From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge Of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics

The first two thirds (almost) of the book covers practical physics. It is very entertaining and interesting because it deals with thing and events that we all can relate to - Like Newton's laws of motion, electronics and the why and how everyday events happen the way they do. It was an interesting diversion from my usual read. I would have given this part of the book four stars.

The remainder of the book (over two thirds) deals with Astro Physics which it seems is really Walter Lewin's "thing". Unless you really care about where x-rays originate in the universe and how they get here along with other such topics that you can't get your mind around, you would do as I did and forget about it. If you do really care about these inter-galactic phenomena then be all means continue reading.

This is a well-written book to whet your appetite for physics, if you know nothing at all about physics yet have a burning desire to learn about X-ray astronomy. I would think that narrows the audience a bit.

Physics was my favorite subject in college, and I have continued to read books for the layperson (Hawking, Greene, Kaku, etc.). Those authors have a way of explaining new leading developments in modern physics in a way that speaks to the non-scientist. Lewin has a way of explaining basic, established Newtonian physics that is easy to understand but won't appeal to many of us who have had a college course or two in general physics, or even a really good high school physics course. The best audience might be high school students who are about to take their first physics course.

This first part of the book takes on a conversational tone, talking down a bit, taking pains to reach us on our own level, almost like Mister Rogers if he had taught physics. ("See how revealing good measurements can be?")

The first two-thirds of the book covers a range of interesting topics, although I think that one of the author's favorite topics is himself and his wonderful teaching style. He has received countless accolades for his classroom presentation, and cares about teaching a lot more than many physics professors who phone in their lectures while focused on research, so he deserves credit. But he really wants us to know that he is able to get his students to roar with laughter, or shriek in delight--"The students' eyes widen....As you may imagine, it's really very dramatic and my students are always quite shocked."

The oddest thing about this book is the bulk of it talks about fundamental physics, but then he launches into a long section on his own research into X-ray astronomy, his various misadventures in launching and tracking observational balloons, and his important discoveries. This second section takes on a completely different tone, with more advanced subject matter, and seems aimed a different audience than the first part.

This is a very accessible book for general audiences but depending on your interests and background you will probably just skim over one half or the other.

Even though Walter Lewin is my personal idol this book is not very good. It talks a lot about what he did in class and bla bla bla, What I am trying to say is that the book is a story of what he has done in his classes therefore I recommend to watch all his lecture instead of buying this book.

If you have not yet read For The Love Of Physics, I highly recomend that you do so. Please do not miss out on such an opertunity as to own and read this book written by the legendary Walter Lewin.

The book is so wonderfully written, Walter captured my attention from the very firs word and right straight through each chaper and to the end of the book. I loved it so much.

What a fabulous experience and oppertunity to see the world in a new way, and see all the beauty of the Physics behind it. Walter Lewin has proven that Physics does work and makes reading about it so enjoyable.

I have been a fan for several years now,and have seen all his lectures, and I will personally treasure this book, I love it. Walter Lewin really excells in this book, showing his love for Physics and Art, it is a real eye-opener.

I know that you all will enjoy reading For The Love Of Physics, I know I did.

Anne M. Bacchiocchi

I have very little doubt that any university freshman who has had Professor Lewin for any physics courses will never forget the experience. Why? The book's cover says it all. In the first 69% or so of the book, Professor Lewin discusses basic physics - touching upon various topics such as Newton's Laws, gravity, optics, sound, electricity, etc. The physics is very elementary such that a science buff is not likely to learn anything new here. But the highlight of these discussions is the joy of discovery that they impart to the reader. The author's enthusiasm and amazement for his subject matter is truly exceptional. Throughout, he describes various demonstrations that he's done in class in order to illustrate some particular points - and relishes his students' reactions. He goes out of his way to ensure that the students have fun and will remember what they've seen. Also located in the earlier part of the book is a bit of autobiographical information: mainly Professors Lewin's childhood in his native Holland during World War II and how difficult and horribly tragic life was at that time.

