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This revised edition of Feynman’s legendary lectures includes extensive corrections Feynman and his colleagues received and Caltech approved, making this the definitive edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics. For all readers interested in physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol 1
Vol2 was ordered but Vol 1 was delivered.I decided to keep Vol 1 and place a new order for Vol 2.

Vol 1 was in excellent as-new condition and was the required edition.Delivery was as advertised. ... Read more

Product 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.

Customer Reviews (99)

provides phenomenal insight
These books examine almost everything worthy of note in intermediate (where calculus 3 is assumed) physics by presenting concepts and calculations using the most fascinating applications thereof. It is practically a compendium of astonishing results that are given the greatest possible clarity with expertly planned verbal explanations; indeed, even if you lack the math skills mentioned above you may well become enchanted and informed by these expertly presented physics topics.
However, a few points require mention:

1. These books are for students that want to UNDERSTAND how the physics works, rather than just applying a formula some book says is applicable in a given context during a physics exam. (there is a large difference!)

2. These books do not contain enough problems to fortify the physics calculations, but they do excellently illustrate the essential concepts needed to solve such problems; my advice is to get some conventional texts like " Halliday/Resnick--Fundamentals of physics" and doing their problems to reinforce the ideas after reading the corresponding material in these lectures. The amount you read of these conventional text' explanations depends on you; some, like myself, feel that reading the explanations of most conventional texts is a big waste of time------they shower you with seemingly disconnected formulas and say "ha,ha: this is it".

3. These books were designed for lectures at Caltech during the 1960's; suffice it to say, this is not the watered-down modern university physics book---sometimes pretty heavy math is used, but that's not the main difficulty; most university physics books nowadays give formula-like sequences of steps that allow one to do well on calculations without knowing much of what came before it, but in these lectures understanding many chapters requires knowing details from many other previous chapters------the bright side is that you know what you are doing, and you realize how things are actually connected to the physical world. (I got A's in my 3 calculus based college physics courses, but I could not recall what was physically happening in these problems I so "expertly" solved for my exams:)

4. Feynman doesn't mind doing hard problems, so long as it's the best way to illustrate what he's trying to explain; in no other book I've read is there such thought provoking and satisfying examples of physics-------I learned to calculate the motion of the planets to any degree of accuracy, to calculate the general amount of radiation density in a super-hot star, and to see, dare I say, the very breadth of the universe with these lectures.

Good luck...

Physics
great text-books for anybody who wants to understand a bit more how things work :P

These books are amazing!
I love the set! I'm a grad student in Physics and these are a great reference to have.

Revisiting The Feynman Lectures
I loved the Feynmann Lecture series when I was an undergraduate student, but I sold them after three years of using them. Years later, I have seen the Commemorative Issue on the shelve of bookstores again and I could not resist the urge to buy it again. It vividly brings back wonderful memories of a time long gone, and the commemorative issue is better (hardcover) than the original (paperback). I strongly recommend this issue to anyone who wishes to learn physics from a master narrator.

Looks good on your shelf, but please read instructions before using...
This famous 3 volume set is best used in one of the following ways:

1.You are a student who has already taken university calculus based physics and are interested in another view of the subject by one of the modern masters ofphysics
2.. You are a professional who is reading the texts for intellectual stimulation; e.g., you are a curious engineer (Really,
anyone who has taken the standard university calculus sequence through multivariable calculus can tackle the material in these books)
3. You are taking university physics and want to use these books for additional readings to understand important concepts and the big picture

If you are planning to use these books as your primary textbook source to learn the basics of physics, I agree with the comments that Feynman made in the preface that these lectures were a failure. Better textbooks such Alonso and Finn already exist that cover the standard freshman physics faire. However, the Feynman lectures are great to flip through, scan, skip around, read a page here and there. There are amazing deep insights sprinkled throughout.

