Book Description
Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, the first of the complete recordings of Feynman's famous Lectures on Physics, now on CD.
Basic Books is proud to announce the first volumes of the complete audio CD collection of the recorded lectures delivered by the late Richard P. Feynman, lectures originally delivered to his physics students at Caltech and later fashioned by the author into his classic textbook Lectures on Physics. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics to such formidable theories as Einstein's general relativity, superconductivity, and quantum mechanics, Fenyman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight.
Customer Reviews:
Help your kids learn from the best.......2007-01-12
We purchased this series because we checked them out from the library and decided we should own them. The _Feynman Lectures on Physics_ are great resources for you as a parent desiring to impart these concepts. Feynman explains complex ideas through very simple and entertaining stories. ***** These CDs are a "must have" for roadtrips!
Multiple CD's in each volume.......2006-11-06
These lectures are as enjoyable as I found the "Six * pieces" series which have six CD's each.
I delayed this purchase thinking that it had only two CD's covering volumes 1-2.
Finding that it is actually a 12 disc set was a nice surprise. I'll definitely be buying more from this series.
Enojyable and interesting.......2006-06-26
I assume that most people buying this CD are like me, a math-oriented person who won't ever use quantum mechanics on his job, and isn't that interested in knowing every equation or law, but is interested in learning some of the basic ides and getting some intuition about the subject. Surely nobody who needs to *realy* learn quantum mechanics and use it on a daily basis will buy this. It's an audio CD, and you can't learn a subject like that by listening to a CD, you need to see diagrams and work problems. So my review will be from a person with that perspective.
To that end, certain of the CD's have really been very enjoyable. The collection is divided into two sets, "Basic Quantum mechanics" and "Advanced quantyum mechanics." By far, the first CD of each set is the best. I found them extremely interesting and enjoyable.
Here's an example of something very interesting: He discusses how laws of physics are symmetrical under certain changes, like if you translate or rotate. Or if you move at a constant linear velocity. In such cases the results of an experiment will be the same and there's no way to define an "absolute". This seems rather obvious, but it's interesting compared to places where the laws are NOT symmetrical: if you have a constant angular velocity, or you scale an experiment by a constant factor, the results are NOT the same. So the universe can detect absolute angular velocity, and it does have an absolute scale. Then he talks about whether or not the laws of physics are the same if you reflect things. For example, if you were trying to describe to an alien which way was "right" or "left" you come to the surprising realization that there is no simple way to do this without refering to some object that you both have seen, since the ideas of left and right are essentially arbitrary. (Same thing applies to differentiating between the north and south pole.) But, as it turns out, certain phenomena DO differentiate between "left" and "right" and so the universe is NOT symmetrical with respect to reflection. Unless you consider antimatter....
Several of the other CD's unfortunately focus a but on details which the average listener who just is interested in big picture ideas won't be interested in. Also, he writes on a chalk board and sometimes refers to the diagrams he's drawn. Most often he uses words to describe what he's saying, but there are definitely some sections where the person who can't see the chalkboard is at a major disadvantage.
One minor complaint: Although there's a voice over that divides the lecture into sections, announcing the section when a new one starts, there aren't any "tracks" on the CD. It's just one big track. To me, this seemed like a major oversight on the people making the CD's. It would have been easy to make each section a seperate track. So if you take the CD out, and then want to pick up where you left off, you have to ffwd to find your place. Lots of people will be listening in their cars on the way to work, and unless your commute is an hour, this will apply to you. Not a huge deal, but I thought it was an obvious mistake on the production team.
In summary, it's worth it just for the first CD of each set. The other CD's are pretty interesting also, but just be prepared for it to go into a bit more detail than you probably want, and to hear him referring to things he's written on a chalk board that you can't see.
Utterly compelling listening. A tour de force from a true scientific legend........2005-08-12
A fascinating, entertaining and inspirational whirlwind tour through key aspects and phenomena of physics, led by a true scientific legend of the 20th century. Although there are frequent passages of mathematical explanation and equation solving (at a blackboard that you cannot see on audio) the persistent listener is handsomely rewarded for his patience by the qualitative discussions, which are vividly and humourously animated by Feynman in his irresistible and inimitable charismatic style.
(If you really don't want to deal with ANY math, start instead with Feynman's "Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher" which is the purely qualatitive subset of the lecture series. But be warned, you will no doubt get "hooked" on Feynman and - like me - find yourself coming back for the full series.)
Use with the Feynman Lectures (Red Books).......2005-07-29
As other reviewers have stated this series has a few problems. The first is that the audio was copied from audio tapes as one long CD track without partitions which is a huge pain. The lectures are also all jumbled up into "topic areas", and the listener is left to align them to the chapters in the Feynman Lectures on Physics (the sections to which the commentator on the CD's refers are in these books. If you are learning physics for the first time, you definitely want the books to go along with at the same time.
