Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher

I have heard of Feynman's collection of physics lectures for a long time and had intended reading them "one of these days" but never seemed to get to it. When a couple of friends and I formed a book club to discuss science and other types of expository prose, and one of them suggested this book, I decided "this is the day."

In reading Six Easy Pieces, I had a distinct sympathy with Feynman's undergraduate students. The man's mind must have run at the speed of light, ideas just firing off like gunshots. For a decade that had only reel to reel tape recorders, and big ones at that, the only resort for the student taking notes would have to have been a strong skill at shorthand.

I had expected a more difficult and thorough book, but the author presents a very simple, almost too brief, analysis of basic physics in this volume, which is a section of a larger text based on his lectures. In it he illustrates the close association, even a basic underpinning, of other sciences by physics. He notes relationships with earth sciences, particularly geology, with astronomy/cosmology, biology, and chemistry in particular. What he doesn't do is go into very great detail on how these areas relate to one another, his discussion of chemistry being the most thorough of them.

The book is very short, and the author spends much of it on the history and relationships of physics as a science. It is more like a general introduction written to preface material presented later in the course. He does a nice job of explaining the issue of particle/wave duality in electromagnetic and other waves in the final chapter of the book, which also suggests that the bulk of the book is "introductory" in nature and that more is to come later.

Athough the author presents some equations and graphs, those who are math-shy needn't be daunted; they are straight forward and helpful in understanding the points the author makes. Furthermore, Feynman's narative style goes very rapidly. He jumps from topic to topic, intercalating brief stories and amusing comments to put his message across in an entertaining manner, rather than in a ponderous discussion or chalk boards full of formulae.

Although the reader who has no physics background may enjoy learning something of the field through this book, I suspect those with a science background may find one of the more recent books on the subject more informative.

Excellent book, clear explanation of some basic principles of physics. Should be required reading by those taking physics in high school and college since it provides a good overview tying together related things that are often taught independently in physics, chemistry and biology. There are some interesting B&W videos from the 60s that show Dr Feynman lecturing. Wish I could have been in his class.

Feynman is great, but my edition of this book was MESSED UP! Hopefully the problem has been corrected, but please check the book when it arrives. I bought this for my husband for Christmas 2011 and just noticed (2016) that the chapters are wrong (in this order): 1, 2, 3, 2, 3, 6. Obviously my husband never read it!

Nothing wrong with what Feynmann has written. The problem is the images or illustrations are not there or not legible. I cannot understand what Feynmann is talking about if I cannot see the illustrations. The problem is with kindle or wherever they sourced the text from.

A simple introduction to physics by one of the 20th century great physicists. This excerpt of Six lectures from Feynman's Lectures on Physics are a simple introductory set with little math. In them, Feynman does a good job outlining the big questions in Physics in layman terms. It is somewhat revolutionary in that Feynman re-organizes the material in a significant departure from ordinary physics textbooks. Right from the first chapter, he deduces rather complex phenomena starting from one simple assumption about what the world is made of. Since this was written in the early 1960s, naturally parts of it are outdated. It would be nice to have an addendum to more recent editions to give the reader a brief update on developments since then.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book except for Feynman's style of writing. The book seems to be transcribed directly from his spoken lectures without any attempt at editing. Feynman may be a great scientist and teacher, but the quality of writing has much to improve. The book is highly repetitive, the same concept often repeated two or three times in the same paragraph with different wording. In a classroom, Feynman may have thought this style necessary so important points are reinforced, but in a book it makes reading quite tedious. Another writing flaw is his tendency to oversimplify the language. For example, the word "very" is way overused, sometimes 4-5 times in the same paragraph - "very complicated", "very difficult", "very important", etc. This gives the impression of an inability to explain things more precisely in language, and the net result is that the reader feels their intelligence is insulted. A bit of editing to the text could have done wonders to its readability.

"Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher," Richard P. Feynman, MA, Perseus Books, 1995 ISBN: 0-201-40825-2, PC, 146 pgs., plus 6 pg. Index, 3 pgs. on Author, 8 1/4" x 5 3/8"

The Publisher's Note: Herein, the 6 "easiest chapters" are from Feynman's important text: "Lectures on Physics" (1963), Nobelist working out of C.I.T., has 10 pg. Intro. by Paul Davies (1994) giving us origin of these writings for Caltech Frosh/Sophs who contemplate physics. A lucid writing style by Nobelist for work on QED (quantum eletrodynamics) has 2 prefaces: one by Goodstein & Neugebauer & one Feynman's in original publication giving us insight to his uniqueness, a gifted teacher who is a legend.

The 6 "easy" chapters cover: Atoms in Motion, Basic Physics, Relation of Physics to Other Sciences, Conservation of Energy, Theory of Gravitation & Quantum Behavior. His explanations & analogies are clear, succinct & memorable as are his commentaries on what is science, what is not science, role of math, role of experimentation, & clarification of theory, laws & natural sciences is also well presented. His exposition on changes in liquids & solids (crystalline formation & molecular orientations) in 2-3 pages is more revealing that 25 pages of mundane text.

The final chapter on Quantum Behavior covers "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle" which limits any knowledgte of precise location & velocity of particles simultaneously: that mere observation of subatomic scale phenomenon disturbs the equations. Had the author not died in 1988 an update might be convenient but not requisite. It's a neat book tucked in your jacket pocket to refresh your memory & dazzle your friends.

Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman, the noted, Nobel Prize winning physicist, becomes an interesting case for the reader. They are ‘easy’ in there is not much elaborate mathematical detail about the topics Feynman discusses (atoms, quantum physics, astronomy, etc.) and the beginning essays are, in fact, quite easy.

But as one reads, the 'easy' pieces get harder, and my late high school and early college science classes quickly failed me. Interesting, this is what is said in the preface.

These lectures were prepared for a freshman physics class and Feynman prepared them as introductory material. But as the semester went on, we are told, more and more freshman dropped the course, and more faculty and graduate students attended. They wanted to see Feynman explain complicated topics in a simple way, in itself a difficult task.

So, unless you have a decent background in physics, these lectures will leave you way behind at the mid-point. This is not to say that the lectures fail (although they did not accomplish their original purpose) but it is to say that this is not a great introduction to physics for the novice.

Read any physics book written in the last few decades and without a doubt you will run into the name “Richard Feynman.” He is almost a demigod among the scientific establishment and not without reason. He was a prolific author, an accomplished scientist, and a quasi-cultural icon. He won the Nobel Prize in 1965 for his work on quantum electrodynamics and his lectures on physics are available online and in paper-and-ink format. In fact, SIX EASY PIECES: ESSENTIALS OF PHYSICS EXPLAINED BY ITS MOST BRILLIANT TEACHER (New York, NY: Perseus Books, 2011) is based on those lectures.

This short book is divided into six chapter covering atomic theory, the importance of physics to other scientific disciplines, the conservation of energy, the theory of gravitation, and quantum mechanics. It is immediately apparent by reading this volume why Feynman was and is so popular. The writing is lucid and colorful, peppered with little anecdotes here and there that makes this incredible mind seem so ordinary and approachable. But Feynman wasn’t ordinary, at least not by any conventional meaning of the word.

Feynman writes in chapter one that “the test of all knowledge is experiment. Experiment is the SOLE JUDGE of scientific ‘truth.’” (2) This is a bold statement and one with which many philosophers would disagree. But Feynman’s central thesis is that in order to get after what is approximately true, one must test our knowledge to be sure it reflects reality. And even when those tests are passed successfully it doesn’t mean that we have necessarily arrived at a universal truth. A spinning top, Feynman says, doesn’t change mass as it spins and so we may conclude that mass is constant regardless of velocity. But this isn’t true of objects at relativistic speeds; they increase in mass considerably as they approach the speed of light.

These sorts of facts are difficult to teach as he points out. Where does one start? Do we begin with the incredible discovery that mass increases as velocity approaches relativistic speeds or do we start at the easier truth that mass is constant regardless of velocity (so long as they are not at extremely high velocities)? He writes,

“This point arises again and again in teaching physics. At different times we shall have to resolve it in different ways, but at each stage it is worth learning what is now known, how accurate it is, how it fits into everything else, and how it may be changed when we learn more.” (3)

Nowhere is this more abundantly clear than the apparent dichotomy between the world of the macroscopic and the world of the microscopic. When we look at how large objects behave we generally find predictable behavior. The Sun warps the fabric of space-time so that planets follow a specific trajectory along the curvature to orbit it. There is an extremely low probability that the Earth will suddenly stop its orbit. But if we look at an electron orbiting around the nucleus of an atom, we really aren’t sure where it is. Electrons exist in a cloud of probabilities and that makes pinpointing its precise location very difficult.

Electrons are fundamental particles and are key components in quantum mechanics. Feynman writes,

“’Quantum mechanics’ is the description of the behavior of matter in all its detail and, in particular, of the happenings of an atomic scale. Things on a very small scale behave nothing like that you have any direct experience about. They do not behave like waves, they do not behave like particles, they do not behave like clouds, or billiard balls, or weights on springs, or like anything you have ever seen.” (116)

It is Feynman’s chapter on quantum behavior that is worth the price of the whole book. He goes over experiments that have been conducted to determine the nature of the electron including the famous double slit experiment. I do not have a physics or a science background, so some of this material was a bit difficult for me to grasp so I encourage you to read the chapter yourself. Feynman points out that some of the conclusions of quantum mechanics are counterintuitive and that it is necessary to walk across a “logical tightrope…if we wish to describe nature successfully.” (132) Quantum mechanics works and experiment after experiment shows this to be true. But there are some strange beasts lurking in the world of quanta such as the Uncertainty Principle which is highlighted in this chapter.