As an aside, the very serious student of physics should try and dig up the 5 volume Berkeley Physics Course to seek a deep and mathematically rigorous introductionto
physics. Volume 2 on E&M by Purcell is still in print and still in use but the other volumes on Mechanics, Waves, Quantum, and Statistical Physics are harder to find.
... Read more

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Product Description
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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great but have the books handy
These lectures are brilliant but useless without the aid of his red books sitting in your lap. It would have been better if the imbecile producers of these lectures had put out videos instead. Not surprising what they did. No one's given them a nobel prize

The BIG question is as follows:

Which CD or tape volums has the Principle of least action lecture?

any help would be mightily appreciated. Please post your response on this page if you want to answer. thanks to all and feynman in particular (sent by god no doubt). I somehow like his QM lectures the best. Is it possible for a human being to know so much.

Use with the Feynman Lectures (Red Books) - 3 Volume Set
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 (ISBN: 0201021153, or even better get the hardcover).

Audio Volume 5: Feynman on Fundamentals: Energy and Motion
'The Feynman Lectures on Physics: Feynman on Fundamentals : Energy and Motion (Feynman Lectures on Physics (Audio))'
Volume I, Chapter 4: Conservation of Energy
Volume I, Chapter 8: Motion
Volume I, Chapter 9: Newton's Laws of Dynamics
Volume I, Chapter 10: Conservation of Momentum
Volume I, Chapter 13: Work and Potential Energy (A)
Volume I, Chapter 14: Work and Potential Energy (Conclusion)

Audio Volume 6: Feynman on Fundamentals: Kinetics and Heat
'The Feynman Lectures on Physics Vol. 6 : Feynman on Fundamentals : Kinetics and Heat'
Volume I, Chapter 39: The Kinetic Theory of Gases
Volume I, Chapter 41: The Brownian Movement
Volume I, Chapter 42: Applications of Kinetic Theory
Volume I, Chapter 43: Diffusion
Volume I, Chapter 44: The Laws of Thermodynamics
Volume I, Chapter 45: Illustrations of Thermodynamics

Thanks to Autodidact Andy for the contents list. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a series of classic lectures, delivered in 1960 and recorded for the BBC. This is Feynman's unique take on the problems and puzzles that lie at the heart of physical theory - with Newton's Law of Gravitation; on whether time can ever go backwards; on maths as the supreme language of nature. Demonstrates Feynman's knack of finding the right everyday illustration to bring out the essence of a complicated principle - eg brilliant analogy between the law of conservation energy and the problem of drying yourself with wet towels. 'Feynman's style inspired a generation of scientists. This volume remains the best record I know of his exhilarating vision' - Paul Davies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (31)

physical theory
And such masterly attempt to explain the character of physical theory to the non specalist deserves every support and commendation
no one need be in any doubt over the wonders of the world we live in scentifically speaking and here is a good chance to appreciate it


G E STEDMAN
'An orthodox understanding of the Bible with Physical science'

worthy a place in your lifetime book collection
Many of us took physics in college. Love it or hate it, most of the topics are not forgotten. But it is worthy, whenever free time is available, to re-visit a selected list of topics from the highlights of human reasoning.

Obviously, not everyone can be qualified as the guide. Feymann is one of the few who qualifies and actually delivered. Love it, also consider to make purchase of other books in Modern Library.

Greek vs. Babilonian science, great explanation of two different approaches.
This book consists of a series of lectures explaining some features of physical laws (also as opposed to mathematical laws). I found this book both too simple and too difficult. I probably need to explain this further. The lectures were aimed at students of physics, not at complete laypersons like myself, who would like to take a brief glimpse into the awe inspiring world of science. Mr. Feynman assumed therefore, that his listeners already had some notion of basic physics, like newtonian gravity and some calculus. Although the book is non mathematical and you do not need to solve any formulas, some concepts are not explained from the start up (for example in his example about acceleration or gravity he uses some differential equations and he assumes that you will understand both the mathematical symbols and the reasoning behind it). This was the difficult part. But then again I found it too simple, because he does not go into much detail, which I would have liked, in order to understand the topics better.

What I liked most from the book was his explanation of the difference between Greek and Babilonian science and how physics resembles more to Babilonian science. In physics you do not need to construct everything from basic axioms (fundamental statements), in fact you could use any law as an axiom to another law or putting it differently, you can derive other laws from it and expand its application to other areas, the same as you can use other laws to arrive at your initial law. Everything in physics is interconnected and many laws express the same, but viewed from a different angle or using a different basic assumption. If your theory can be applied to other fields, it is probably a more fundamental law. I also liked how Mr. Feynman explained the difference between Math and Physics in the sense that in Math, if you find a solution, it is correct, whereas in Physics you need to go to the data. If your solution does not fit the data, your theory is either incorrect or incomplete.