Audio Volume 1: Quantum Mechanics
'Quantum Mechanics (The Feynman Lectures on Physics: The Complete Audio Collection, Volume I)'
Volume I, Chapter 2: Basic Physics
Volume III, Chapter 1: Quantum Behavior
Volume III, Chapter 2: The Relation of Wave and Particle Viewpoints
Volume III, Chapter 3: Probability Amplitudes
Volume III, Chapter 5: Spin One
Volume III, Chapter 6: Spin One-Half
Audio Volume 2: Advanced Quantum Mechanics
'Advanced Quantum Mechanics (The Feynman Lectures on Physics: The Complete Audio Collection, Volume 2)'
Volume I, Chapter 52: Symmetry in Physical Laws
Volume III, Chapter 4: Identical Particles
Volume III, Chapter 12: The Hyperfine Splitting in Hydrogen
Volume III, Chapter 17: Symmetry and Conservation Laws
Volume III, Chapter 19: The Hydrogen Atom and The Periodic Table
Volume III, Chapter 21: The Schrödinger Equation in a Classical Context: A Seminar on Superconductivity
contents from Autodidact Andy
Book Description
Developing a theory that seamlessly combines relativity and quantum mechanics, the most important conceptual breakthroughs in twentieth century physics, has proved to be a difficult and ongoing challenge. This book details how two distinguished physicists and Nobel laureates have explored this theme in two lectures given in Cambridge, England, in 1986 to commemorate the famous British physicist Paul Dirac. Given for nonspecialists and undergraduates, the talks transcribed in Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics focus on the fundamental problems of physics and the present state of our knowledge. Professor Feynman examines the nature of antiparticles, and in particular the relationship between quantum spin and statistics. Professor Weinberg speculates on how Einstein's theory of gravitation might be reconciled with quantum theory in the final law of physics. Highly accessible, deeply thought provoking, this book will appeal to all those interested in the development of modern physics.
Customer Reviews:
Tougher than the Lectures on Physics.......2007-03-21
When I read the lectures on physics, I was hoping to understand the reasoning behind the exclusion principle, and was disappointed to find that RPF felt that this was too complex for undergraduates, so he asked them to take it on faith for the moment.
Here he is talking to a more advanced audience, and explains it - he was right, it's tough. I'm still struggling to understand it, but I have confidence that this is a good book to help.
Recommended.......2007-01-17
From Richard Feynman, with love. Need more to be said? Read it, and read it again. This one can be read all over again once in a while and does not get boring.
Great Lectures. Requires Math Background........2006-02-19
This short book, Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics, offers two lectures: Richard Feynman's The Reason for Antiparticles and Steven Weinberg's Toward the Final Laws of Physics. These two talks comprise the 1986 Dirac Memorial lectures at Cambridge University. Both presentations are cogently structured and make fascinating reading.
The talks were directed at an advanced audience, one that was familiar with quantum mechanics. Unlike many popular presentations by Feynman and Weinberg, these lectures are not suitable for the general layman.
However, these lectures are accessible to a persistent (perhaps, stubborn) layman with a calculus background and a deep interest in particle physics. I am not a physicist, but I did take my share of physics, chemistry, and math courses several decades ago. I encountered Schrodinger's equation in more than one class, but not relativistic quantum mechanics. However, having recently read Bruce Schumm's wonderful review of particle physics (titled Deep Down Things), I was sufficiently motivated to work my way through both Dirac memorial lectures.
Richard Feynman's lecture, The Reason for Antiparticles, is decidedly the more difficult. Feynman first demonstrates that quantum mechanics and relativity together require the existence of antiparticles, and then shows that they also establish the spin-statistics connection. Within a few pages advanced mathematical expressions appear and then persistently stay in the foreground for nearly the entire talk.
Although understanding Feynman's mathematics is critical for a full and deep appreciation of his exposition, with careful, repeated readings the stubborn layman will have sudden moments of enlightenment and can come away with a deeper understanding of antiparticles and spin statistics. For readers engaged in some self-tutorial readings, it may prove helpful to return occasionally to this classic Feynman lecture to qualitatively measure progress. I have no doubt that, on a deeper level, Feynman's lecture will similarly challenge and enlighten physics majors as well.
Steven Weinberg discusses his speculations on the shape of a final underlying theory of particle physics. Initially, his talk is deceptively easy as few mathematical expressions are used. However, about midway a Lagrangian density equation appears, ratcheting the difficulty several notches, as Weinberg considers a theoretical framework based on quantum mechanics and a few symmetry principles, that is also mathematically consistent with the Lagrangian dynamical principle. After discussion of some limitations of the Standard Model, Weinberg concludes his talk with a somewhat mathematical introduction to string theory.
