The Character of Physical Law
"Richard Feynman is one of, if not the, most famous physicists of the latter half of the 20th century. In 1964, at Cornell University, he delivered the famous Messenger Lectures. This book, The Character of Physical Law, sprung from these lectures. In this classic work, Feynman explores the relationship between math and physics, describes the great conservation principles, the puzzle of symmetry in physical law, how to reconcile physical problems that yield infinite results with their manifestations in the natural world, and quantum mechanical views of nature. Feynman's accessible speech and conversational style comes through well in each essay; his simple pencil and paper drawings communicate complex ideas as if one were viewing them on a chalk board. This reissue features a foreword by Nobel Laureate Frank Wilczek, which situates the work within modern scholarship and describes why the book is still relevant today. Although he mentions areas where Feynman's theories need "updating," he points out that Feynman's unorthodox and brilliant way of thinking helped develop the general quantum electrodynamics theory, one of the most precise and accurate theories in physical science. Wilczek concludes with the assertion that this book represents Feynman at "the height of his powers, and that this "is the single best introduction to modern physics, altogether.""
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- On the other hand the books intended to teach physics for lay audience are really good. Feynman had teaching skills.
QED is maybe the best of these. The Character of Physical Law is also good.
- > Curious what your thoughts are on exposing more people to theoretical physics sans popsci buzzword articles?
It's a great thing to try to do; I try to do it myself as a contributor to Physics Forums [1], for example.
I'm not sure how much good books like The Trouble With Physics actually do as far as exposing more people to physics sans popsci, because, while they might point out issues with how speculative research in physics is done, they don't actually teach any physics.
I personally would recommend Feynman's books for the layman, such as QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter or The Character of Physical Law, or Six Easy Pieces (followed by Six Not So Easy Pieces), as ways for people to get at least some exposure to physics without popsci buzzwords. IMO even those books are limited, because you can't really understand physics without actually doing the math and solving some actual problems. But they're still way better than popsci articles (or, for that matter, popsci books like those of Brian Greene or Michio Kaku).
- Feynman's lectures on the character of physical law should be something everyone sees in school.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYPapE-3FRwIn general we look for a new law by the following process: first we guess it, then we compute the consequences of the guess... and then we compare those computation results to experiment. If it disagrees with experiment it is wrong. In that simple statement is the key to science. It doesn't make a difference how beautiful your guess is. It doesn't make a difference how smart you are, who made the guess, or what his name is. If it disagrees with experiment its wrong, that's all there is to it. Notice however that we never prove it right... In the future there could be a wider range of experiments, or you could compute a wider range of consequences, and you may discover then that the thing is wrong. That's why laws like Newton's laws for the motions of planets last such a long time... It took several hundred years before the slight error in the motion of Mercury was developed. - I think it would depend on what you’re into, but these are my picks:
Quantum Electrodynamics (Feynman): A summary of how almost EVERYTHING works (albeit explained simplistically).
Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger (great insights / worldly wisdom from one of the world’s greatest investors).
The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life
The Princeton Companion to Mathematics (Great overview of mathematics).
Quantum Mechanics: Concepts and Applications (Great QM book).
Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization (Great leadership / management insights).
Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (An extremely simplified historical overview of how we got here).
The Book of Disquiet (Serpent's Tail Classics) (Random journaling from one of the world’s greatest prose writers: Fernando Pessoa).
Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (Excellent explanation on how computers work from bottom -> top).
The Machinery of Life (Includes excellent visuals in biology).
The Character of Physical Law (Great insights in physics by Feynman).
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement (Great book on business process improvement).
How to Win Friends & Influence People (Nothing groundbreaking, but still a worthy read).
Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming (Great info and insights from some of the greatest software developers of all time).
The Periodic Table (Great read and some of the greatest prose writing you’ll ever encounter).
- The author recommends some interesting popular books:
1. The Feynman Lectures on Physics
2. The Character of Physical Law by Richard Feynman
3. Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics by Bruce Schumm
4. The Particle Odyssey by Frank Close
5. Weinberg's The First Three Minutes
IMO someone who seriously wants to learn physics should read these books after they have gone through the typical undergraduate university books (classical, E&M, quantum, stat-mech, etc.) I would not recommend reading popular books until after you already understand the basic ideas of physics. Popular science books are like dessert.
- To be more clear, the lecture series you are talking about is called "The Character of Physical Law" and is not the same content that one would get from reading "The Feynman Lectures on Physics", which is a rigorous course in most of undergraduate physics. But I highly recommend the "Character" series. Just wanted to avoid having people think they're the same thing.
