Product Description
An astounding glimpse into the future of physics andcomputers.

Quantum computing, the reduction of computing elements to sizes farsmaller than that of present-day chips, down to the size of individualatoms, presents new problems, problems on the quantum level. Butthanks to new discoveries by Gerard Milburn and other cutting-edgescientists, quantum computing is about to become a reality.

In this book, the first one for the general public to explain thescientific ideas behind concepts seen before only in science fiction,physicist Milburn brings us the exciting world of phenomena ofentanglement, where particles can be in two places at the same time,where matter on the quantum level can be teleported à la StarTrek's famous Transporter; and where cryptographers can constructfundamentally unbreakable computer codes.

Although other books and magazine articles have dealt with some of thesubjects in this book, this is the first book for the layman to dealspecifically with quantum computing, an area pioneered by the greatphysicist Richard Feynman, who first posed the challenge to scientiststo devise the smallest, fastest computer elements, to take us to theabsolute physical limits of computers. This book promises to bothastound and educate every reader eager to keep abreast of the latestbreakthroughs in physics and computers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

a really poor attempt
poorly written.i'm talking about the author's use of English; extremely confusing. and that's before we even get to the jargon.

A very ordinary effort
This book does not take you through quantum computing in any logical way.The author does not explain where he is going with his lengthy examples in each section. Instead he tends to launch into hard to follow, artificially concocted examples with little rationale and then move to the next topic without a conclusion or a reason for why he put the reader through such boring experience. The discussion of the Bohr - Einstein debate told me nothing of what the debate was about and there are many references to the EPR without any real explanation of what was in it. There must be a better way to understand this subject else I will have to conclude that Einstein was right and God really does play dice. Give this book a miss... it is simply not worth the effort. Even my one star is generous.

Very confusing
Mathematics was invented for a reason, and the avoidance of even simple mathematics makes this book near unintelligible. Further, the habit of versing quantum theory in terms of genetics, real and imagined, further separates the subject mater from the reader; and giving Feynman credit for how probability amplitudes add would probably not please him at all. Give this one a wide berth and read instead 'The quest for the quantum computer' by Julian Brown which is everything this book is not.

skip it
One of the most glib and inaccessible treatments of the subject I've encountered.You're much better off with something like Julian Brown's "Minds, Machines, and the Multiverse" or Feynman's own lectures on computation.

Some good material badly written, with a lot of junk
This book is clearly written by a physics professor who doesn't spend much time talking to people who haven't studied physics.I would guess his editor falls into this category as well.The back cover praises its accessibility, a marketing gimmick as obviously deceptive as the sensationalistic chapter names.For example, one chapter, "Teleportation for Gamblers" is named after an obscure quantum phenomenon that has been dubbed teleportation for no apparent reason, has nothing to do with gambling, and is only referred to in passing.

The first four chapters try to give an overview of quantum mechanics to those who haven't studied physics.Even after spending 4 years earning a Bachelor's in Physics, I was only barely able to follow the discussion.If I did not already understand the principles he was explaining, I would never have been able to fill in the holes of explanation.

But my biggest complaint about this section is that he bases the entire discussion on calculating probabilities in a quantum environment.But in trying to avoid complex math, he leaves out essential details.The much more intuitive explanation of superposition of states (whereby an object is in two places or states at the same time) he barely mentions in this section.If the material was presented in this way, all the math would be unnecessary, and the interesting second part of the book would make much more sense.

Beyond that, the book contains numerous factual mistakes.His Turing machine for multiplying on page 99 just doesn't work.On page 109, he says that if you have N objects, and for each object you need to store N pieces of information that have a total of N^N pieces of information.The correct answer, N^2, makes his point much less dramatic.

