving formal presentations, written reports, & informal presentations. Learn to sell your ideas.
9) Educate your bosses, do not complain about it if you wish to swiftly rise through the ranks.
2) You should believe that you CAN do important things. People less intelligent than you have made significant contributions to the world. Luck favors the prepared mind. Put yourself in a position to get "lucky". If luck was a major factor in doing important work, great things would not be done repeatedly by the same people. It would be a great error to depend on luck for the outcome of this one life you have to lead.
3) The difference between having a vision and no having a vision is almost everything. Plan for the future, otherwise you will drift like a drunken sailor & accomplish much less than you could have otherwise.
4) Share your ideas freely. People can critique them or build on them. They are rarely worth hiding.
5) Intellectual investment is like compound interest: the more you do, the more you learn how to do, so the more you can do, ect.
6) Ask larger questions on a regular basis to see the bigger picture of the direction(s) you're headed.
7) If you don't have the freedom to work on what you want to, invest your free time & establish a reputation for excellence. After developing your abilities, you can get paid to practice your expertise. Nobody pays an untrained plumber!
8) Master giving formal presentations, written reports, & informal presentations. Learn to sell your ideas.
9) Educate your bosses, do not complain about it if you wish to swiftly rise through the ranks.
July 14, 2017
''Yes, doing really first-class work, and knowing it, is as good as wine, women and song put together.''
A very rare thing, to see the in-depth thoughts of one cemented so solidly within academia presented so clearly, thoughtfully, and openly; being put in regards to their own work, their surroundings, and how they have learnt to adapt and succeed within these conditions - especially that of the "system".
Overall this seminar was very well structured and conveyed. In particular, I found Hamming's thoughts on the curse of success (primarily the Nobel Prize) to be fascinating. I had never thought of it in this way, although it does make sense. Whilst certain parts may have felt almost like a motivational speech, it overall imparts a tone of what could be achieved through a little bit of elbow grease and hard work. As Hammond puts it: “The value is in the struggle more than it is in the result.” I particularly enjoyed one quote which I am guilty of having done on many occasions: “I used my ego to make myself behave the way I wanted to. I bragged about something so I'd have to perform.” I'm glad that this isn't just me.
A very rare thing, to see the in-depth thoughts of one cemented so solidly within academia presented so clearly, thoughtfully, and openly; being put in regards to their own work, their surroundings, and how they have learnt to adapt and succeed within these conditions - especially that of the "system".
Overall this seminar was very well structured and conveyed. In particular, I found Hamming's thoughts on the curse of success (primarily the Nobel Prize) to be fascinating. I had never thought of it in this way, although it does make sense. Whilst certain parts may have felt almost like a motivational speech, it overall imparts a tone of what could be achieved through a little bit of elbow grease and hard work. As Hammond puts it: “The value is in the struggle more than it is in the result.” I particularly enjoyed one quote which I am guilty of having done on many occasions: “I used my ego to make myself behave the way I wanted to. I bragged about something so I'd have to perform.” I'm glad that this isn't just me.
November 28, 2022
I just finished rereading it. This is by far one of the most important pieces of advice that has made me a better scientist. I keep coming back to it from time to time to reinforce what I last thought was clear.
January 1, 2022
Re-read this for the new year and while there is still a lot of wisdom in here, there are a few things that I find myself disagreeing with more these days. Ignoring your family and working weekends seems like bad advice and despite the amount of time he spends urging the appearance of conformity, his reasoning and nuances feel a bit half baked. That said, I was struck by how consistently he recognised the work of women and ensured his comments related to both sexes, given the time period.
February 17, 2021
I would recommend watching the video of Hamming giving this lecture on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1zDu...
October 8, 2021
I realized that in truth the problem was not just to get the answer; it was to demonstrate for the first time, and beyond question, that I could beat the analog computer on its own ground with a digital machine. I reworked the method of solution, created a theory which was nice and elegant, and changed the way we computed the answer; the results were no different. The published report had an elegant method which was later known for years as "Hamming's Method of Integrating Differential Equations." It is somewhat obsolete now, but for a while it was a very good method. By changing the problem slightly, I did important work rather than trivial work.
The essence of science is cumulative. By changing a problem slightly you can often do great work rather than merely good work. Instead of attacking isolated problems, I made the resolution that I would never again solve an isolated problem except as characteristic of a class.
You can educate your bosses. It's a hard job.
John Tukey almost always dressed very casually. He would go into an important office and it would take a long time before the other fellow realized that this is a first-class man and he had better listen. For a long time John has had to overcome this kind of hostility. It's wasted effort! I didn't say you should conform; I said "The appearance of conforming gets you a long way." If you chose to assert your ego in any number of ways, "I am going to do it my way," you pay a small steady price throughout the whole of your professional career. And this, over a whole lifetime, adds up to an enormous amount of needless trouble.
Somewhere around every seven years make a significant, if not complete, shift in your field. Thus, I shifted from numerical analysis, to hardware, to software, and so on, periodically, because you tend to use up your ideas. When you go to a new field, you have to start over as a baby. You are no longer the big mukity muk and you can start back there and you can start planting those acorns which will become the giant oaks.
The day your vision, what you think needs to be done, is bigger than what you can do single-handedly, then you have to move toward management. And the bigger the vision is, the farther in management you have to go.
August 2, 2023
A short reminder that courage comes from early wins. Celebrate the wins, gain confidence, and keep on solving the problems. Hard work and knowledge are like compounding interest. More knowledge allows you to learn more. Allows you to do great work. Great work involves focus and requires sacrificing time with others (even loved ones). Be supremely selective. About what it is that drives you and commit. Spend more time than anyone else to work on that problem. Pivot when you gain fame for something, so you can soak like a sponge. You may lose out on some long coat tail rewards, but you won’t be distracted to solve other important problems.
