The Feynman Lectures on Physics including Feynman's Tips on Physics: The… (udgave 2005)

I have the boxed set, Volume I & II. Volume two is tough going, but I truly love that I now know how the world works at a much deeper level. ( )

This book Provides some wonderful and accessible explanations. This is not a good standalone physics textbook but a great accompaniment to one. ( )

Simply the best text for lower-division college physics ever. Feynman's lectures are the most lucid expositions known to man. ( )

This review applies to all three volumes of the Feynman Lectures on Physics.

According to the preface (original edition, 1964) these lectures were an experiment in physics teaching. Some think they were very successful, others think they tried to teach too much, too soon, since many of the freshman students were lost in the presentation of relativity and quantum mechanics. However the form in which the material was presented (Feynman's style of teaching) was an undeniable success. These seven aspects of the presentation seem to be the basis:

(1) Feynman presents the intuitive thinking behind the discovery of each fundamental result so that the students can 'discover' it for themselves.
(2) He distinguishes between what definitions, notations, etc. come from physical reality and which come from convenience or historical development.
(3) He does not pretend that physics 'knows everything'. If the answers to some questions are not yet known, he admits that.
(4) He thinks in advance of the misunderstandings the students may have and discusses them as he lectures.
(5) He gives numerous examples of the calculations or operations behind each basic step in applying the result.
(6) He explains in detail the relation of the subject under discussion to other fields of physics.
(7) He gives applications of the results to problems of current interest in sufficient detail so the student can fully understand the connection of ideas to fields in which physics is applied.

The description of the conservation of energy in terms of the story of the 28 blocks is a pedagogical masterpiece and the explanation of entropy in terms of the ratchet and pawl is another. Progressing from two state systems to crystal lattices to continious functions is a very effective method of introducing Schroedinger's equation.

I am generally familiar with the material in these three volumes by means of courses taken 5 or 6 decades ago, plus subsequent reading of scientific literature and some more recent texts. Nevertheless I found the interpretation and description of the relations of the various fields of theoretical and applied physics to be very informative. For example, tha analogy of vortex lines in hydrodynamics to the magnetic field lines in electrodynamics would have been very useful in studying magneto hydrodynamics and this analogy may be useful in the future study of electrodynamic vortices.

The explanation of refraction follows a line which could be regarded as a special case of the Ewald-Oseen extinction theorem, usually taught only in advanced optics courses. Under the heading of the disintegration of positronium, Feynman gives a lucid explanation of what is now called quantum entanglement. In a discussion of the vector potential, he gives a clear explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm effect and its significance for quantum theories. This effect also appears in a discussion of the double Josephson junction.

In the epilogue, which is addressed to the students, he says
"I wanted to give you some appreciation of the wonderful world and the physicists's way of looking at it, which, I believe, is a major part of the true culture of modern times. ... it is even possible that you may want to join in the greatest adventure that the human mind has ever begun." The search for reality is indeed the greatest adventure.

Anyone involved in teaching physics should be familiar with these lectures. ( )

The Feynman Lectures on Physics: The Definitive and Extended Edition by Richard P. Feynman (2005)