In all, SIX EASY PIECES is a short read but an absolutely fascinating one. It is perhaps one that I will reread every so often just to gain an appreciation of the field and of one of its greatest contributors. Whether you have a physics background or are nothing more than a layperson like myself, SIX EASY PIECES will be a nice addition to your library and will reward you with some of the greatest insights into our universe ever made by one of its most brilliant teachers.

Either buy the complete Feynman lectures, or buy nothing.

This book's "six easy pieces" are easy-ish, I suppose, but most of its readers are already at least familiar with the subject matter. If physics is your thing, then Feynman's lectures are a really good time: buy the complete set rather than waste your money by buying these six here and then again when you buy the complete set anyway. If, on the other hand, you're not already familiar with the subject matter, these six lectures won't teach you much.

Feynman's lectures are very popular amongst the physics community today, but the dirty little secret is that they are an abject failure. Feynman wrote the lectures as part of a conception of pedagogy that was very vogue at the time: that if very smart people are given virtually unlimited resources and told to teach in the best way possible, they'll teach very effectively. Caltech completely redesigned its introductory physics courses around Feynman (i.e., around these lectures) and the results were catastrophic. It turns out (big surprise) that one needs to know something about teaching - not just about physics, or English literature, or whatever - to teach physics, or English literature, or whatever, well. My point is that these "six easy pieces" might feel easy, but you won't really come away from them with much better an understanding of physics. They probably will be fun, though. If fun is all you're after, go right ahead. If a lot of fun is what you're after, buy the complete Lectures. If you want to learn physics, look elsewhere.

In his introduction Professor Paul Davies describes this book as "both a primer on physics for non-scientists and...a primer on Feynman himself". The first part of this statement is borne out in the six essays containing almost no mathematics, making them in a sense "easy", and ranging across topics from the atomic hypothesis, to the notion of energy (and its conservation), gravitation, and a brief introduction to quantum theory; the expositions of several key concepts are models of clarity. It does not pretend to give a true overview of all of physics, and it is interested in philosophical issues only in the most glancing way. As a primer on Feynman himself, the book displays his humorous touches, and his impatience with fields for which he has no sympathy, notably psychoanalysis, along with his barely concealed frustration on encountering limits to the explanatory power of physics - he acknowledges such limits frankly and brusquely, but his frustration seems tempered by a sense of wonder.

The very generality of the topics and the way in which they are treated, with their assumptions at least unbuttoned if not fully laid bare, gave promise of serious philosophical discussion of the foundational concepts of physics - this did not occur, and in the introduction by Feynman's faculty collegues, Goodstein and Neugarber, it is said that he eschewed philosophy in the main. This would be in contrast with Einstein, who was not only well versed in ancient and modern philosophy, but whose ideas seemed very much to emerge from philosophical considerations. As a incredibly clear and engaging history and discussion of physics his book "The Evolution of Physics", co-written with Leopold Infeld, is priceless - both this book and Feynman's are evidence that to be able to advance at the cutting edge of physics a precise understandings of the basics is necessary - in fact Feynman at one point states that if he, or another authority, were unable to explain a concept to a bright first year physics student then the concept itself was not really understood. Hopefully this last comment takes away a little of intimidation present in tackling a work by a Nobel laureate scientist - both Feynman and Einstein want to communicate, and they are both spectacularly successful in so doing, Feynman in this volume sticking to expositions of ideas in physics, Einstein also enriching the discussion with philosophy.

For further philosophical engagement with core ideas in physics, and the broader sciences, there are the classic texts by Emile Meyerson, "Identity and Reality" being available readily in translation, while reference libraries could well shelve "The Relativistic Deduction" and "Explanation in the Sciences". Milic Capek's book, "The Philosophical Impact of Contemporary Physics", is another model of clarity - it is extremely well-written, is focused on the philosophical implications of physical theories rather than the physics itself (so no mathematics is presented), and is demanding; his book, "Bergson and Modern Physics", is also very involving, and in engaging with Bergson seeks to develop an alterative perspective to what might be considered the default mainstream view.

Perhaps the value of this book can be measured by looking at an anecdote from another field. The world chess champion Mikhail Tal related how he continued to view Russian television programs on the basics of chess, programs intended for beginners, even when he was champion - he said that he could always gain from having another perspective on the core priniciple of chess. Feynman's book might well serve a similar purpose to established thinkers in the field while instructing others as they begin their journey.

Oh, if you're wondering about the title of this review, Professor Davies tells of Feynman's love of the bongos, along with his "frequenting of strip clubs" and "his obsession with the long-lost country of Tuva" - no wonder he was wary of psychoanalysts!