Play the Game. Use the System for you. Adopt the system, Adapt the system to your needs, become Adept at using the system. Sometimes wearing the right clothes, changing your perspective and attitude, and not getting angry will help create luck. Choose your battles that show your unique quirks that you don’t mind amplifying.
Courage + Hard Work + Using the System = Greatness
Play the Game. Use the System for you. Adopt the system, Adapt the system to your needs, become Adept at using the system. Sometimes wearing the right clothes, changing your perspective and attitude, and not getting angry will help create luck. Choose your battles that show your unique quirks that you don’t mind amplifying.
Courage + Hard Work + Using the System = Greatness
December 8, 2023
Really short essay, a one night read, about what is different about people who do great (truly great) science. It is a transcription from a talk. It is funny, interesting, and, to be honest, really gets under your skin: "why am I not doing this??" was thought many times.
Many little gems such as "UNIX was not a deliverable" and also some hurtful statements that break all concepts of work-life balance (I wonder what is the truth in these): "if you want a nice life with lots of free time and leisure, you'll have it. But you won't do great science" or "nice guys finish work and go home and do other things, and only continue working the next day".
Many little gems such as "UNIX was not a deliverable" and also some hurtful statements that break all concepts of work-life balance (I wonder what is the truth in these): "if you want a nice life with lots of free time and leisure, you'll have it. But you won't do great science" or "nice guys finish work and go home and do other things, and only continue working the next day".
November 7, 2025
very inspiring, useful, and eye-opening advice! basically, be a genuine and good person, be courageous, be collaborative (doors open vs doors closed), be committed. also I found how he urges people to take advantage of the system and appear to conform interesting. anyone, wish the right mindset, discipline, and dedication can make it!
Read
January 9, 2021"Most people like to believe something is or is not true. Great scientists tolerate ambiguity very well. They believe the theory enough to go ahead; they doubt it enough to notice the errors and faults so they can step forward and create the new replacement theory. If you believe too much you'll never notice the flaws; if you doubt too much you won't get started. It requires a lovely balance."
September 14, 2020
Extremely motivating!!
May 16, 2022
Great inspiration and providing clarity to succeed!
June 11, 2022
Amazing--surprising insights and clearly correct. Worth many re-reads.
November 30, 2024
One of the most transformative essays for life and work
December 31, 2024
I started a tradition where I read this essay every year on December 31 before the new year starts
June 28, 2017
I happened onto this by a chance link from Mr Tyler Cowen, and I have to say I'm very happy I did.
This little gem of a text is littered with worthwhile thoughts and good suggestions on how to improve on one's research -- but there is absolutely no reason why the same cannot be applied in any other fields. It's the meaning behind Mr Hamming's words here rather than the topical application of them which is more important. He also highlights a number of very good practices along with a lot of (fun) anecdotal history that illustrates his points so much better than a drier delivery might have.
I would absolutely recommend this to everyone.
This little gem of a text is littered with worthwhile thoughts and good suggestions on how to improve on one's research -- but there is absolutely no reason why the same cannot be applied in any other fields. It's the meaning behind Mr Hamming's words here rather than the topical application of them which is more important. He also highlights a number of very good practices along with a lot of (fun) anecdotal history that illustrates his points so much better than a drier delivery might have.
I would absolutely recommend this to everyone.
November 23, 2023
You and Your Research
(R. Hamming,1986)
1. Do the work that is significant to you. It’s you who define what is significant.
2.It is not about luck, it’s about consistent work
3.You must believe in yourself that you can do a great work
4. If what you're working on is not an important problem or is not likely going to be important, why work on it?
5. Whatever you do you’re going to do it very well. A strong will to do excellent work
6. Open your door, almost always the guy who works with the close door, usually are very gifted, but they seem to work always in slightly the wrong problem
7. Study success, how they succeed, don’t study failures. It’s a good way to form your style
8. Friday afternoon “great thoughts”, thinking about the nature of your work “What are the important things, what the hell am I doing? What is the fundamental of what am I doing” to avoid getting nowhere
9.Tolerance of ambiguity. Believe enough that your theory is right but at the same time has doubt on it otherwise you won’t make changes
10.It’s not what you do, it's the way you do it. The style of how you do it makes the difference. Style is important. Make it clear and straightforward so people can understand. Getting it clearer is important
11. Change does not mean progress but progress requires change
12. The unexamined life is not worth living
(R. Hamming,1986)
1. Do the work that is significant to you. It’s you who define what is significant.
2.It is not about luck, it’s about consistent work
3.You must believe in yourself that you can do a great work
4. If what you're working on is not an important problem or is not likely going to be important, why work on it?
5. Whatever you do you’re going to do it very well. A strong will to do excellent work
6. Open your door, almost always the guy who works with the close door, usually are very gifted, but they seem to work always in slightly the wrong problem
7. Study success, how they succeed, don’t study failures. It’s a good way to form your style
8. Friday afternoon “great thoughts”, thinking about the nature of your work “What are the important things, what the hell am I doing? What is the fundamental of what am I doing” to avoid getting nowhere
9.Tolerance of ambiguity. Believe enough that your theory is right but at the same time has doubt on it otherwise you won’t make changes
10.It’s not what you do, it's the way you do it. The style of how you do it makes the difference. Style is important. Make it clear and straightforward so people can understand. Getting it clearer is important
11. Change does not mean progress but progress requires change
12. The unexamined life is not worth living
August 20, 2016
To read and re-read
March 1, 2025
Highly recommended read for those in STEM fields, especially those that intend to push the frontier of human progress and do something that "matters".
November 28, 2025
6 stars.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews