Book Description
This revised edition of Feynman’s legendary lectures includes extensive corrections Feynman and his colleagues received and Caltech approved. This boxed set provides Volumes 1-3 together with Feynman’s Tips on Physics making this the complete and definitive set of The Feynman Lectures on Physics.
For all readers interested in physics.
Customer Reviews:
Surpassed my expectations!.......2007-09-29
I could go over and over about the exceptional quality of the content presented in the Feynman Lectures, but I think millions of readers have already taken care of that. So I'm gonna focus on something that really distinguishes this edition from the others (besides, of course, all the corrections made to the previous editions): the physical characteristics of the books.
I was impressed at the quality of this collection. The books are all covered with a smooth red fabric wich really gives them a sophisticated look. They will look great anywhere. I placed my collection on the top of a shelf and I gotta tell you, that big red box really stands out.
The books are somewhat big and heavy, but that doesn't interferes with a confortable reading. You're not gonna have to place it on a table while reading it.
Now, I know this review may have sounded quite futile (why the hell is this fellow talking about how the book looks!?), but since everyone knows about how great and enlightening the Lectures are, I thougt I'd go on about some details that rather we admmit it or not, we care about.
So this is it: these books are beautiful, provide a comfortable reading, and they're THE FEYNMAN LECTURES ON PHYSICS!
open your mind.......2007-07-30
I wasn't a natural in math or physics, but I was interested in learning more than one might learn at a junior college's first year physics program. And so I bought these books.
Feynman has a very interesting way of looking at things. Sometimes it is so unique that it opened my eyes to a whole different way of seeing problems presented in a more traditional fashion. A real conceptual eye-opener. And for this alone, the books are worth it. He also makes you want to learn more, by giving you a taste of things to come.
At other times, he is frustrating because he has a way of seeing that I couldn't understand. Maybe more mathematical than conceptual, but that wouldn't quite capture it. Sometimes he just presents things as straight forward that really aren't.
He's also sort of funny, in a strange way. It seemed like he was jealous of Einstein's discoveries -- like they were too easy for all the fame they gave the man. You can tell he's proud of his own intelligence.
But his comments on relativity, along with some other sources, helped me understand some key points. Like the principles that Einstein held inviolate, leading to his surprising conclusions. Or that objects travel to minimize their "proper time" in space time -- which you'd never hear in any other 1st year book. Stuff like that make these lectures great.
As others have commented, this should be a companion to a traditional text book, not a replacement.
A graduate students point of view........2007-07-04
Physics Majors!, spend the money on these books, but not until you are 1/2 way through a calculus based physics introduction, at least at the level of H R & Walkers's "Fundamentals of Physics." I agree with many other reviewers, these are not the best books from which to initially learn the subject. But I truly wish that I had read these when I was first studying Quantum Mechanics & Electrodynamics from Griffiths' and Mechanics from Marion & Thornton.
Feynman is most helpful by putting things in perspective and speaking to the aspiring physicist in you. By reading Feynman, you can get a better sense of how to ask questions about physics. As a graduate student, I really appreciate *how* Feynman teaches, I believe reading these can make anyone a better physics lecturer. There is a lot of material, don't be afraid to pick and choose. I highly recommend the chapters on optics in Vol 1. Between reading Feynman as an undergrad and Landau as a graduate student, all of the aspiring physicists out there should be set.
How does each electron pass through two slits at the same time? It must move discontinuously........2007-05-27
In this book, Feynman uses more than twenty pages to discuss the mysterious double-slit experiment. He regards it as "a phenomenon which is impossible, absolutely impossible, to explain in any classical way." His analysis implies that each single electron must pass through two slits at the same time. But how in hell does a single electron pass through two slits? Feynman provides no answer. In fact, it seems evident that the single electron can only pass through the two slits in a discontinuous way. Therefore, its motion must be not continuous but discontinuous. Such discontinuous motion is imaginable and comprehensible. It has actually been lucidly expounded in a recent book Quantum Motion - Unveiling the Mysterious Quantum World. A more popular introduction God Does Play Dice with the Universe can be found at my name (i.e. [..]).
Once we realize that motion is discontinuous and random in reality, we may finally understand the mysterious quantum world, where an electron can pass through two slits at the same time. Even Feynman might be satisfied with this answer.
