Feynman himself stated in his original preface that he was “pessimistic” with regard to his success in reaching all of his students. The Feynman Lectures are considered to be one of the most sophisticated and comprehensive college-level introductions to physics. Although Feynman's most valuable technical contribution to the field of physics may have been in the field of quantum electrodynamics, the Feynman Lectures were destined to become his most widely-read work. Aware of the fact that this would be a historic event, Caltech recorded each lecture and took photographs of each drawing made on the blackboard by Feynman.īased on the lectures and the tape recordings, a team of physicists and graduate students put together a manuscript that would become The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Feynman readily agreed to give the course, though only once. Thus, it was decided to reconfigure the first physics course offered to students at Caltech, with the goal being to generate more excitement in the students. It was thought the courses were burdened by an old-fashioned syllabus and the exciting discoveries of recent years, many of which had occurred at Caltech, were not being taught to the students. At the same time that Feynman was at the pinnacle of his fame, the faculty of the California Institute of Technology was concerned about the quality of the introductory courses for undergraduate students. In particular, it was his work in quantum electrodynamics for which he was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize in physics. Background įeynman the “Great Explainer”: The Feynman Lectures on Physics found an appreciative audience beyond the undergraduate community.īy 1960, Richard Feynman’s research and discoveries in physics had resolved a number of troubling inconsistencies in several fundamental theories. In 2013, Caltech in cooperation with The Feynman Lectures Website made the book freely available, on the web site. The book also includes chapters on the relationship between mathematics and physics, and the relationship of physics to other sciences. The third volume covers quantum mechanics for example, it shows how the double-slit experiment demonstrates the essential features of quantum mechanics. The second volume covers mainly electromagnetism and matter. The first volume focuses on mechanics, radiation, and heat, including relativistic effects. 4.3 The Very Best of The Feynman Lectures (Audio, 2005).
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