The last two chapters are interesting indeed.They discuss what is possible with a quantum computer, and the state of research in 1998.I recommend that if you do buy this book, only read the last two chapters.If you can't follow it, look anywhere else for an explanation.The first four chapters will not help. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the fundamentals of kinetics and heat, covering the kinetic theory of gases, the Brownian Movement, the applications of kinetic theory, diffusion, the laws of thermodynamics, and illustrations of thermodynamics, as part of the Feynman lecture series.Audiocassette. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Volume 6 - Feynman on Fundamentals, Kinetics & Heat
Recorded April/May 1962 Cal Tech

Cassette 1 - V1 Ch39 The Kinetic Theory of Gases
Cassette 2 - V1 Ch41 The Brownian Movement
Cassette 3 - V1 Ch42 Applications of Kinetic Theory
Cassette 4 - V1 Ch43 Diffusion
Cassette 5 - V1 Ch44 The Laws of Thermodynamics
Cassette 6 - V1 Ch45 Illustrations of Thermodynamics

There is something magical about hearing Richard Feynman's lectures on physics. Somehow he got an advance copy of the owners manual for the cosmos and sorted it out for we mortals. ... Read more

Product Description
What is science and what is its true value? Can a scientist believe in God? Why, in this supposedly scientific age, is there such widespread fascination with flying saucers, faith healing, astrology and alien invasion? Can there be such a thing as a satisfactory philosophy of ignorance? At the peak of his career, maverick genius Richard Feynman gave three public lectures addressing the questions that most inspired and troubled him. Covering everything from the atomic bomb to ethics, the imagination to the meaning of life, they are brought together in this provocative and hugely entertaining volume. ... Read more

Product Description
Copyright 1964, 10th reprint, 665 pp + index, orange and blue soft cover, printed in India ... Read more

Product Description
Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, one of the final two sets of recordings of Feynman's landmark Lectures on Physics.

Series editor David Pines has selected, from the more than one hundred recorded lectures, the six that address the greatest physics discoveries of the past five hundred years. In these lectures, Feynman not only explains gravity, relativity, probability, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and superconductivity, he offers his own unique take on what made these discoveries possible. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear Feynman expound on the contributions that have led to our present understanding of the nature of the universe. Volume 19 (Masers and Light) contains sections on polarization and the Principle of Least Action. ... Read more

Product Description
Perseus is proud to announce the release of the next twovolumes in the complete collection of audio recordings of Feynman'sfamous Caltech course from which his classic textbook, Lectures onPhysics, was produced.

These fifth and sixth volumes in the collection comprise Feynman onFundamentals. Volume 5 makes up a beginning course in Energy andMotion, and includes chapters on the conservation of energy, motion,Newton's laws of dynamics, the conservation of momentum, and work andpotential energy. Volume 6 makes up a course in Kinetics and Heat, andincludes chapters on the kinetic theory of gases, brownian motion,applications of kinetic theory, diffusion, the laws of thermodynamics,and illustrations of thermodynamics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Fun learning lectures on Physics ...
What better way to share your enthusiasm of science and physics with your kids than with Richard Feynman's audio physics lectures. Since I started playing them for my six month old son, we have gradually gone through eachof the series.

In the beginning I had been a little critcal of RichardFeynman. Who was this gravelly voiced man? It's kind of like saying who'sAlbert Einstein? Well my knowledge grew as both my son and I listened toRichard Feynman and learned not only about this amazing man but also abouthis love of learning.

I can't thank the team enough who has taken thetime to put this series together. It is so valuable! So predominate isRichard Feynman at bedtime now that the physics audio lectures are nowreferred to as Grandpa Feynman's bedtime stories. My son is now 25months.

I highly recommend these audio physics lectures andenthusiastically encourage more physics, science, geology, astrophysics andbiology.

Edutainment does not get any better than this. Discover RichardFeynman and discover the amazing world around you!

Thank you Arnie andReid

Feynman at his best!
Although this is volume 5 of the lectures on tape, it is his earliest audio lectures.This set is the one to have!In this set, Dr. Feynman covers the basics of kinematics.He discusses energy, momentum, distance,and work.Whether you are a physics student, eager to learn from the best,or just an interested amateur, Feynman puts these fundamentals intosparkling clear terms, and you can gain a true understanding of theseimportant aspects of physics.My recommendation is to have volume I of the"Big Red Books" out and put these tapes on.You will be amazedat how much you can learn from any of them.If you can only get one of the(so far) 6, this is the one to get! ... Read more

Product Description
One of the two latest volumes of recorded lectures by the world's greatest physics teacher.

This new volume in the acclaimed Feynman Lectures on Physics audio series deal with the fundamentals of fields. Volume 13, Feynman on Fields, contains sections on relativity, light scattering, relativistic effects in radiation, and magnetic fields. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The latest volume of recorded lectures by the world's greatest physics teacher.

Perseus Publishing is proud to announce the latest volume in its series of recorded lectures 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.

Volume 15 (Feynman on Electricity and Magnetism, Part 2) contains sections on electrostatic energy, electricity in the atmosphere-including lightning and thunderstorms-magnetostatics, and the magnetic field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

NOT A BOOK! Audio Vol. 15 Feynman on Electricity & Magnetism
THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE RECORDED AUDIO LECTURES ON TAPE. IT IS A REVIEW OF AUDIO VOLUME FIFTEEN - NOT ANY OTHER VOLUME AND NOT THE "FEYNMAN LECTURES ON PHYSICS" BOOK DESPITE AMAZON'S PLACEMENT OF THIS REVIEW ON THE PRINTED BOOK WEB PAGE. (the system also seems to miss-associate these reviews with the incorrect audio volumes.)
This volume is part two of "Feynman on Electricity & Magnetism" - Volume 14 is part one.

OK, that warning aside, the subject is Electricity & Magnetism. The man is Feynman. Here's what you get:
Six hours of Feynman lecturing (in his characteristic idiosyncratic demeanor) to students at the California Institute of Technology during the early years of the 1960's. Yes folks, that's right: Six 1 hour lectures on six audio tapes covering the chapters 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, & 14 from which volume two of the printed lectures was transcribed. The lectures also cover some serious mathematics (Differential & Vector Calculus). This is where owning a copy of the printed lectures is necessary for following his use of the massive University lecture hall chalkboards. Of course Professor Feynman makes use of the chalkboard which you won't have the advantage of seeing but you could keep a copy of the printed lectures on hand (separate purchase) to get whatever visuals you need from the transcribed illustrated diagrams which were published (I do this and it's handy). The only audio editing is from the publisher announcing the date, lecture title, and where each chapter subsection begins. It is interesting to hear the background noise of the students as they file in and out of the lecture hall and towards the end of each lecture. You also hear bells in the hallway signaling the end of the class or possibly the lunch break. The students enthusiastically demonstrate their appreciation of Professor Feynman's efforts by applauding him at the end of each lecture. Mostly I just listen to these tapes (I have a collection of over 80 taped lectures) on my one hour a day commute each day, over and over again. It's like I'm always in school with the great genius of Feynman every day!
This audio volume (#15) is part 2 of 2 - see audio volume #14 for part 1.

Here's how these audio lectures correlate to the printed 'Lectures on Physics' by audiocassette to volume & chapter for each book:

Tape 1 was recorded on Oct 18, 1962 at CALTECH and subsequently transcribed & published in the printer volumes as follows:
Volume II, Chapter 7: The Electric Field in Various Circumstances

Tape 2 - Oct 22, 1962
Volume II, Chapter 8: Electrostatic Energy

Tape 3 - Oct 25, 1962
Volume II, Chapter 9: Electricity in the Atmosphere

Tape 4 - Nov 8, 1962
Volume II, Chapter 12: Electrostatic Analogs

Tape 5 - Nov 12, 1962
Volume II, Chapter 13: Magnetostatics

Tape 6 - Nov 15, 1962
Volume II, Chapter 14: The Magnetic Field in Various Situations

Look for all of the other audio lectures on tape by visiting my "The Complete Audio Feynman Lectures on Physics..." Listmania List.

IndiAndy ... Read more

Product Description
One of the two latest volumes of recorded lectures by the world's greatest physics teacher.

This new volumes in the acclaimed Feynman Lectures on Physics audio series deal with the fundamentals of electricity and magnetism. Volume 14, Feynman on Electricity and Magnetism, Part I, includes a discussion of electromagnetism, differential calculus of vector fields, electrostatics, Gauss's law, and the electric field. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Audio Volume #14 Feynman on Electricity & Magnetism PART ONE
THIS REVIEW IS FOR VOLUME 14 OF THE RECORDED AUDIO LECTURES ON TAPE - NOT THE "FEYNMAN LECTURES ON PHYSICS" BOOK AND NOT ANY OTHER AUDIO VOLUME DESPITE AMAZON'S PLACEMENT OF THIS REVIEW ON THE WRONG VOLUME PAGE. (the system also seems to miss-associate these reviews with the incorrect audio volumes.) THIS IS PART ONE OF TWO VOLUMES ON ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM - VOLUME #15 IS PART TWO.

