Six Easy Pieces

by Feynman, Richard Phillips; Davies, Paul; Leighton, Robert B.; Sands, Matthew; Leighton, Robert B.

• ISBN13: 9780201408256
• ISBN10: 0201408252
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1996-04-10
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

Richard P. Feynman (19181988) was widely recognized as the most creative physicist of the postWorld War II period. His career was extraordinarily expansive. From his contributions to the development of the atomic bomb a Los Alamos during World War II to his work in quantum electrodynamics, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1965, Feynman was celebrated for his brilliant and irreverent approach to physics.It was Feynman's outrageous and scintillating method of teaching that earned him legendary status among students and professors of physics. From 19611963, Feynman, at the California Institute of Technology, delivered a series of lectures that revolutionized the teaching of physics around the world.Six Easy Pieces,taken from the famousLectures on Physics,represents the most accessible material from this series. In these six chapters, Feynman introduces the general reader to the following topics: atoms, basic physics, the relationship of physics to other topics, energy, gravitation, and quantum force. With his dazzling and inimitable wit, Feynman presents each discussion without equations or technical jargon.Readers will remember howusing ice water and rubberFeynman demonstrated with stunning simplicity to a nationally televised audience the physics of the 1986 Challenger disaster. It is precisely this abilitythe clear and direct illustration of complex theoriesthat made Richard Feynman one of the most distinguished educators in the world. Filled with wonderful examples and clever illustrations,Six Easy Piecesis the ideal introduction to the fundamentals of physics by one of the most admired and accessible scientists of our time.

Table of Contents

Publisher's Note	vii
Introduction	ix
Paul Davies
Special Preface	xix
Feynman's Preface	xxv
Atoms in Motion	1	(22)
Introduction	1	(3)
Matter is made of atoms	4	(6)
Atomic processes	10	(5)
Chemical reactions	15	(8)
Basic Physics	23	(24)
Introduction	23	(4)
Physics before 1920	27	(5)
Quantum physics	32	(6)
Nuclei and particles	38	(9)
The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences	47	(22)
Introduction	47	(1)
Chemistry	48	(1)
Biology	49	(10)
Astronomy	59	(2)
Geology	61	(2)
Psychology	63	(1)
How did it get that way?	64	(5)
Conservation of Energy	69	(20)
What is energy?	69	(3)
Gravitational potential energy	72	(8)
Kinetic energy	80	(1)
Other forms of energy	81	(8)
The Theory of Gravitation	89	(26)
Planetary motions	89	(1)
Kepler's laws	90	(2)
Development of dynamics	92	(2)
Newton's law of gravitation	94	(4)
Universal gravitation	98	(6)
Cavendish's experiment	104	(3)
What is gravity?	107	(5)
Gravity and relativity	112	(3)
Quantum Behavior	115	(24)
Atomic mechanics	115	(2)
An experiment with bullets	117	(3)
An experiment with waves	120	(2)
An experiment with electrons	122	(2)
The interface of electron waves	124	(3)
Watching the electrons	127	(6)
First principles of quantum mechanics	133	(3)
The uncertainty principle	136	(3)
Index	139	(6)
About Richard Feynman	145