The classic Feynman.......2007-05-14
Having undergone an Honours level Physics course, it was extraordinarily enlightening to discover Richard Feynman's view of Physics from these volumes many years later. Some 40 years after they were written, there is a huge value to the student (and past student ) still. Forget the "Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman" etc. These are the ultimate testament to Richard Feynman's understanding of physics and his ability to explain it. Unreservedly recommended to Feynman fans with a bit of Math to help understand it.
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.
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
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.
Customer Reviews:
Learn from the best- con't.......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!
Use with the Feynman Lectures (Red Books) - 3 Volume Set.......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 (ISBN: 0201021153, or even better get the hardcover). If you are learning physics for the first time, you definitely want the books to go along with at the same time.
Audio Volume 3: From Crystal Structure to Magnetism
'The Feynman Lectures on Physics: From Crystal Structure to Magnetism (Feynman Lectures on Physics (Audio))'
Volume II, Chapter 30: The Internal Geometry of Crystals
Volume II, Chapter 32: Refractive Index of Dense Materials
Volume II, Chapter 39: Elastic Materials
Volume II, Chapter 10: Dielectrics
Volume II, Chapter 11: Inside Dielectrics
Volume II, Chapter 34: The Magnetism of Matter
Audio Volume 4: Electrical and Magnetic Behavior
'The Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol. 4 : Electrical and Magnetic Behavior'
Volume III, Chapter 13: Propagation in a Crystal Lattice
Volume III, Chapter 14: Semiconductors
Volume III, Chapter 15: The Independent Particle Approximation
Volume III, Chapter 21: The Schrödinger Equation in a Classical Context: A Seminar on Superconductivity
Volume II, Chapter 35: Paramagnetism and Magnetic Resonance
Volume II, Chapter 36: Ferromagnetism
Thanks to Autodidact Andy for the contents list (taken from his How To List on the cassette versions).
5 Stars for sure but here is a caveat before you buy.......2005-03-05
There is no way you can follow these lectures UNLESS you have the books (R.P Feynman lectures on Physics Vols 1-3) in front of you or maybe you can follow them if you are smarter than RPF himself, which is unlikely (otherwise i'd be reading your book). Anyway, the reason for this is there is a lot of formulae and explaining happening on the black board and RPF talks pretty fast with his sharp brooklyn accent. So, have the book and chapter he is talking about in front of you and pay attention to what he is saying and frequently pause to digest what he has said and you'll appreciate the lectures more. It may not be possible to understand everything he says in his books, let alone in the audio, which makes it difficukt understanding when you are not in possession of his books. But the CD's are a blast to listen to, EXCEPT the people who produced the CD's should be impaled on some sharp object because each CD has ONE track from start to finish. So to go back or skip sections is a real pain.
If you liked the book then try this.............2000-12-07
If you are looking for a laymans' basic physics primer, look somewhere else! If you have a background in the material and are looking for a review or for alternative views of the subject then this is appropriate.
I first read the "Feynman Lectures" (in book form) during the first year of my physics studies. They struck me then, and still do, as offering inspired and inspiring insight from a first class brain.
To hear him speak, after reading so much of his material through the years is a real kick. At first I couldn't imagine how one could hear the lectures without the written material in support. Although I think that this material is in fact best absorbed in conjunction with the written Lectures, yet these tapes are a pleasurable and thoughtful listen all by themself.
Foir the advanced..........2000-03-27
If you order one of the series, go for the more general of the sets. I got one which was extremely good in it's description of the structure of crystals, 'Volume 3 From Crystal Structure of Magnetism', but went into later elaborate detail on formulae, much done on a chalkboard in the longlost 1960's, which left me in the dust...
Book Description
This new volume contains four previously unpublished lectures that Feynman gave to students preparing for exams. With characteristic insight and humor, Feynman discusses topics readers struggle with and offers valuable tips on solving physics problems. Exercises and answers by R. B. Leighton and R. E. Vogt are also included, along with an illuminating memoir by Matthew Sands. For all readers interested in physics.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Leftovers.......2007-09-15
Different parts of this book will appeal to different readers.
There is a lot of information about how the book came to be published, providing insight into Feynman's style.
There are the actual lectures, delivered mostly to students that were having trouble in the physics class, including the observation, mentioned in another review, that half the students have to be below average, even at Cal Tech.
These can help you improve your physical intuition.
There is a lecture on applied physics, covering gyroscopes and accelerometers
in navigation systems.
The numerical coefficients have probably been improved since then,
but the presentation is excellent.
There is also a collection of problems to practice on.
These seemed much better, much more realistic, much more interesting, than those I solved as a physics minor decades ago.
I hope a culinary analogy will help potential readers understand this book.