OK, that warning aside, the subject is Electrodynamics. The man is Feynman. Here's what you get:
Six hours of Feynman lecturing (in his characteristic idiosyncratic demeanor) to students at the California Institute of Technology during the early years of the 1960's. Yes folks, that's right: Six 1 hour lectures on six audio tapes covering the first six contiguous chapters from which volume two of the printed lectures was transcribed. The lectures also cover some serious mathematics (Differential & Vector Calculus). This is where owning a copy of the printed lectures comes in handy for following the lecture from his transcribed use of the massive University lecture hall chalk-boards. The only audio editing is from the publisher announcing the date, lecture title, and where each chapter subsection begins. It is interesting to hear the background noise of the students as they file in and out of the lecture hall and towards the end of each lecture. You also hear bells in the hallway signaling the end of the class or possibly the lunch break. The students enthusiastically demonstrate their appreciation of Professor Feynman's efforts by applauding him at the end of each lecture. Of course Professor Feynman makes use of the chalkboard which you wont have the advantage of seeing but you could keep a copy of the printed lectures on hand (separate purchase) to get whatever visuals you need from the transcribed illustrated diagrams which were published (I have done this and it's handy). Mostly I just listen to these tapes (I have a collection of over 72 taped lectures) on my one hour a day commute each day, over and over again. It's like I'm always in school with the great genius of Feynman every day!
This audio volume (#14) is Part 1 of 2. The next six contiguous lectures will be available in audio volume #15. By the way, I wrote the publisher (Perseus Books Group) and asked them when Part 2 would be available to which they promptly sent the helpful reply:
'Volumes 15 and 16 of the Audio Collection will be coming out this spring. Volume 15 (Feynman on Electricity and Magnetism, Part 2) contains sections on electrostatic energy, electricity in the atmosphere-including lightning and thunderstorms-magnetostatics, and the magnetic field. Volume 16 (Feynman on Electromagnetism) discusses the vector potential, laws of induction, and the Maxwell equations. According to our production schedule, both volumes should be available by April.'

Well anyhow, I thought that you'd like to see how these audio lectures correlate to the printed 'Lectures on Physics' by audiocassette to volume & chapter for each book:

Tape #1 is from the printed lectures Vol. II Chapter 1: ELECTROMAGNETISM (Sept. 27, 1962)
1.1 Electrical forces
1.2 Electric and Magnetic fields
1.3 Characterizations of vector fields
1.4 The laws of electromagnetism
1.5 What are fields?
1.6 Electromagnetism in science and technology

Tape #2 is from the printed lectures Vol. II Chapter 2: DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS OF VECTOR FIELDS (Oct. 1, 1962)
2.1 Understanding physics
2.2 Scalar and vector fields - T and h
2.3 Derivatives of fields - the gradient
2.4 The operator del
2.5 Operators with del
2.6 The differential equation of heat flow
2.7 Second derivatives of vector fields
2.8 Pitfalls

Tape #3 is from the printed lectures Vol. II Chapter 3: VECTOR INTEGRAL CALCULUS (Oct. 4, 1962)
3.1 Vector integrals; the line integral of del Y
3.2 The flux of a vector field
3.3 The flux from a cube; Gauss' theorem
3.4 Heat conduction; the diffusion equation
3.5 The circulation of a vector field
3.6 The circulation around a square; Stokes's theorem
3.7 Curl-free and divergence-free fields
3.8 Summary

Tape #4 is from the printed lectures Vol. II Chapter 4: ELECTROSTATICS (Oct. 8, 1962)
4.1 Statics
4.2 Coulomb's law; superposition
4.3 Electric potential
4.4 E=-del f
4.5 The flux of E
4.6 Gauss' law; divergence of E
4.7 Field of a sphere of charge
4.8 Field lines; equipotential surfaces