Regarding the chapter on particle physics, I had the impression that some of the statements were a bit outdated. I think in Fantastic Realities: 49 Mind Journeys And a Trip to Stockholm, I have read that a few of the open topics that the author mentions have already been studied in deeper detail and some questions have already been answered in experiments carried out in the big accelerators. You can find a more passionate and beatiful explanation of symmetry in Fearful Symmetry: The Search for Beauty in Modern Physics (Princeton Science Library) or a more detailed one in Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics.

Best coverage of Newtonian Gravity and Feynman is always readable
This is not one of the most popular Feynman books you can get but it is a short introduction to physics along with Feynman's way of helping people to learn about it. While I wouldn't have this on my list of first Feynman books to get (or physics books for that matter) if you do find it and have an interest in physics then by all means, pick it up.

The book is a collection of Lectures Feynman made. He deals with seven topics in fewer than 200 pages. The topics are.

1) Gravitation
2) Mathematics and physics
3) The conservation of energy
4) Symmetry
5) The arrow of time
6) Quantum mechanics
7) How to find new laws

Feynman brings a lot to the table in such a small space of time. His examples are usually quite good but some are hit and miss. It was written in 1965 and while most of it is still valid (it is missing over 50 years of physics!) you may find that you can learn about these topics better elsewhere... and that's really the catch. However, I would certainly say you can learn a lot here and the point of getting this book is to get Feynman's take on these subjects. He is still as good today as he was back then.

I wouldn't say that if this was your first time coming across physics that Feynman is too advanced, as this book and Feynman's lectures are designed for any audience with an interest in physics, but that is not to say that it is easy. In fact Feynman goes out of his way to explain that it is hard because it is so counterintuitive. I would say though that if you could get a modern book on cosmology that you will get a better introduction to these topics. In fact several books on cosmology would have you better prepared but in the end you are probably going to want to read Feynman.This may not be a bad place to go, but at the same time I feel there are probably much better Feynman books out there.

There are some illustrations in this book but most of them are hand drawn and apart from the images of galaxies are not always helpful. However notice that this still gets 4 stars for all its failings. Why? Because when it clicks you learn something you won't elsewhere. That is just how it is with physics books. They all have these accomplishments and failings to some degree. If you come away from a book with something new or a new way to look at physics, or have something explained to you in way you have never seen before, then it has already done its job. Within these 200 pages are some gems. I think his explanation of Newtonian Gravity is one of the best I have ever seen though. Also his overall explanation of how science works is nearly worth the price of this book alone.

Pros:
- Feynman's explanations
- Newtonian Gravity explained
- Short

Cons:
- 50 recent years of physics is not covered
- Can get very difficult even for experienced physics readers

A Curate's Egg
Warning: I have published theory with the lowest impact factor, and I have written an unpublished book on the nature of theory.

This book is a transcript of seven extemporized lectures for the mathematically challenged. It is quite remarkable for perceptive interpretations of physics with a minimum of maths and as a bonus, the reader gets an insight into the mind of a truly leading theoretician. If you want an initial insight as to how physics works, excellent. Unfortunately, extemporization leads to "forgetfulness", e.g. "action" is stated to arise from and is fundamental to quantum mechanics, but is not mentioned in the discussion on quantum mechanics.

I believe the title is misleading. The book will not help or encourage an emerging theoretician. How to form a theory: Guess, compute, compare with observation. The rest of the book is argued to be no guidance, because any new theory will be quite different from the examples! Worse, we know all theory except at extreme energies or distances. (We could be wrong, but we aren't!)

I disagree. The book states on nuclear binding, apart from proton electrical repulsions, neutrons and protons interact with a constant energy. Theory is sound, but cannot be computed completely. Instead, suppose hadrons comprise up and down quarks, with different electric charge, that produce two types of interactions. Believe it or not, that, with consideration of that "action" is sufficient to produce relative stabilities for isotopes, and show why technetium has no stable isotope, and to indicate nuclear binding could come from electromagnetism. Wrong? Maybe, but isn't the fun of theory trying things out? Feynman offers no encouragement, little hope, and surprisingly, no insight on how he developed his theories. That is a pity. ... Read more

Product Description
Eagerly awaited by scientistsand academics worldwide,Feynman's famous Lectureson Physics, now on CD.