Yes this book is a bunch of leftovers.
Some chef's leftovers are better than most cooks' best efforts.
Feynman was a master chef in physics.
rummaging to put together one last [?] book by Feynman.......2007-06-04
Sometimes when a prominent author dies, his estate might authorise someone to go through his notes. In the hope of finding unpublished material that is of enough quality to be published. This could necessitate some editorial or extra authorial assistance. Think perhaps of fiction authors. Where final stories trickle out in the years after their deaths.
Precisely the case here. The 2 other authors of this book, Gottlieb and Leighton, have rummaged through Feynman's records, and found these 4 "lost" lectures. In case you're wondering, his 2 children have approved this venture. As perhaps the last new book you are likely to see with Richard Feynman's name on it.
Of the chapters, the most interesting is really the introduction, that describes the circumstances by which the book came about. The actual physics is well done, of course. But this is not one of Feynman's major works. Let's be clear about it. Think of it as marginalia. An addendum to his Lectures on Physics.
The cover's photo shows him as young and in good health. Unlike when I saw him in his last years, ravaged by cancer.
Feynmann on Physics.......2007-05-14
Firstly, ANYTHING by Richard Feynman is compulsive reading. Having said that I was a little bit disappointed because I was expecting some personal tips on his math techniqes. There is an interesting approach to differentiation and some stuff on numerical integration. There is a great deal on gyroscopes. There is a common sense homily to those who have to face the fact that SOMEONE has to be in the lower quartile of a class, and not to get disturbed by this statistical fact. For the few dollars it costs it is well worth it !
Most useful book.......2007-01-11
I found this book extremely useful and enjoyable to read. I suggest reading this book before starting to read Feynman Lectures.
Tips, and much more.......2007-01-03
Feynman is one of my favorite authors, along with scientists like Gould and Dawkins. I own and have read most of his books, including his lectures on physics. I particularly like his way of teaching, and the way he puts explanations at the student's level. I've spent too much time around bellicose instructors who mistook for knowledge a vocabulary full of multi-syllable words and long tortured sentences; Feynman is their antithesis.
Ralph Leighton and Michael A. Gottlieb are co-authors of "Feynman's Tips on Physics." In addition to editorial work associated with assembling Feynman's lectures, Leighton wrote the Forward, and Gottlieb the Introduction. There's also a Memoir by Matthew Sands describing the origins of the Feynman Lectures on Physics. Leighton and Gottlieb hunted for and found the (nearly lost) tapes and photographs and were the ones who negotiated (for about 5 years) with Caltech, the Feynman heirs and Addison-Wesley to arrange the book's execution. They also edited and illustrated the book.
Feynman's lectures in this book had their genesis in his concern, and among scientists and educators at Caltech, regarding the way they were teaching physics. Feynman's lectures in "Tips on Physics" came about as a consequence of Feynman giving additional help to students, particularly those who were having trouble keeping up. There's more to the book than Feynman's lectures, however, including Matt Sands memoir, and exercises in chapter 5.
While Gottlieb and Leighton are co-authors of "Tips," the part I liked best was purely Feynman. My thanks go to them primarily for making Feynman's teachings more accessible through their historical research into archived material. One of the things I like best about Feynman is his sense of humor. Take, for example, this snippet from page 17:
"...we've found a very serious problem [with grading]: no matter how carefully we select the mean, no matter how patiently we make the analysis, when they [the incoming students at Caltech] get here something happens: it always turns out that approximately half of them are below average!"
This was part of Feynman's explanation to the struggling students, explaining that even though they had been the best and brightest in their high schools, when they all came together half of them were going to be below average for the first time in their lives.
I consider "Tips on Physics" to be a good book, but it's probably the book I like least of all those devoted to Feynman's work. I suppose part of the reason is that the book isn't composed in a particularly logical way, and doesn't flow naturally from foundational concepts to derived topics. That's probably due to the circumstances in which the book was written; it's something of a hodgepodge of lectures given to struggling students, combined with material from the other authors in a form that doesn't flow as well as I'd like, with topics bounce around a bit.
Subjects include vectors (adding, subtracting, line, etc.) and the laws of gravity and motion. There are also solved problems that show how to use these various concepts. The end of the book consists of somewhat lengthy and quite interesting discussions about dynamics, including practical uses of gyroscopes and accelerometers. There's interesting practical material here, including the use of gyroscopes in stabilizing various platforms, and navigational systems using gyroscopes and accelerometers (see figure 4-21 on page 116).