Tape #5 is from the printed lectures Vol. II Chapter 5: APPLICATION OF GAUSS' LAW (Oct. 11, 1962)
5.1 Electrostatics is Gauss' law plus...
5.2 Equilibrium in an electrostatic field
5.3 Equilibrium with conductors
5.4 Stability of atoms
5.5 The field of a line charge
5.6 A sheet of charge; a spherical shell
5.7 A sphere of charge; a spherical shell
5.8 Is the field of a point charge exactly 1/r^2
5.9 The fields of a conductor
5.10 The field in a cavity of a conductor

Tape #6 is from the printed lectures Vol. II Chapter 6: THE ELECTRIC FIELD IN VARIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES (Oct. 15, 1962)
6.1 Equations of the electrostatic potential
6.2 The electric dipole
6.3 Remarks on vector equations
6.4 The dipole potential as a gradient
6.5 The dipole approximation for an arbitrary distribution
6.6 The fields of charged conductors
6.7 The method of images
6.8 A point charge near a conducting plate
6.9 A point charge near a conducting sphere
6.10 Condensers: parallel plates
6.11 High-voltage breakdown

(...) check out my other Feynman reviews & "Listmania Lists". Tell me what you think.

Thanks & Enjoy!
IndiAndy ... Read more

Product Description
A new volume of recorded lectures by the world's greatest physics teacher.

Perseus Publishing is proud to announce the latest volume in its series of recorded lectures 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.

Volume 18 (Feynman on Flow) includes a discussion of tensors, reflection from surfaces, magnetic materials, elasticity, and the flow of both wet and dry water.

Perseus Publishing / Helix Books ... Read more

Product Description
Eagerly awaited by scientists and academics worldwide, one of the final two sets of recordings of Feynman's landmark Lectures on Physics.

Series editor David Pines has selected, from the more than one hundred recorded lectures, the six that address the greatest physics discoveries of the past five hundred years. In these lectures, Feynman not only explains gravity, relativity, probability, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and superconductivity, he offers his own unique take on what made these discoveries possible. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear Feynman expound on the contributions that have led to our present understanding of the nature of the universe. Volume 20 (The Very Best Lectures) is the concluding volume in the series-and an extraordinarily special one. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

My Summary
I have only purchased Vol 1-19, so this does not include whatever is on vol 20... this is just to add my experience to the other review here.

I found that 5 lectures from feynman's 3 volume book (where all these lectures are based on), are missing from the audio 'feynman lectures on physics' collection.This audio collection has everything except:

V1 : ch23, 37, 38
V2:ch28, 29

However, Vol.1 ch23, and ch37 can be found in other feynman audio material, so really only 3 audio lectures are missing from the book all together.

The other review listed 2-11 as missing but its on the Vol 3 audio set (tape 5). 1-11 and 1-17 are both on Volume 9 (tapes 3 and 5 respectively).

Finally, volume 15 tape 3 is announced as 'Chapter 4' but is in fact chapter 9.

summary feynman tapes at 20
This is not a review of the subject itself, it is a status report on all twenty volumes of six cassettes each.Comments of 1-1 is first volume of written lectures first lecture.

Duplicates within audio tapes:1-2,1-6,1-7,2-1,2-14,2-42,3-2 with 3-21 being triplicated.

Missing lectures:1-23,2-11,2-28,2-29 which means volume three of the written lectures is completely covered by the tapes.

Volume 20 tape 1-38 is not a duplicate, just mis-labeled on box, correct on tape.This saves tape volume 20 and makes no tape volume a complete reissue of another tape volume.

Publisher is now using clear plastic cassettes so writing on them is impossible without label.Publisher also not putting tape volume number on tape any more.

Tapes such as 1-11 and 1-17 and others are found in the CD issue entitled "Six Not So Easy Pieces" etc. but then who cares, I'm sure the publisher doesn't.

Labeling the issue as "The complete audio collection" is still a stretch.I mean here we are at tape volume 20 with 9 duplicates (thats a tape volume and a half of useless tapes) and still have 4 lectures yet to be released.Somebody is sure making big bucks off of us Feynman fans.Murray should be ashamed of what he is thinking. ... Read more