Physics by two of the very best!.......1999-09-25
As usual, the best physics books are short and to the point, as is this one. The two Dirac lectures may serve as a perfectly good mini physics course all by themselves. I always enjoy a Feynman lecture, and this is no exception. He cuts to the chase without sacrificing the plot. But, I must say, in this case the Wienberg lecture is the better of the two. Weinberg's style has a particular grace & beauty about it that gently exposes the aesthetic meaning of the search for a picture of nature.
Two of the best give great insight into fundamentals........1998-11-18
Feynman yet again gives great insight into the laws of physics, this time exploring the reasons for existence of anti-particles, starting from the dirac equation etc.. Plus some really outstanding photographs, that fella Weinberg will be chuffed to have his name mentioned on the book cover!
Amazon.com
Richard Feynman, the rock star of theoretical physics, has left an image that belies his nerdy side. Not many bongo-playing surfer beatniks would have spent hours of their spare time proving Newton's law of elliptical planetary motion using only plane geometry. But Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun shows that the great man did just that. Originally delivered to an introductory physics class at Caltech in 1963, this 76-minute CD and book set contains everything the math-savvy listener needs to savor the pleasures of applied math. Caltech physicist David L. Goodstein and archivist Judith R. Goodstein found the notes and tape amid another professor's papers and set to work making sense of them; unfortunately, photographs of the blackboard drawings didn't survive. The book briefly covers their find and recovery work, then presents the proof as reconstructed--crucial reading if one is to follow the lecture. There's nothing easy about it, as Feynman acknowledges in the lecture:
I am going to give what I will call an elementary demonstration. "Elementary" means that very little is required to know ahead of time in order to understand it, except to have an infinite amount of intelligence.
He means, instead, that he is strictly using geometrical methods to reach his destination, which explains why it was so difficult to reconstruct without his diagrams. His charming Brooklyn accent and good humor show through in this lecture, even if the material is quite a bit drier than his fans might expect. Still, those interested in adding a new dimension to their understanding of this brilliant scientist--and those with a deep interest in Newtonian physics--will find The Motion of Planets Around the Sun a rare and unexpected treat. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
Rescued from obscurity, Feynman's Lost Lecture is a blessing for all Feynman followers. Most know Richard Feynman for the hilarious anecdotes and exploits in his best-selling books "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" But not always obvious in those stories was his brilliance as a pure scientist--one of the century's greatest physicists. With this book and CD, we hear the voice of the great Feynman in all his ingenuity, insight, and acumen for argument. This breathtaking lecture--"The Motion of the Planets Around the Sun"--uses nothing more advanced than high-school geometry to explain why the planets orbit the sun elliptically rather than in perfect circles, and conclusively demonstrates the astonishing fact that has mystified and intrigued thinkers since Newton: Nature obeys mathematics.
David and Judith Goodstein give us a beautifully written short memoir of life with Feynman, provide meticulous commentary on the lecture itself, and relate the exciting story of their effort to chase down one of Feynman's most original and scintillating lectures. David and Judith Goodstein live in Pasadena, California.
Customer Reviews:
If you are a Feynman fan.......2007-09-04
This is a lot of fun -- if. If you are pretty good at mathematical games and have a love for all things Feynman. What makes it work is the CD with Feynman giving the lecture. He goes at the speed of light, but he is always amazing, even when you have no idea what he just said! I can't imagine what it was like for the young folks trying to make sense out of what was going on. But, I bet he inspired them for the rest of their careers. He still does that to people today. If you want a sample of the Feynman magic this is a tough place to start. But do find a way to start.
