Six Easy Pieces Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher

by Feynman, Richard P.; Leighton, Robert B.; Sands, Matthew

• ISBN13: 9780465025275
• ISBN10: 0465025277
• Edition: 4th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-22
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

The six easiest chapters from Feynman's landmark work, Lectures on Physics-- specifically designed for the general, non-scientist reader.

Author Biography

The late Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) was Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize for his work on the development of quantum field theory. He was also one of the most famous and beloved figures of the twentieth century, both in physics and in the public arena.

Table of Contents

Publisher's Note	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Special Preface	p. xix
Feynman's Preface	p. xxv
Atoms in Motion	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Matter is made of atoms	p. 4
Atomic processes	p. 10
Chemical reactions	p. 15
Basic Physics	p. 23
Introduction	p. 23
Physics before 1920	p. 27
Quantum physics	p. 33
Nuclei and particles	p. 38
The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences	p. 47
Introduction	p. 47
Chemistry	p. 48
Biology	p. 49
Astronomy	p. 59
Geology	p. 61
Psychology	p. 63
How did it get that way?	p. 64
Conservation of Energy	p. 69
What is energy?	p. 69
Gravitational potential energy	p. 72
Kinetic energy	p. 80
Other forms of energy	p. 81
The Theory of Gravitation	p. 89
Planetary motions	p. 89
Kepler's laws	p. 90
Development of dynamics	p. 92
Newton's law of gravitation	p. 94
Universal gravitation	p. 98
Cavendish's experiment	p. 104
What is gravity?	p. 107
Gravity and relativity	p. 112
Quantum Behavior	p. 115
Atomic mechanics	p. 115
An experiment with bullets	p. 117
An experiment with waves	p. 120
An experiment with electrons	p. 122
The interference of electron waves	p. 124
Watching the electrons	p. 127
First principles of quantum mechanics	p. 133
The uncertainty principle	p. 136
Index	p. 139
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.