I found “Six Easy Pieces” to be good, but not terribly great. Unless I am missing something, I feel that some of Prof Feynman’s writings (that I have read to varying extents) are a bit overstated. (I felt similarly with the Feynman Lectures too, when I tried reading it many years ago). Ditto with some of his layman Youtube videos of his Cornell lectures. Though I am sure listening to him in person must have been a totally different, thrilling experience.

In “Six Easy Pieces”, I was able to appreciate only the last chapter (that talks about Quantum Mechanics, the double-slit experiment with bullets, water waves and eventually with electrons, and the effect of measurement). It needed careful reading to appreciate what Prof Feynman was saying, but then thats the nature of the subject. It needs careful attention to detail. I liked the way Prof Feynman brought out the puzzling aspect of Quantum Mechanics.

I plan to get started on the sequel “The Six Not-so-easy Pieces” next …

Students of Feynman recorded a unique set of lectures that occured in 1963 only. Their notes have been transcribed into this brief compendium that was designed for beginners, for those not educated in Physics. This reviewer purchased the book in order to accomplish a simple goal. That was to get a grasp on the minimum essentials of this course of scientific study.

Prior to reading the book the reviewer had seen a play called The Proof by David Auburn. The play described how solving an intense mathemetical equation was not unlike art or poetry. The intent was poignent and left the reviewer humbled but interested in learning more. Feynman's intent was similar to Auburn's. There is beauty in the equation, once it is understood.

Initially it was felt that readin this series of lectures was a failure. The reviewer felt no more adept at discussing Physics than before. Prior to writing this brief the notes were reviewed and there were six handwritten pages the reviewer had taken. That is quite a bit for such a small book. The notes were reviewed and it was discovered that quite a lot was actually learned. It would be nice to say "I know a lot about Quantum Mechanics"* in fact only some morsels were remembered and noted.

The value of the book for us beginners is that it is written in a very fluid style with many simple analogies that make it understandable and it can be referred back to for clarification and those areas that the reader wants to expand their knowledge on can be pursued.

This reader is never going to be a Physicist but has come away with some basic knowledge that can only help in understanding a future read on the subject.

* There is an oft quoted maxim that goes something like this, "Anyone who says that they know a lot about Quantum Mechanics knows very little about Quantum Mechanics". Well, this reader recognizes that he knows little.

"Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher," Richard P. Feynman, MA, Perseus Books, 1995 ISBN: 0-201-40825-2, PC, 146 pgs., plus 6 pg. Index, 3 pgs. on Author, 8 1/4" x 5 3/8"

The Publisher's Note: Herein, the 6 "easiest chapters" are from Feynman's important text: "Lectures on Physics" (1963), Nobelist working out of C.I.T., has 10 pg. Intro. by Paul Davies (1994) giving us origin of these writings for Caltech Frosh/Sophs who contemplate physics. A lucid writing style by Nobelist for work on QED (quantum eletrodynamics) has 2 prefaces: one by Goodstein & Neugebauer & one Feynman's in original publication giving us insight to his uniqueness, a gifted teacher who is a legend.

The 6 "easy" chapters cover: Atoms in Motion, Basic Physics, Relation of Physics to Other Sciences, Conservation of Energy, Theory of Gravitation & Quantum Behavior. His explanations & analogies are clear, succinct & memorable as are his commentaries on what is science, what is not science, role of math, role of experimentation, & clarification of theory, laws & natural sciences is also well presented. His exposition on changes in liquids & solids (crystalline formation & molecular orientations) in 2-3 pages is more revealing that 25 pages of mundane text.

The final chapter on Quantum Behavior covers "Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle" which limits any knowledgte of precise location & velocity of particles simultaneously: that mere observation of subatomic scale phenomenon disturbs the equations. Had the author not died in 1988 an update might be convenient but not requisite. It's a neat book tucked in your jacket pocket to refresh your memory & dazzle your friends.

In Six Easy Pieces, Feynman describes the basic ideas of physics, how physics relates to other sciences, what physicists mean by "energy", how quantum physics relates to everyday physics, and how gravity works.

Why does an apple fall from the tree when its stem can't hold its weight anymore? Why does the moon go around the earth and the earth around the sun?

Feynman doesn't really tell us anything we don't know when he says that gravity is the thing that causes the apple to fall and the moon to orbit the earth. But he describes gravity a little further and explains that the force of gravity between two masses is described by the product of the mass of the two interacting objects divided by the square of the distance, and the result multiplied by a number called G, the Gravitational Constant, equal to 0.0000000000667426.

So far so good, but still textbook stuff. But why does G have this particular value? Feynman bluntly answers that we don't know. And there lies the value of the book: he gives the boundary between what we can and cannot know. And that's OK. Physics is about understanding how nature works rather than why it's there.

Vincent Poirier, Tokyo

"Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics By Its Most Brilliant Teacher," a collection of lectures given by the Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman, offers a fascinating overview of six major concepts in the field of physics. While the lectures underlying the content of this work were delivered in the early 1960s, the material is enduring and is presented in a clear, lucid, and engaging manner.

I listened to all of the material underlying this book (the lectures themselves), which I highly recommend to anyone interested in getting a "front row seat" to some of the most celebrated lectures in physics.

The content covered by Feynman in "Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics By Its Most Brilliant Teacher" is straightforward and basic enough for meaningful consumption by a broad audience. Some exposure to mathematics, physics, and/or science in general will offer good context for the material covered by Feynman, but such exposure is not necessary to enjoy and appreciate this fine book.

I highly recommend this book to any and all readers/listeners with an interest in "seeing" physics through the eyes of one of the 20th century's most celebrated scientists.

This book consists of what the editors consider to be six of the easier lessons from Richard Feynman's Lectures on Physics, a three volume work adapted from a series of freshman and sophomore level lectures given at Caltech in the 1960s. Each piece elegantly explains its intended topic without complicated or in depth mathematics. The reader will obtain the gist of the principles behind theses physical phenomena. Feynman whole heartedly admits to the limits of scientific knowledge of his time and in doing so very much dates his lectures. They nonetheless contain rich morsels of the knowledge of physics which will benefit the modern reader. This book is not intended to be an overview of physics. It assumes the reader has some basic education in some subjects, and a previous knowledge of elementary physics greatly helps to understand the pieces. More than anything, it is Feynman's style of teaching that is conveyed through the work's pages. The greatest joy in reading Six East Pieces is to experience Feynman's intuitive knowledge of physics and his subtly elegant conveyance of this topic.

If you want to really learn physics, get a textbook and/or take a class with labs. The purpose of this book isn't really to teach you physics. It is, after all, only six of numerous chapters in Feynman's "Lectures on Physics." What it does is to give the reader a taste of the scope of the field, what physicists do, and what the study of physics is like without going in too deep. So, for the reader who does not really know about physics and has a slight interest in some basic concepts, this book is enjoyable and enlightening.
For the reader who has an extensive, or at least some, knowledge of physics already, I think this book would be even more fun to read. You have little to learn in the way of the content of what he teaches, and so you can focus on how he teaches and think about the examples he gives. It is by no means a waste of time unless you have read already the "Lectures on Physics." Feynman's lectures are much more exciting than any textbook, and reviewing basic materials from the perspective of someone like him is a worthwhile thing to do.

Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to one of today's most intriguing scientific fields. Feynman presents physics in a series of easily understandable lectures that are appealing to the layman, in that it presents theories and concepts through simple example. Despite the age of his work, much of what is taught and discussed in the book is still relevant and accepted in physics today.
The book centers on the basic principles and operations of the following topics:
1 - Atoms In Motion
2 - Basic Physics
3 - The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences
4 - Conservation of Energy
5 - The Theory of Gravitation
6 - Quantum Behavior
Within each topic lesser subtopics are addressed, more specifically subtopics that are rooted to or based in one of the overall topics. The teaching style exhibited by Feynman is well thought out and should appeal to the majority of readers. However, Six Easy Pieces is meant as an introduction for the layman and is not suggested for those already experienced in the field.
In closing, Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to the topic of physics, however it is just that - an introduction. Therefore, it is highly recommended for the layman, but not for the physicist.

I cannot believe I survived 18 years without reading this. I will concede that it does not teach you everthing there is to know about physics. It doesn't really even scratch the surface - there's really a lot more to physics than this.
It is, however, an excellent introduction to physics (or, rather, the basics thereof) and an essential resource to anyone thinking of getting involved in physics. In his characteristically lucid rhetoric, Richard Feynman teaches the beginning physicist how to think about things on his/her own - an essential in both the real world and science.
It is true that you cannot build a structure on something other than a strong base; accordingly, you can't be any kind of respectable scientist or science enthusiast without the knowledge contained in this book - and let me tell you, it won't be explained any clearer than this! Be sure to buy this soon.

As an avid admirer of intellectuals(Gertrude Stein, Einstein, Chomsky, Goodman,Said, et al)I couldn't have been happier finding out a new one, this being Richard P Feynman (1918-1988) and his book Six Easy Pieces. The book is divided into 6 or 7 chapters explaining different ideas of physics, this ideas being very simply, hence the same six EASY Pieces. The book doesn't use any equationis accept very elemantary ones. The first chapter devotes some time to the theory (or fact, whatever you prefer) of atoms, explaining how it works. Feynman also talks about,in different chapters, about the relation of physics to other sciences and ideas.
Feynman's gift is very simple. He understands physics. Not just the ideas of physics but how it relates to life and how it came about. Feynman knows how to use simple examples in life to make a point clear. Feynman also explains a mistake that a textbook makes in showing how atoms are seen through a microscope. It is just this kind of experience and truth that makes Six Easy Pieces a book that is incredible good. In the book Feynman talks about Newton's ideas of Physics and Kepler's thoughts and ideas of the orbit of the planets. Buy if you want a great explanation of the basic elements in physics.

The zeal that Feynman had for teaching comes through the book and it must have been something to see live. I read this book after I read QED which was a tough read for me as I don't have a background in Physics (other than the basic course I took in college). I would recommend reading Six Easy Pieces prior to QED if you want to read both. Each of the chapters in Six Easy Pieces is easily consumable in a sitting so you can read the whole chapter and take some to think about it without reaching the end of the chapter and feeling mentally exhausted.

Interesting book, not so much for the physics content, which is dated, but for the insight into a highly regarded man. Perhaps I am missing something though as I don't seem to be sufficiently in awe of Feynman. He reminds me a lot of one or two of the physics professors I knew in school: quirky and verbose.

The book contains edited transcripts of some of Feynman's lectures from the early sixties. Again, his method, on paper at least, does not inspire. I don't doubt however that his enthusiasm and passion in person may have made up for whatever else he lacked in communication and teaching skills.

I did enjoy the introduction and prefaces.

Feynman has condensed the contents of his presentations to 1st year Physics students at CalTech. The information about the six topics is simply put and without a prerequisite deep mathematic understanding. These more advanced lessons are available in the Feynman Lectures on Physics. If you would like a basic Physics understanding and would like learning it from a teacher with wit and verve, this is a great resource. The six topics are about atoms, basic Physics, Physics relations to other sciences, energy, gravity, and Quantum Mechanics.
When read with "Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman", this book is far more interesting. It will highlight Feynman's wit and prepare you for its appearance in his lecture.

Dr. Feynman makes the basic principles of physics accessible to the layman. I read this several years ago while in the middle of research on different topic. After finishing Mr. Gleick's biography the other day, I pulled my copy down and re-read and passed to one of my children---taking undergrad physics. Feynman reduces his science to the easily explainable---all the while admitting where scientists do not understand. His "Lectures on Physics" should arrive soon, and will be my winter project (and maybe sooner).
Highly recommended---and if you haven't read his book QED---another gem."

Richard Feynman cohesively and cocisely explains the basics of physics in this book, aptly earning him the title "physics' most brilliant teacher". The genius of Feynman's writing is his uncommon ability to explain effectively concepts of physics often not explained as well by textbooks or other sources. For example, I found his explanation of uniform circular motion (that an orbiting object is "falling around" that which it orbits) extremely helpful. That Feynman was able to unlock some of the more arcane aspects of physics to those who had been attempting to understand them conceptually for years is further testimony to his brilliance. The book is therefore requisite for both those who are troubled by the study of physics and those enthused by it.

I took three semesters of physics to complete my undergraduate degree; I'll never forget the dumbfounded look on my instructor's face when we were studying electrical force and I asked, "so, why *do* protons attract electrons, anyway?" The professor sputtered and said, "it's just a force of the universe. Shut up and stop asking stupid questions." Or when the instructor presented Newton's third law ("every action has an equal and opposite reaction"), and I asked, "So why is it that when I push against a wall it doesn't push back and fall apart?" The answer was, "Well, the wall doesn't fall apart does it? So that's that. Shut up and stop asking stupid questions." Dr. Feynman addresses *exactly* these types of questions, over and over again. (If the earth and the moon are attracted to each other, why don't they crash into each other? Why are snowflakes shaped the way they are? Why does blowing on soup cool it down?) I only wish this book had been 1300 pages rather than 130 - every page answered some nagging problem I've had with the physics explanation of the universe. I don't think you can learn physics from this book, but you can get excited enough about it to start digging around and discovering more, like I did.

Cosmologist Stephen Hawking wrote that "each equation will half the sales of the book". There are a few equations in this title, but are explained in such understandable terms as to make them worthwhile!
Personally, I am terrible at maths. I couldn't solve a path-integral if my life depended on it. Yet Feynman's way of explaining complex reactions and phenomena in easy-to-comprehend analogies helped me to see the world beneath our fingertips with relative ease.
Feynman's characteristic energy and excitement do shine forth in these lectures, and if you want a good place to start learning physics, or you want to learn but are mathematically inept, this book is an ideal starting point. Also recommended is "In Search of Schrodinger's Cat" by John Gribbin, which helped explain further the mysteries of the 'two-slit experiment'.

Six Easy Pieces, written by one of the most famous physicists to ever live, covers six topics that you will likely encounter in an introductory college physics course. If you have already had a physics course or two, there is a good chance you won't learn much, although there are lots of interesting side notes you may not have known. If you haven't had a physics course yet, or don't plan on taking one, then this book will come in handy in helping to explain topics such as atoms, basic physics, how physics relates to other disciplines, conservation of energy, gravitation, and quantum behavior. This material is presented in a very easy to understand (no math!) and very conversational tone that will make the book easy to read.