In the next few chapters, comprising about 27% of the book, Professor Lewin discusses his professional life and achievements in x-ray astronomy. This was a treat for me because, once again, his enthusiasm does not cease to grace every page and the details that he provides were mostly new to me. Finally, in the last chapter, he discusses mainly his love for modern art.

Written in clear, very friendly and lively prose, this book should be of particular interest as much to high school students and university freshmen for the clear information that it contains as to the seasoned science buff for the way it is expressed and for the information on the discovery and evolution of x-ray astronomy. If all science classes were taught like Professor Lewin teaches his physics classes, there would probably be more scientists in the world.

Author Walter Lewin is a legend at MIT, teaching physics there for over four decades. He always practiced his lectures at least three times in an empty classroom, with the last rehearsal at 5 A.M. on lecture day. These lessons have been made available on the Internet, and provide an excellent demonstration of the potential value of MOOC courses; Bill Gates reports viewing them and being very impressed.

Professor Lewin is particularly renowned for his ability to make concepts plain, combined with the joy he conveys about the wonders of the world and his fascinating demonstrations. 'For the Love of Physics' conveys some of those talents for readers.

He begins with some observations about the stars - the Andromeda galaxy, the only one visible to the naked eye, is around 2.5 million light-years away ('next-door' in astronomical terms), and made up of about 200 billion stars. Further out lies the outer reaches of our own Milky Way - another 100 to 200 billion stars. Current estimates are that there may be as many galaxies in the universe as stars in our own galaxy. The largest single structure in the known universe is over a billion light-years across, vs. the observable universe with one's eye is roughly only 90 billion light years across.

Of all the matter in our visible universe, only about 4% is ordinary matter, 23% is dark matter (invisible, of unknown composition), and the remaining 73% is called dark energy - also invisible and of unknown composition. Thus, we're ignorant about 96% of the mass/energy in our universe.

The universe is about 137 billion years old - however, some new galaxies formed 400 - 500 million years after the Big Bang, and the edge of the observable universe is now about 47 billion light-years away from us in every direction.

Lewin is suspicious of string theory - so far it's untestable and has no predictive power.

Then it's on to electricity and magnetism, x-rays, etc.

Finally, in other source, Lewin makes some interesting observations about the future of American secondary education. He believes free online university courses will force our less prestigious higher education institutions, which he calls 'trash,' out of business within 20 years. 'There is . . . in this country an enormous scale from the real top (eg. Harvard and MIT) down to universities that are just awful. We have 10,000 colleges in this country, so when you get down to the very bottom, a degree is worth nothing. Students will make their own package by taking courses on edX and other MOOC providers instead of accepting places at less prestigious universities and colleges. There is no other country in the world . . . that has such an enormous sliding scale of 10,000 colleges, whereby you have 10 that are among the very best in the entire world, then at the bottom you have such trash.'

What makes a good teacher (and why are there so few of them)? Knowledge of the subject matter is a given but the ultimate test of good teaching lies in effective and engaged learning. Passion for the subject is key and a good subject matter helps. Having Walter Levin as your teacher doesn't hurt either.

Physics is all around us and Levin is clearly passionate about demonstrating its power both by word and deed. Having left the subject many years ago in high school, it was a pleasure to read a text by someone who is both engaged and engaging.

I'm giving it two stars out of politeness, but really for me it may be closer to a one. I am three chapters in, and there's been very little about physics. It's all autobiographical, and he projects a literary personality that seems vain, egocentric, conceited, and relentlessly self-promoting. I imagine Professor Lewin is not really like this, but I'm reviewing the book not the man. I honestly with I hadn't bought this and bought some other popular physics book that focused more on science and less on the personality of a single scientist, and want to wan potential readers to try to determine if this will be a problem for them before they part with their money.

I am a great admirer of Prof. Lewin's teaching, and I suspect this book reflects problems due to the editor, literary agent, and non-physicist co-author. The book seems to be a hastily put together mash-up of three different ideas: 1) Insights into what is behind the on line lectures; 2) A first-person account of the early days of X-ray astronomy; and 3) A pre-college level "science is fun" book.

Some parts give wonderful insights into a master teacher and researcher, and will be of great interest to anyone who has watched his video lectures. The influences of WWII in Europe on his childhood, the breakdown of his first marriage while he was emphasizing his research, and the extent that he rehearses the lectures all present a human side to this professor.

However, most of the book is written at a level that is demeaning to anyone who has even taken high school level physics. Numerous very basic topics are brushed off with "this is too complicated to explain here." If the intended audience is even freshman college-level then things like Coulomb's Law and the decibel scale can be handled by the reader. I especially note that it should not be necessary to explain that the superscript 2 beside the letter r means radius squared!

On the other hand, if the goal is to encourage high school students to study physics, then presenting the main concepts with a comment that "understanding the details of how I got this result is a reason for learning calculus" would have been a better approach. Pre-college students need to see that science is something they can master if they study. Accounts of fundamental X-ray physics measurements and marital relationships are beyond this audience.

Numerous web links in the book are to images and further information located on non-archival sites, and I doubt if most of the links will still work after a few years. A better solution would have been a publisher-maintained web page so that web links could be updated as needed.

I believe that this book has a problem: if you are familiar with Walter Lewin, his lectures, his "madness" and have a little knowledge about physics, you will love this book. On the other hand, if you are unfamiliar with Prof. Lewin, the book is just OK.

And that is what I'm thorn between 5 stars and just 3 stars.

I happen to be fortunate enough to know about him and watched his lectures online, so I love the book. But I also am conscious that the book can be better.

The histories he wrote (about his PhD, his friends, his parents) are just incredible and make you love the old man even more. I would like to read a biography of his, because he can tell histories. I just prefer to see him "doing" the pyhisics.

What a marvelous book. Dr. Lewin presents physics in an enlightening and entertaining way that is a joy to read. No heavy math, just physics principles.

But (side note and not to discourage you from reading this marvelous book), if you want to truly see physics in all its glory go to the MIT website and search for "8.01 Physics I: Classical Mechanics" a video on-line course that Dr. Lewin taught in 1999. In the video course Dr. Lewin shows how physics is supposed to be taught. Do you remember high school physics or maybe an entry level college physics course and all the dry mathematical formulas that were presented with no rhyme or reason. Dr. Lewin develops the formulas and actually shows that they do what they purport to do. Warning: The course is calculus based and heavy on the math, but still a joy to watch.

Made famous on Youtube for his dramatic physics lectures at MIT, Lewin has written this book on physics - for everyman. Its a fascinating world as Lewin takes you through it. His demos are listed and you can see them all on YouTube. He is also a first rate researcher on Astrophysics and for me his chapters on X-rays, stars, black holes and so on were fascinating. He also does his best explaining the nano world of atoms including his thoughts on string theory. A side chapter on art is also a treat as he explains the role of artists teaching us to see differently. A fun and educational read - even if you know nothing about math and physics.

I am associated with a large group of schools in India. While I'm not an academician, I am interested in the entire teaching-learning process and am on the look out for good resources which can help our teachers make the subjects more interesting.

This book is PURE GOLD!I have shared this with many of our teachers and it has received unanimous glowing reviews.

I'd say that this book is not just for teachers of Physics but good for ANY teacher and is a great read actually for anyone. That is because Mr Lewin's unalloyed pleasure of teaching the subject comes through abundantly. It is impossible not to be influenced by the passion which he brings to the subject and I wish (oh how I wish!!) that I could have taken his class.

Though not the most scientifically detailed popular physics book on the market, this is surely one of the most gleefully enthusiastic. WL is an MIT institution. No wonder. His love of his discipline reverberates on every page of this quick reading pop science memoir/primer. WhatI wouldn't give to take a course with this guy! Luckily, his intro physics class is available online. One of these days, I'll get around to watching his lectures. Books like this inspire one to learn. Great read!

