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Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

feynmanlectures.caltech.edu

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Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#51

Post by slacka »

tim333 wrote: post #9
hackerboos wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hopefully some talented soul will write a script to convert these HTML files into mobie, epub and PDF.

pdf. Not sure how kosher the copyright is All 3 volumes: http://selfdefinition.org/science/25-greatest-science-books-...

That's a terrible quality pdf. For $14.99 you can purchase the enhanced version here: http://www.basicfeynman.com/enhanced.html It was very cool of the publishers to allow this, and they deserve our support.

Otherwise, if you must download the basic version, go to the piratebay and search for "Feynman Lectures on Physics (epub,mobi,html) - FIXED"

Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#52

Post by Retric »

jonahx wrote: post #49
Retric wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Books are clearly worse in virtually every context than one on one dialog with the author. The advantage of contact with people separated in space or time seem less meaningful at the time. But, venerating books over one on one contact is a huge mistake.

> Books are clearly worse in virtually every context than one on one dialog with the author. This is not the case with fiction or poetry, where what is communicated is often precisely what cannot be communicated socially or even explicitly. The experiences of both writing and reading are often in a different realm altogether than those of speaking and listening face to face -- one is not a watered down version of the…

People can recite books just fine, let alone poetry. Granted, it's something of a lost skill, but one on one interactions are not limited to dialogs even if they may enhance exposition.

So, you gain absolutely nothing by writing the spoken word down as a skilled orator can speak with a nuteral tone when desired but the written word can't add inflection.

Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#53

Post by dredmorbius »

hackerboos wrote: post #7
CountHackulus wrote: post #2

Disappointed it's explicitly not for download, but it's still excellent to be able to have access to all of these.

Hopefully some talented soul will write a script to convert these HTML files into mobie, epub and PDF.

pandoc will do pretty much exactly that.

http://johnmacfarlane.net/pandoc/README.html

Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#54

Post by judk »

Retric wrote: post #46
sabbatic13 wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Socrates' ideas, or rather Plato's representations thereof, belong to a cultural context radically different from our own and have absolutely no relevance. Greece was undergoing a transition from orality to literacy at the time. It was also in the early stages of actual educational institutions. What the distribution of a few manuscripts in that context meant relates to nothing in our modern world. Not to be a jerk a…

Books are clearly worse in virtually every context than one on one dialog with the author. The advantage of contact with people separated in space or time seem less meaningful at the time. But, venerating books over one on one contact is a huge mistake.

> Books are clearly worse in virtually every context than one on one dialog with the author.

This is what Feynman himself wrote in the preface to the books under discussion.

Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#55

Post by judk »

leephillips wrote: post #5

These books show more than anything else why Feynman is so revered among physicists as a teacher. An introductory course in physics, simple yet demanding, and shot through with Feynman's unique approach and personality.

Feynman actually found that the lectures kind of flopped as a semesters courses. It was too intense, IIRC.

Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#56

Post by kqr2 »

slacka wrote: post #51
tim333 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

pdf. Not sure how kosher the copyright is All 3 volumes: http://selfdefinition.org/science/25-greatest-science-books-...

That's a terrible quality pdf. For $14.99 you can purchase the enhanced version here: http://www.basicfeynman.com/enhanced.html It was very cool of the publishers to allow this, and they deserve our support. Otherwise, if you must download the basic version, go to the piratebay and search for "Feynman Lectures on Physics (epub,mobi,html) - FIXED"

Please note that this is only a small subset of his lectures. They are the "Six Easy Pieces".

  SIX EASY PIECES, taken from these famous Lectures on 
  Physics, includes the most approachable material from the 
  series

Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#58

Post by yequalsx »

paulvs wrote: post #50

Just chapter 1 contains answers to many questions that I've had on the back of my mind.. Why does water ice expand when it melts? If water ice is a crystalline structure, how can it vary in temperature (e.g. -5 degrees to -10 degrees). A very good read.

Perhaps you misspoke or I'm not understanding correctly what you mean but from the book:

"Another thing we can see from Fig. 1–4 is why ice shrinks when it melts. The particular crystal pattern of ice shown here has many “holes” in it, as does the true ice structure. When the organization breaks down, these holes can be occupied by molecules. Most simple substances, with the exception of water and type metal, expand upon melting, because the atoms are closely packed in the solid crystal and upon melting need more room to jiggle around, but an open structure collapses, as in the case of water."

Re: Feynman Lectures on Physics now free online

#59

Post by lovelearning »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #28

Is this worth reading for someone without a particular need to understand physics in depth? What I mean is if I take the time to read these will I learn anything useful to someone not pursuing a career in physics or related field?

I feel quantum computing will become a critical field, starting a decade or so from now.

Since it's still in its infancy, higher level abstractions won't be engineered for atleast another 2-3 decades.

So the first few engineers who get into it - even software engineers - will have to grapple with fundamental quantum mechanical concepts, in the same way computer engineers in the 1940s-60s had to grapple with fundamental electrical engineering concepts.

Feynman's Volume 3 is an especially useful introduction to these fundamental concepts, and I feel a good investment for the future.

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