Feynman's proof of the law of ellipses.......2007-02-04
First we see that planets sweep out equal areas in equal times, following Newton's easy proof. Now to prove that planets move in ellipses. Cut the orbit into infinitesimal, equiangular pieces (as seen from the sun). Each little piece of the orbit corresponds to the velocity vector at that point. Draw a velocity diagram by moving all of these velocity vectors so that they have a common origin point. Obviously, as we move around the orbit, the velocity vector will make one revolution around the origin. In fact, it will trace out a circle, as we shall now prove. The orbit is cut into infinitesimal triangles with equal angles at the sun, so clearly these triangles are similar with a scaling factor r, i.e. an area scaling factor r^2. But time is the same as area, so time also varies as r^2. The change in velocity in one of these pieces is force*time=(1/r^2)*(r^2)=independent of r, so the dv steps in the velocity diagram are all of equal size, and because of the equiangular division they all make equal angles with each other (dv parallel to PS), so the velocity vector does indeed trace out a circle, and the equiangular division of the orbit as seen from the sun translates to an equiangular division of this circle as seen from its center. Of course, the center of the circle is not the origin of the velocity vectors; in particular, the velocity vector going through the center of the circle is the longest velocity vector, so it corresponds to the position on the orbit closest to the sun (as is obvious by the law of equal areas). If we turn the orbit diagram so that this position is straight to the right of the sun, then the longest arrow in the velocity diagram points straight up, since the velocity vector drawn in the orbit diagram will of course be parallel to the tangent to the orbit. When we have advanced a given angle beyond this starting point on the orbit (as seen from the sun), the corresponding velocity vector (i.e. the tangent to the orbit at this point) is found by advancing the same angle in the velocity diagram (as seen from the center of the circle) and connecting this boundary point with the origin of the velocity vectors, and conversely. So the velocity diagram contains complete information about the tangents of the orbit, so it contains complete information about the orbit up to scaling. So the problem becomes: for any velocity diagram, to recreate the orbit. To do this we turn the velocity diagram 90 degrees to the right. To recreate the orbit we must now find a curve that is always perpendicular to the velocity vectors. This can be done as follows. For any point p on the circumference of the velocity diagram circle, draw the line connecting it to the origin O of the velocity vectors and the line connecting it to the center C of the circle. Mark the point P where the perpendicular bisector of Op cuts Cp as a point on the orbit. Now we prove that the orbit generated in this way, as p moves around the circle, is an ellipse (we assume O to be inside the circle; if it was on the boundary the orbit would be a parabola, etc.). The perpendicular bisector cuts the triangle OPp into congruent halves (SAS), making OP=Pp, so CP+OP=CP+Pp=radius of the circle=independent of p, so P traces out an ellipse with foci C and O, and the perpendicular bisector is tangent to this ellipse (because all its other points are outside of the ellipse because they have greater sum of distances to the foci), as required. QED.
Lucid explanation of Feynman's proof of the law of ellipses.......2003-09-11
The book first walks you through the works of Copernicus, Galileo, Brahe and Kepler. Then it gives a brief account of Feynman's life and his work. Then, through numerous diagrams, the authors clearly explain Feynman's ingenious proof of the law of ellipses. Finally, the book presents Feynman's lecture "The Motion of Planets Around the Sun".
It is amazing how Feynman, starting on the lines of Newton, and then not being able to follow Newton's reasoning, devised a different but elegant proof of the law of ellipses.
An Entertaining And Captivating Lecture.......2003-04-04
This Review refers to the paperback edition of Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun with audio CD.
The title of Goodstein's book, Feynman's Lost Lecture, may be a bit misleading in terms of the overall content. The book is, in truth, mainly an explanation of the elliptic patterns performed by the planets, among other things, that an unpublished Feynman lecture originally referred to (although the lecture is included in text and on CD, the lecture is only a fraction of the overall book). Goodstein provides a geometrical means of explaining elliptical patterns that even a non-physicist will find easily comprehensible, especially considering the frequency of companion diagrams. The book also includes a rather unique introduction providing a brief biography of Feynman along with the author's personal experiences related to the well-known physicist. An unexpected, but greatly appreciated, addition is Feynman's original notes regarding his lecture contained in the back of the book.
Feynman's Lost Lecture details how to use geometric proofs to find answers to problems such as the speed of a planet when in motion around the sun and how to prove geometrically that an object is an ellipse. The author properly explains and demonstrates these concepts throughout the book via written and visual examples.
Goodstein presents the topics in such a fashion that the reader can easily try for himself\herself the idea portrayed. This is generally due to a generous selection of diagrams and exemplary situations, which properly convey the ideas that Goodstein presents (although it would probably be much more beneficial if more of the diagrams accompanied Feynman's actual lecture). The main text is also of a form easily understood and more than adequately conveys the topic that the author presents. However, the literary style is slightly lacking - in that it often becomes a bit informal in description and detail.
Overall, the literary shortcomings do not interfere with the author's ability to convey the topic and makes for a rather interesting read. Yet another above-par lecture accompanied by a surprisingly above-par explanation, Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the Sun is more than worth it's price and should be a welcome addition to any reader's (both physicists and non-physicists alike) personal library.
authors create a labour of love for Feynman.......2002-07-22
This book is a labour of love by Judith and David Goodstein for their friend Richard Feynman. I really enjoyed the revelations of the human side of the great physicist, especially the 20 page reminiscene by David Goodstein (a fellow physicist at cal tech) and Feynman's sometimes gruff answers to questions after the lecture. A different view of the human side of Feynman than what you read in "Surely, you're joking". I found the technical side of the book even more rewarding (see next paragraph) but be warned: this is pretty intense geometry and logic - I have a hard time imagining anyone without at least a couple years of post secondary math or physics or engineering following all the arguments.