The discussions about gyroscopes were the most interesting to me. These devices represent some of the most amazing mechanical inventions/designs of all time. Combined with accelerometers they form a complete navigational system. Such systems were critically important during the cold war, and were closely guarded secrets, since they were essential for targeting and delivery of nuclear weapons - both by intercontinental ballistic missiles as well as bombers. For example, on page 117 the book explains that an error of just 10^-5 g results, after integrating twice over an hour, in a positional error of over half a kilometer. Integrating twice for 10 hours increases the error to 50 kilometers.
Even though this isn't Feynman's best work I enjoyed it very much and consider it well worth reading.
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
Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, Feynman's famous Lectures on Physics, now on CD.
Richard P. Feynman's Lectures on Physics has been known worldwide as a classic resource for students and professionals. Drawn from the source material from which the Lectures on Physics were transcribed, Basic Books is releasing Feynman's original recordings. These CDs are a library of essential physics by a scientific legend.
Customer Reviews:
Contents.......2007-09-18
As other reviewers have stated this series has a few problems. The lectures are 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 (ISBN: 0201021153, or even better get the hardcover). If you are learning physics for the first time, you definitely want the books to go along with at the same time.
Audio Volume 9: Basic Concepts in Classical Physics
The Feynman Lectures on Physics: The Complete Audio Collection, Volume 9
Volume I, Chapter 5: Time and Distance
Volume I, Chapter 11: Vectors
Volume I, Chapter 12: Characteristics of Force
Volume I, Chapter 17: Space-Time
Volume I, Chapter 18: Rotation in Two Dimensions
Volume I, Chapter 22: Algebra
Audio Volume 10: Basic Concepts in Quantum Physics
The Feynman Lectures on Physics: The Complete Audio Collection, Volume 10
Volume III, Chapter 1: Quantum Behavior
Volume III, Chapter 2: The Relation of Wave and Particle Viewpoints
Volume III, Chapter 7: The Dependence of Amplitudes on Time
Volume III, Chapter 8: The Hamiltonian Matrix
Volume III, Chapter 16: The Dependence of Amplitudes on Position
Volume III, Chapter 20: Operators
Thanks to Autodidact Andy for the contents list (taken from his How To List on the cassette versions).
I haven't received the product yet........2007-05-17
I am expecting to receive the product for evaluating it.
Book Description
Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, Feynman's famous Lectures on Physics, now on CD.
Richard P. Feynman's Lectures on Physics has been known worldwide as a classic resource for students and professionals. Drawn from the source material from which the Lectures on Physics were transcribed, Basic Books is releasing Feynman's original recordings. These CDs are a library of essential physics by a scientific legend.
Customer Reviews:
Contents.......2007-09-18
As other reviewers have stated this series has a few problems. 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 (ISBN: 0201021153, or even better get the hardcover). If you are learning physics for the first time, you definitely want the books to go along with at the same time.
Audio Volume 11: Feynman on Science and Vision
The Feynman Lectures on Physics: The Complete Audio Collection: Volume 11 Feynman on Science and Vision
Volume I, Chapter 1: Atoms in Motion
Volume I, Chapter 2: Basic Physics
Volume I, Chapter 3: The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences
Volume I, Chapter 6: Probability
Volume I, Chapter 35: Color Vision
Volume I, Chapter 36: Mechanisms of Seeing
Audio Volume 12: Feynman on Sound
The Feynman Lectures on Physics: Volume 12
Volume I, Chapter 46: Ratchet and Pawl
Volume I, Chapter 47: Sound. The Wave Equation
Volume I, Chapter 48: Beats
Volume I, Chapter 49: Modes
Volume I, Chapter 50: Harmonics
Volume I, Chapter 51: Waves
hanks to Autodidact Andy for the contents list (taken from his How To List on the cassette versions).
Books:
- The Feynman Lectures on Physics including Feynman's Tips on Physics: The Definitive and Extended Edition
- The Fokker-Planck Equation: Methods of Solutions and Applications (Springer Series in Synergetics)
- The History of Mathematics: An Introduction
- The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World
- The Intention Experiment: Using Your Thoughts to Change Your Life and the World
- The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief
- The Life of Isaac Newton (Canto original series)
- The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy
- The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe
- The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next
Books Index
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General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Feynman's Tips on Physics: A Problem-Solving Supplement to the Feynman Lectures on Physics
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter
QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Princeton Science Library)
The Character of Physical Law (Modern Library)