As a student of physics, I came to appreciate the teachings of Richard P. Feynman. In Six Pieces, the lectures he presents are both clear and simple. The book is a small sample of the larger collection, The lecture series, but in a small digestable chunks that everyone interested in how physics works will fully appreciate. As a teacher of physics now, I often brouse through these lectures to get ideas of how my lectures should flow, as Feynman's did. I hope to see more of these lectures in small books that illustrate the true nature of how things work. J.Camarena. Van Nuys CA.

What is remarkable about the book Six Easy pieces is that Richard Feynman is able to explain concepts in physics with simple examples that anyone can understand. He is also refreshingly honest -- he says "This is what we know" and "This is what we don't know" in a very straightforward way. The book is very good at explaining physics concepts and would make a good primer for someone who skipped high school physics. The book also explains the relationship of physics to other sciences (chemistry, biology, etc.) in a way that is simple and yet clear.

I'm a high school physics teacher who is currently using this book to supplement my physics students' reading. Well, actually, there have been whole subject matters, such as Conservation of Energy and Law of Universal Gravitation which we have entirely taken from this book. My students are from diverse backgrounds, and Feynman has allowed them to really get their hands on these complicated ideas, which, frankly, a math-only-oriented program wouldn't let someone with high school math skills do. This book has convinced me to look for other appropriate texts by Feynman for my class.

Referring to the audio book: The texts are not read by a narrator; rather, these are the actual recordings of the lectures. The sound quality is horrendous. Most of the stuff is unintelligible. In addition, Feynman regularly refers to visual aids (you can even hear the chalk against the chalk board on occasion), and without the benefit of those aids I found his lectures hard to follow.
My advice: Get the printed or kindle version!

Dr. Feynman's work as an educator still goes unsurpassed. Nobody conveys the scientific with the passion and humor he does. Dr. Feynman does not teach you physics, he helps you fall in love with physics. He knew that once you fell in love, there would be no holding you back. Educators of all topics can learn from his example, but be careful, the physics cupid is waiting inside and you probably will not escape his charms.

Feynman! If you're even thinking about this book, just buy it. He's the best. If you can catch his contagious desire to understand all things large and small, you'll do well in life. This books is great for beginners too!

What happens when you take one of the most creative Nobel scientists ever and put him in front of a freshman physics class? This.

These essays were transcribed from a series of lectures in the early 1960s. Although the nominal purpose was to teach physics, the real goal was to convey the excitement of science and its relationship to the everyday world. A few points have aged, especially where Feynman connects biology, but the discussion as a whole is still informative and enjoyable.

This is a great book for just about any kind of reader: the serious scientist who wants to see Feynman's mind at work, or the interested layman who wants some math-free insight into the physics of the macro and micro worlds.

//wiredweird

If you have been reading the reviews of this book you might be beginning to suspect that this book is a great place to start. You're right. Feynman uses easy to understand examples and relates them very well to his subject matter.
After I saw the 10 year anniversary edition to "A Breif History of Time" I felt guilty and I read my 10 year old copy. I should have read this book first. I would have been much better prepared to read the other. Both books were great but Feynman did a better job of relating the scientific to the mundane.

July 12, 1999
First and foremost thank you for producing this initial release of Richard Feynman's Physics lectures.
I am a total fan of Richard Feynman's series of Physics lectures and enjoy them both for their knowledge and historic value but ...
I would really like to see a transcript made of this audio lecture and have it reproduced by a professional narrator like Jeff Riggenbach who has done work for audio scholar. Jeff Riggenbach's work is excellant! Listen to T-Rex and The Crater of Doom as one example.
I would repurchase all of the Richard Feynman Physics lectures done to date if this could please be done. The current tapes are OK but the sound quality and announciation could be so much better. Arnold Veness

Six Easy Pieces is a brief overview of various aspects of physics, taken from Feynman's book, Lectures on physics. The book covers basics of physics, atoms, physics compared to other areas of science, and later goes into a discussion of quantum physics. Throughout the book Feynman explains the concepts in a clear, concise manner, using examples to explain his points. This is physics explained in layman's terms. The book is very engaging, and the examples are usually quite entertaining. Feynman writes in a way that keeps the reader wanting to go on to the next example, the next concept.

As a high school senior in a physics class, I was forced to read this book. Upon first viewing it, I thought to myself "Wow, a physics book. Goody," rather sarcastically. After reading the introduction, which included a short biography of Richard Feynman, I became more interested in the book, and was looking forward to getting to the meat of the book. I was not disappointed. The book is a fun read, and is usually very easy to understand, although some of the vocabulary is a bit tough. Overall, it is a good book for anyone with even a passing interest in science, and will make the reader want to seek out other works by Feynman.