But if you have the background and patience, it's some pretty cool stuff. Like many folks, I learned planetary dynamics using calculus, not geometry, and so this was my first exposure to the elegant relationship between velocity diagrams and orbits. While Feynman's lecture is somewhat unorganized and not entirely clear, the book does a great job filling in the blanks. There are certainly some rough spots (way too much time on the initial simple properties of ellipses, the argument connecting Kepler's third law to the law of gravitation is not clear, and more) but anyone with sufficient background willing to invest a few hours will be able to get past these minor problems. I kind of like how the pace accelerates to a ridiculous level by the end, leaving you to pretty much work out all the hard details of Rutherford's law of scattering for yourself.
Listen to the lecture, scratch your head wondering "what the heck was that", then read the book and study the arguments, then listen again and feel enlightened.
Book Description
The Feynman Lectures on Physics: Commemorative Issue, Three Volume Set.
- Feynman's effective classroom style remains intact in these volumes, a valuable work by a remarkable educator.
- The volumes are an edited version of Richard Feynman's lectures, taped and transcribed specifically for the books.
- The three volume commemorative issue is either available hardbound and packaged in a specially designed slipcase, or in a paperbound edition.
This three volume work was originally designed for a two-year introductory physics course given at the California Institute of Technology — a course designed to take advantage of readers' increasing mathematical prowess and to provide a more comprehensive view of modern-day physics. It is a rigorous undertaking that resulted in a classic reference work for anyone interested in physics.
Customer Reviews:
It worths.......2007-08-06
The collection is one of the best books available for basic physics nowadays. The commemorative issue is even better. Indispensable for physicists and students with interests in this area
It's not just about physics.......2007-05-25
The joy of these books is not that you learn physics from them. What these books offer is Feynman's contagious wonder about things, his command of the material, and his unique way of presenting complicated ideas from a perspective understandable even to laymen. In the preface, Feynman says that the lectures are "a failure" but that is from the point of view of preparing students to pass examinations. From our point of view, they are THE treasure of Feynman's legacy. It ranks with the greatest science books of all time.
If you aren't that familiar with Feynman, start with Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman. I read that book over and over until I almost have it memorized, funny, profound, and beautiful book. Then Six Easy Pieces presents a few of the less mathematical and more easily understandable lectures. Then for the meat, come here, you won't be disappointed unless you are preparing for a sophomore physics examination.
A must-read for students and professors.......2007-03-13
Intended at students, the feynman lectures in stanford were much attended by researchers. The same holds for the book. It provides a new way to teach physics that has kept its full originality. Not the least, it is highly pedagogical, introducing every new subject step by step. Emphasis is on the physics reasoning more than on the maths. As such, it is a great source of inspiration to physicists and physics teachers.
Too much for me.......2007-02-15
In his Preface, Feynman admits that these lectures were aimed at "the most intelligent students" coming out of high school into Caltech. He also admits that many students had trouble with the content judging from their performance on the examinations and said that his system of lectures is "a failure". I agree with Feynman. These lectures are very hard to understand. Partly the lectures, prepared in early 1960s, suffer from being rather dated. Mostly though this material is presented in a confusing way, with lots of complicated mathematics that often hinders comprehension. I recommend getting a basic college textbook instead (Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Wolfson and Pasachoff is a good choice).
Three Not-So-Easy Pieces.......2007-01-12
If you're a layman looking for a very basic introduction to modern physics, then you should consider the (extremely) abridged version of these works: "Six Easy Pieces." (A classic in its own right.) If, however, you are truly willing to put the requisite time and energy into truly understanding the differences between Relativity Theory, Quantum Mechanics, and Newtonian Physics, then you cannot ask for a better introduction.
After thirty years, Feynman's works are only just now beginning to show their age. The absence of recent developments in Superstring theory, M theory, and other theories that have slightly altered the field is becoming more noticeable, but Feynman's work will remain relevant for quite some time whether we're living in a world of 10 dimensions or 11.
For an equally engaging work on these new theories, you might consider following these volumes with "A First Course in String Theory"by Barton Zwiebach.
Customer Reviews:
A Solid Overview.......2005-07-05
The Feynman Lectures on Statistical Mechanics contain a great deal of very useful information, and each page is full of solid work without bothering too much with unnecessary details. The book also covers all the bases very well, hitting plenty of good examples, such as spin waves, and the obligatory superconductivity chapter is a solid introduction.
My only complaint is that the ordering of the book is a little haphazard. I understand that it is difficult to include quantum and classical statistical mechanics in one continuous run, but the book seems to jump around a bit.