Richard P. Feynman's Lectures on Physics has been knownworldwide as a classic resource for students and professionals. Drawnfrom 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. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Contents
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). ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Macmillan Reference USA Science Library: Computer Sciences, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 997 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Reviews the history of the discipline and its concepts, and profiles contributors in the field. The impact of computers on society is explored, with examples in literature and film to illustrate and support trends. ... Read more

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With genius, passion, and unmatched flair, this one-volume "greatest hits" of the Feynman lectures places you in the classroom of one of the twentieth century's most brilliant teachers

For more than thirty years, Richard P. Feynman's three-volume Lectures on Physics has been known worldwide as the classic resource for students and professionals alike. That text was based on transcriptions of the hundreds of hours of audio recordings made during Feynman's legendary classroom lectures.

Now, for the first time on compact disc, the best of these recordings are available in digitally mastered quality. Ranging from the most basic principles of Newtonian physics through such formidable topics as Einstein's general relativity, superconductivity, and quantum mechanics, Feynman's lectures stand as a monument of clear exposition and deep insight.

Timeless and collectible, these unabridged lectures are essential listening, not just for students of physics, but for anyone seeking an introduction to the field from the inimitable Richard Feynman.

6 CDs: Total playing time: Approx. 6 hours ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Rare Passion
Feynman is one of those rare people who are not only extraordinarily intelligent, but equally as passionate, humorous, and down-to-earth.

I bought this CD set because I am a fan of physics - but now I'm also a fan of Feynman.

These are his insights in his own voice - so buy a copy, and join the classroom full of people who enjoy a brilliant and vibrant man describing the secrets of the universe!

Hearing Feynman Lecture is to Experience a Renaissance in Education
The greatness of Richard Feynman is well known. I can add nothing to what others have said well enough.Reading his lectures pales as an experience compared to hearing his actual delivery. For me it was as to experience a renaissance in education.

There were technical difficulties with the recordings and these could have been prepared with greater care. I certainly recommend the CD to anyone with an interest in physics or in Feynman.

Feynman fans will love this
I was already a Feynman fan when I bought this.The best thing about it, even if you are unable to follow the physics, is his delivery.He has a New York accent and takes obvious joy in his subject.It's fun to listen to in the car.

If you are at all interested in Physics...you must have this!
I bought this some time ago and noticed that I never added a review.
I am now correcting this error.
If you are looking at this, you probably already know who Richard Feynman is. If for some odd reason you don't know who he is and you are interested in learning about how important things that make up our world may work, this is a magnificant collection of lectures from one of the greatest teachers of modern times.
Don't worry about the audio quality of the early lectures recorded. You can easily get past some of the audio technical issues by listening to the words and ignoring the hum and level shifting. Ignoring this because of these technical issues is a little like saying that you don't ever want to watch Citizen Kane because the only film print you have is a little scratched (Don't worry, this was only an extreme example. The original CK camera negatives are just fine).
I keep this set in my car and listen on my drive to the office. This is not the type of content that you listen to only once and put away. Every time I listen I learn something or think about some problem in a different way. This is a superb collection and should be treasured by scientist and non-scientist alike. Richard Feynman was a great mind and a great person. He gave us a wonderful gift in these recordings.

A testament to Feynman's gift.
Yes there is static and hissing and rude interruptions by the narrator announcing chapter sections, but you get to hear one of the worlds greatest physicists and perhaps the greatest physics teacher in his prime!

Once you get over the somewhat roguish Brooklyn accent, you start getting into the physics. I listened driving to and from work daily; without lecture notes, textbook or the visuals Feynman had available for the actual lectures. He is such a good instuctor that I was able to visualize the concepts he was discussing and actually came a way with a little bit of understanding of these complex principles. If I was in high school I would devote more time to these trenchant tropics and perhaps test my mettle in this difficult field of endeavor. For Feynman exudes such love of his field and curiosity for the mysteries of our universe (and human existance) that he fills one with motivation to join him in the quest. ... Read more

Product Description
The next two volumes in the acclaimed Feynman Lectureson Physics audio series deal with the fundamentals of classicaland quantum physics. These lectures by the late Richard P. Feynmanwere originally delivered to his physics students at Caltech and laterfashioned by the author into his classic textbook Lectures on Physics.