I watched his final lecture on youtube. I bought and read his book. He goes on at length about how he (and others) discovered the details of how extra-terrestial X-ray sources work. For all the insights arrived at, he (and they) might just as well been studying the question of how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. He spent his life answering questions that have no relevance to anyone other than a few fellow physicists who get together for meetings and pat each other on the back. Vocations such as Lewin's are utterly useless to life here on this planet where it is and will always be confined. Now had he done this with his own money or that of a willing donor rather than on the backs of taxpayers who have no choice in the matter that would have been notable.

This book is a quick read, most of it at a fairly low level technically (to an engineer). The first part of the book is 'science is cool' kind of stuff (rainbows, straws, magnets, etc), but Dr. Lewin, drawing from his long experience lecturing at MIT, does it with some flare and more depth than you normally would see. I took beginning physics at MIT before Dr. Lewin and remember some of the same experiments he describes, like the swinging ball to the chin, being done. I don't remember my physic professor riding a pendulum ball (cover picture), but interesting physics demonstrations have long been a feature of freshman physics at MIT.

The latter part of the book I think is the more interesting. Here he tells us about his professional work and interests outside the classroom. Dr Lewin was a pioneer and expert in the field of x-ray astronomy. He gives us an insider's view of how x-ray astronomy developed, tells personal stories about the launching huge helium balloons, we lean a little about how x-ray telescopes work. (I wish there had been more detail here, maybe an appendix on x-ray telescopes.) Near the end of the book we learn Dr. Lewin has another side as he tells us of his long and intense interest in art, that he owns far more art books than physics books, and has been a technical consultant to artists over the years.

I don't want to be unkind about the structure of this book, but it is pretty loose, a collection of unrelated topics. In the middle of a 'science is cool' chapter we suddenly find ourselves in remembrances of Dr. Lewin's childhood in Nazi occupied Holland. A factor may be Dr. Lewin's health, he tells us he recently spent a long time in the hospital. It is unclear how much of this book was written by Dr. Lewin, and how much was 'told to' a non-technical ("my immersion in a foreign world") writer his literary agent got to help him.

I got Prof. Lewin's book when I was visiting Harvard University in 2012 when I was visiting family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I also got a tour of the MIT Campus by a female science student at MIT. I didn't get to meet Prof. Lewin then, but I got his book from the Harvard Book Store in Harvard Square. I emailed him about getting my book signed by him, but he was busy teaching a class I think. I hope to get to meet him someday

PS: Amazing Book! Must have for people interested in learning about what Prof. Lewin teaches at MIT OpenCourseWare. I have watched his videos on YouTube since I was 16 years old.

I really want to like this book. I was going to give the book to my students who loves physics. But I found that the book said that Normal force is the reaction force of Weight. It's wrong. The reaction force of the Weight is the force that pulling the earth to that thing (The thing is pulled by the earth, end the earth is pulled by the thing - that's action and reaction). Normal force is not the reaction force of the Weight. It is there to cancel the gravitation force so the total sum of the force is zero (Newton's first law). Therefore, the thing is not moved. As a teacher, I have been trying to combat this misconception about reaction force to my students. So when I found that the book has this misconception, I paused reading it. I cancel my plan to give this book to my students.

Wow. Count me in as a Walter Lewin fan. I would be a scientist or engineer today if I had experienced his teaching earlier in life. Excellent read for those with a natural curiosity about how our world works.

I saw the book when my wife was reading it. I quickly browsed through and it seemed interesting. Then I started to read more carefully the section about how airplane wings produce the lift and the Bernoulli equation. The author is wrong on many accounts when discussing that subject, so I stopped reading there.

By the way, a much better discussion about the lift of wings can be found in Doug McLean's book 'Understanding Aerodynamics: Arguing from the Real Physics.,

Sigh. An educator, perhaps an excellent one, accused of sexual misconduct. MIT pulls his videos. A book written to attempt to rehabilitate his reputation? Sorry, actions have consequences. If you haven't heard the story, search "Lewin misconduct."