All this considered, the book is probably a must-buy for people interested in statistical physics, as it is one of the better general overview books available (I despise the Reif; it needs to be updated and completely rearranged), and, as an added bonus, you get to see the Onsager solution to the 2-D Ising model. Cheers!
a tremendous book.......2005-02-02
when i was undergrad, i read Prof. Kerson Huang's stat mech. i think that book is good. everything is covered systematically, but everything is explained 'evenly'. if u r a careful reader, u still get the ideas of the essence, like partition function plays the central role of stat mech, etc.
now, i am reading feynman's book. it's totally diff from huang's. it's full of excitement. he put the principle of stat mech which is the relation b/w partition function and probability at the very beginning. all the other aspects in stat mech follow so straight forword and there are endless novel derivations in this book. i feel many of my previous understandings are interconnected by reading this book.
it's simply great, just like the other books written by feynman.
Style over substance........2003-12-30
Feynman was one of the most accomplished physicists in the 2nd half of the 20th century. His publications speak for themselves. However, as represented in this set of lecture notes, I do not find him as a pedagogue more enlightening than others. I bought and read this book in grad school, and found it to be a nice quick intro to several topics (spin waves and such). I did not, and still don't find the exposition physically exceptionally profound. One difference though, is the fact that Feynman, with his fame, could afford to be rather informal in his presentation. Any unsatisfactory aspects would be accepted as the mysterious ways of a 'genius'. If you are a student and would like to learn to solve problems on your own, forget this one. What this book gives you is a little 'attitude', aside from a quick intro, which most of us haven't earned the right to put on, of doing physics. Try it. Try to be as unorthodox and informal as he was, and you will mostly end up with nonsense.
extraordinary Masterpiece!.......2003-01-24
Richard Feynman said:"What I cannot create, I do not understand!". I am really amazed by his unique style of doing physics: he always create anything from scratch, always has his unique point of view, even on an old problem. All I can say about Feynman is Genius!!!
This book is about Feynman's extraordinary viewpoint on statistical mechanics. I can bet that this is an unique S.M book.
but i don't think it's for beginner, I suggest you should finish a standard statistical mechanics course before you read this one.
I can not find suitable words to admire this great book, so I quit here, but in the end, I strongly recommend this book to all physicists, physics-major students!
Statistics that "moos you along".......2002-01-14
A classic by one of the best. I wish I could say I understand
it all, but it rings true in many ways. His famous quote
"I can definitely say that Nobody understands Quantum Mechanics"
is perhaps this biggest "Moo Clue".
Book Description
This collection of review lectures on topics in theoretical high energy physics has few rivals for clarity of exposition and depth of insight. Delivered over the past two decades at the International School of Subnuclear Physics in Erice, Sicily, the lectures help to organize and explain material that a the time existed in a confused state, scattered in the literature. At the time they were given they spread new ideas throughout the physics community and proved very popular as introductions to topics at the frontiers of research.
Customer Reviews:
A wonderful book to supplement one's QFT knowledge.......2003-08-04
This 400-page book contains eight lectures of varying length (some are quite long). The first two are not very useful, but the remainder of the book is wonderful. It covers topics like scale invariance, Callan-Symanzik (RG) equations, renormalization theory (Hepp's theorem), spontaneously broken symmetries, classical and quantum solitons, instantons (in QM and in gauge theories), and 1/N expansion. These are all useful topics and must be understood by those in the field, and yet not all of them are covered by ordinary quantum field theory books like Peskin & Schroeder. The style is very friendly and readable and includes a lot of endnotes, appendices, and references. This book does not "read" like Peskin/Schroeder or Weinberg or Itzykson/Zuber; those books don't read. This one does. The equations are easy to follow and this book showcases the strength of Coleman's pedagogical style. In fact I can vouch that the tone and content of these lectures serves as a close substitue for Coleman's lectures themselves. The topics were all basically developed in the 1970s, and were themselves all quite hot research areas before supersymmetry and string theory revolutionized high-energy physics. However, the majority of this book is not an anachronism -- the renormalization group, spontaneously broken symmetries, solitons, instantons, and 1/N expansion all pervade modern physics.
A Classic.......2003-05-17
Coleman is one of the best field theorists and a great lecturer. His style in both research and lectures can be summarized as "turning obvious into trivial". Every topic is presented in the simplest possible way without loss of deep insights, which makes the book extremely comprehensible. The chapter on instantons is absolutely classic.
unconventional QFT book.......2000-04-13
Many physicists say that Coleman is one of the great field theoriest in time. This is the collection of what he had lectured. Each chapter has own its importance. The advantage of the book is that he avoided the mathematical complication to explain the real physics. It is very unique feature in the QFT books. So you can get the concept of field theory without mathematical jargon which most students hate.