Volume 9 (Basic Concepts in Classical Physics) contains sections onTime and Distance, Vectors, Characteristics of Force, Space-Time,Rotation in Two Dimensions, and Algebra. Volume 10 (Basic Concepts inQuantum Physics) includes a discussion of Quantum Behavior, TheRelation of Wave and Particle Viewpoints, The Dependence of Amplitudeson Time, The Hamilton Matrix, and Operators. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Immediate shipping, well packed.
Audio tapes still shrink wrapped, arrived 3 days after ordering.Six or seven stars would be appropiate.Thank you. ... Read more

Product Description
For decades, Richard P. Feynman's Lectures on Physics has been known worldwide as a classic resource for students and professionals. Responding to the interest in the source material from which the Lectures on Physics were transcribed, Basic Books is releasing Feynman's original recordings. These CDs will serve as a library of essential physics by a scientific legend. ... Read more

Product Description
Richard Feynman tells some of his most infamous stories:Chief Research Chemist, I Want My Dollah, 13 Times, and Judging Booksby Their Covers.All from the original recordings made by RalphLeighton and edited with assistance from Tohru Ohnuki.You're readthese stories in his books Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman and WhatDo You Care what Other People Think, now hear them just as "The Chief"told them! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

facinating
No wonder Richard,Feynman's lectures at Cal Tech filled up fast.What a great fun brain.I also suggest the bio, Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman. Great reading and listening.

Joan Thielmann

Can't wait to get vol. II
"Surely Your Joking, Mr. Feynman!" is based on these tape recordings. Given his particular style of giving out ideas, it is always a better idea to listen to him 'in action' than just to read books. Included in a ``secret track'' is his unique experience with carbon tet. This story has never been published before.

A purist won't grant something else for Feynman's Stories
Though Feynman died a pretty long time ago, an interesting phenomena, may be unique to him, is that he is constantly writing and publishing new books! That's because Feynman's bestsellers--the set of lectures given atCaltech, "Surely you're Joking", "What do you care?","QED", and some others--were not written by him, though he isrecognised being the author by everybody, including himself for those bookspublished before he died. Actually as you certainly know, these books wereedited by other peoples from audio tapes, which tapes were recorded forsuch or such occasion, lectures, TV, or for private use. That means Feynmantold something that has been recorded, and somebody else rearranged it,added, cut, modified the grammar and the speech, moved the text around, tomake a book out of it.

For that matter, no one feels peculiarly wrongwhen editing books signed Richard P. Feynman, books he never knew he hadwritten. It may seems fair as long as the editor stays close enough toFeynman's ideas, and most often it's okay in this regard... but some willalways feel uneasy with somehow translated text.

Feynman encouraged itwhen he was alive, and as an author of much success, they're keeping up thegood work, till exhaustion of lost lectures it seems. Whether one feelsthis is morally good or wrong, there remains these original unarguablesources of this sounding fake literature. It happens you can get some oftheses tapes! For those who have enjoyed the books, for you all, this isincredibly enough _better_ stuff.

This one record, Feynman Volume 1, hasbeen home recorded by Ralph Leighton after sessions of drumming withFeynman, pieces of which are incidentally included. In this first volume,we hear Feynman telling theses four stories that are entitled in"Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman" as "The Chief ResearchChemist of the Metaplast Corporation", "I Want My Dollar!","Thirteen Times" and "Judging Books by Their Covers".Stories as they're told sometime differ radically from stories as they'rewritten. Those episodes that are hundred of pages separated in the book areactually recounted in an uninterrupted one hour and a minute delightfulstory, of a true Feynman _unedited_.

Praise that audio sources fromFeynman will keep on being released. If peoples feel the need for a bookcoming with them, they're welcome (and most often when it's technical, yes,it's necessary). But books without their actual source, and even thoughit's the way Feynman was "writing". should be disregarded. ... Read more