Book Description
Four concise, brilliant lectures on mathematical methods by the Nobel Laureate and quantum pioneer begin with an introduction to visualizing quantum theory through the use of classical mechanics. The remaining lectures build on that idea, examining the possibility of building a relativistic quantum theory on curved surfaces or flat surfaces.
Customer Reviews:
not for beginners.......2007-06-15
If you have 5 books on Quantum mechanics already and are a big fan of Dirac, then this is O.K.
The book is a set of lectures that are not for beginners
( the audience was best and brightest professors at Yeshiva.)
I get the personal feeling that Paul Dirac should have read more Klein on group invariants,
more Weyl on gauge theory, and more Cartan on Lie Algebra theory,
but there is no doubt that he knew what he was talking about
and was the master of field quantization. Just not showing well here...
A must have.......2007-01-17
From the master himself: Paul Dirac. Very sharp, to-the-point and complete overview of the Quantum Theory. But from Dirac's point of view it's an interesting angle to review things.
Has been surpassed.......2003-09-27
My three star review is no criticism of Dirac - after all, he is the pioneer of the theory of Hamiltonians with constraints and as such deserves all the credit that is due. However I would like to redirect you to Henneaux and Teitelboim's book on quantization of gauge systems since they have done much to clarify the mathematics behind the theory and I think give a better introduction to the field than Dirac's dated book.
Quantization.......2003-07-21
The concept of 'quantization' has acquired multiple meanings in mathematical physics, since the foundation of quantum mechanics in the 1920ties. I refer to the papers of Heisenberg, Schrodinger, and Dirac which made precise the variables: states, observables, probabilities, the uncertainty principle, dual variables, and the equations of motion. This was also when the wave-particle question received a more precise mathematical formulation, and resolution. Perhaps best known are the equation of Schrodinger, giving the dynamics of systems of quantum mechanical particles, and Dirac's equation for the electron. All three of the pioneers won the Nobel Prize at a young age;-- Schrodinger was a little older than the other two (Heisenberg and Dirac were both born in 1902.) In 1932, John von Neumann showed, surprisingly at the time, that Schrodinger's formulation is equivalent to Heisenbergs matrix mechanics, and von Neumann turned quantization into a field of mathematics. Von Neumann was a contemporary, but trained in mathemetics. His 1932 book "Mathematical Foundations of Quantum Mechanics" was reprinted by Princeton University Press in 1996. Occasionally the link to the foundations of physics have been missed: Reed and Simon quote Edward Nelson: "First quantization is a mystery, and second quantization is a functor." Dirac's lovely little book represents a set of lectures Dirac gave in 1964 at Yeshiva University, at a time when the great master could take advantage of hindsight. The Dover edition didn't appear until 2001. The clarity of Dirac's presentation is truely compelling (no mystery at all!). Very little background is required on the part of the reader. Dirac begins with the Hamilonian method, and then passes to quantization in terms of physics. The mathematics of quantization on curved (and flat) surfaces is clearly presented in the second part of the book. Dirac's ansatz for relativistic theory is Lorentz invariance, and the equations of motion arise naturally as extensions of the 'classical' theory. The Lorentz-invariant action integrals are central, and Dirac covers the Born-Infeld electrodynamics in the last chapter. In total the book is only 87 pages, but Dirac is the master of effective and consise exposition. He also firmly believed that, as a rule, the beauty of the mathematics involved is a good indication that the equation is right for physics. Readers who enjoy popular books by the pioneers in science might like to check out Schrodinger's "What is Life?" reprinted by Cambridge University Press 2002, with a Preface written by Roger Penrose, and a lovely set of biographical sketches, written by Schrodinger, and translated by his granddaughter Verena. And there is a lovely book edited by Pais, Jacob and Atiyah, "Paul Dirac: The Man and his Work" , Cambridge U Press, 1998. ---Review by Palle Jorgensen, July 2003.
Quantization with constraints- a very advanced text.......2001-12-24
This is a very important book. In it Dirac reviews his modified Hamiltonian formalism, including constraints, so that systems which do not have a proper hamiltonian can be canonically quantized anyway. For Dirac sustains that one only knows how to quantize a system when it has a Hamiltonian. So, if the system doesn't have one, what is a guy to do? He teaches how to generalize the canonical formalism and construct an effective Hamiltonian which is sufficient to do the job. These ideas gave origin to a flow of papers dealing with the matter, and to several good books. Still, Dirac's original lectures are the best introduction, in my opinion. Not to be confused with the famous "Principles of Quantum Mechanics" , the great expository classic. This book I am reviewing is more of a research document.
Book Description
In this book, Robert Wald provides a coherent, pedagogical introduction to the formulation of quantum field theory in curved spacetime. He begins with a treatment of the ordinary one-dimensional quantum harmonic oscillator, progresses through the construction of quantum field theory in flat spacetime to possible constructions of quantum field theory in curved spacetime, and, ultimately, to an algebraic formulation of the theory. In his presentation, Wald disentangles essential features of the theory from inessential ones (such as a particle interpretation) and clarifies relationships between various approaches to the formulation of the theory. He also provides a comprehensive, up-to-date account of the Unruh effect, the Hawking effect, and some of its ramifications. In particular, the subject of black hole thermodynamics, which remains an active area of research, is treated in depth.
This book will be accessible to students and researchers who have had introductory courses in general relativity and quantum field theory, and will be of interest to scientists in general relativity and related fields.
Book Description
Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, Feynman's famous Lectures on Physics, now on CD
Basic Books is proud to announce the next two volumes of the complete audio CD collection of the recorded lectures delivered by the late Richard P. Feynman, lectures originally delivered to his physics students at Caltech and later fashioned by the author into his classic textbook Lectures on Physics. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics through such formidable theories as Einstein's general relativity, superconductivity, and quantum mechanics, Feynman's 111 lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight.
12 CDs: Total playing time: Approx. 12 hours
Customer Reviews:
Rotation, Oscillation and Light.......2007-03-21
just an extension to Alex Morgan's helpful reviews of the first six volumes. (the chapters are split to separate tracks now.)
Audio Volume 7: Feynman on Mechanics
Volume I, Chapter 19: Center of Mass, Moment of Inertia
Volume I, Chapter 20: Rotation in Space
Volume I, Chapter 21: The Harmonic Oscillator
Volume I, Chapter 24: Transients
Volume I, Chapter 25: Linear Systems and Review
Volume I, Chapter 40: The Principles of Statistical Mechanics
Audio Volume 8: Feynman on Light
Volume I, Chapter 26: Optics The Principle of Least Time
Volume I, Chapter 27: Geometrical Optics
Volume I, Chapter 28: Electromagnetic Radiation
Volume I, Chapter 29: Interference
Volume I, Chapter 30: Diffraction
Volume I, Chapter 31: The Origin of the Refractive Index
Good but it was hard to understand........2006-03-16
I found this lecture specifically hard to understand, because it was not design to be hear.
Book Description
The Feynman Lectures on Gravitation are based on notes prepared during a course on gravitational physics that Richard Feynman taught at Caltech during the 1962-63 academic year. For several years prior to these lectures, Feynman thought long and hard about the fundamental problems in gravitational physics, yet he published very little. These lectures represent a useful record of his viewpoints and some of his insights into gravity and its application to cosmology, superstars, wormholes, and gravitational waves at that particular time. The lectures also contain a number of fascinating digressions and asides on the foundations of physics and other issues. Characteristically, Feynman took an untraditional non-geometric approach to gravitation and general relativity based on the underlying quantum aspects of gravity. Hence, these lectures contain a unique pedagogical account of the development of Einstein's general theory of relativity as the inevitable result of the demand for a self-consistent theory of a massless spin-2 field (the graviton) coupled to the energy-momentum tensor of matter. This approach also demonstrates the intimate and fundamental connection between gauge invariance and the principle of equivalence.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating.......2000-04-14
This is a wonderful book which shows how a classical field theory like General Relativity can be derived from a quantum field theory. It also points out the extreme difficulty of accomplishing this in the case of gravity and ending up with a consistent, anomaly free theory.
Readers of this book will benefit from familiarity with both quantum field theory and relativity as well as a certain amount of mathematical sophistication. Don't be fooled by the similarity of title to other "Feynman Lectures on..." because this book is based on an upper level graduate physics course and assumes the background of a typical PhD student in physics.
Deep, complex and difficult going but well worth the effort to see the elegance of the connection between General Relativity and QFT.
General relativity as a quantum gauge field theory........1999-02-06
Feynman gave a series of lectures on gravitation at a graduate seminar at Caltech in 1962. The lectures were recorded and transcribed by Morinigo and Wagner. A very readable introduction on quantum gravity was added by the editor, Brian Hatfield (whose book on quantum field theory and strings, I also recommend.) This is the only book I've seen which develops GR from a quantum field theory point of view. Feynman's lectures show that the GR field equations result from the requirement of gauge invariance under Lorentz transformations for a massless spin-2 field (i.e graviton). This is a more fundamental approach than the usual differential geometric framework and shows what the equivalence principle really means in terms of fundamental symmetries. Highly recommended for a modern field theory viewpoint of GR.
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