As a college physics teacher, and like many other reviewers, I too found the content of this abridged version of Feynman's famous lectures not worth the price of the book, but as I listened to the tapes (and by the way, several are extremely poor quality), it occured to me that the brilliance that comes through is Feynman the Educator, not the Nobel Laureate, or physicist, or college professor......and from this standpoint this set is well worth both the cost and time to anyone who fancies themself as a teacher. I have degrees in education and get great reviews from my students on a regular basis, but that didn't stop me from learning a lot from Feynman about how to expand a student's perception, application, and analysis skills and for this addition to my own personal bag of skills, I thank him.

Feynman's Lectures are considered to be one of the best introductory texts by Nobel laureates, e.g. Pauling's General Chemisty and Samuelson's Economics. However, the book is not appropriate as a freshman textbook. To shorten it up to make another pop science book directed at more serious readers was not a bad idea to begin with. But personally, I, too, like a reviewer below, felt slightly bored while turing pages. I confess, for practical insights, Epstein's Thinking Physics was much better.

Lucidly written with clear, almost easy to understand examples. Great for everybody, age 13 and up. Feynman's exposition of each topic amazes me. How i wish he was my physics teacher. The books is jam packed with information. Written and punblished for the genaral audience, Feynman's attempt to deviate from the complex and complicated mathematics is a successful one, although there is still some math,but simple ones. Get it now. Its a great book.

Although it is a transcribed version of a spoken lecture, Feynman's eloquence and enthusiasm nonethless makes it's way onto the page, decades after he spoke these words. His articulation of the basic concepts of physics is truely remarkable and I whole-heartedly recommend this book for those beginning their studies in physics and those beginning their teaching career physics. This is, in particular, a good book for the struggling student, as well as for the struggling teacher.

In "Six Easy Pieces", a lot of physics concepts were addressed. Feynman explained physics in a language that I could understand. It was interesting when he wrote the book in a slightly humorous way to keep the reader interested.

I liked how he explained the atoms in motion, because in physics, it all boils down to atoms. I learned that atoms are not really connected, but they are attracted to each other and constantly moving, which is how we see solid things. If atoms didn't move, we couldn't be seen, and we could pass through walls. I thought this was fascinating, and it interested me to learn more about physics.

I liked how physics was started from astronomy, because astronomy is an interesting subject. You would think that physics came first, but astronomy did. Physics can also be combined with chemistry because chemistry is all about atomic compounds.

Overall, I think that this book helped me understand physics a little bit more, and I think that in the future when I get into college, I want to take a physics class. This book has inspired me to learn more.

Feynman is regaurded as the greatest physics teacher of all time, and in this series of lectures for beginners, one clearly sees why. If you are beginning on the road to inlightenment through physics and are not sure where to start, these lectures will give you a firm grounding for exploration through clear examples and clear, concise writing.

Feynman is easy to understand even for the physically challenged. This book is a great place to start for those just getting into physics. Feynman applies this science to things in life that I, even as a first year physics student, began to get a grasp on as the book progressed. Other books I had started to read on this field were boring and it was easy to lose focus. I would find myself pages ahead but realizing I hadn't caught anything of what I just read. With this book it was interesting enough where if I didn't get something the first time I actually wanted to go back and double check. Six Easy Pieces really is pretty easy.

Richard Feynman was that rare scientist who exceled in his field AND loved to teach others about what he knew. The thing that distinguishes Feynman from other physics teachers is his ability to simplify complex and seemingly unintuitive physical phenomena and make them a little more understandable to the non-scientist.

This is a great buy for those interested in having a readable and compact digest of the more important physics discoveries of the past one hundred years.

Amru Albeiruti

Ann Arbor, MI

buy this book if you enjoy the superious feeling you get after asking someone if they know why soup cools down when you blow on it... ha ha ha!!! this book is the perfect physics 101 class. or class primer. it's so great knowing the answers to all the teachers questions before taking the class......

As a first year physics student, going into reading this book I was not to thrilled and expected another boring physics book. However, Richard Feynman does an excellent job keeping his reader entertained with jokes, and the feel of the book is very much as though someone is talking to you. Of course with the little experience in physics that I have, some of it was hard to understand and follow, but for the most part it was much easier than text books.

Personally, I like how Feynman showed in section three how physics relates to other sciences. This was interesting to me because I am very interested in psychology and it was interesting to read a out his theorys on physics in relationship to psychology. Although some of his opinions were ones I had never considered, they were all interesting. For example Feynman refers to psychoanalysis as more like "witch doctoring" then anything else.

Towards the end of the book when Feynman starting talking about Quantum Behavior I began to get a bit lost. But the experiments he discusses helped me paint a picture in my mine so as to see the concept more clearly. For example on page 117 Feynman begins to discuss a rather interesting experiment he did with bullets in order to show quantum behavior.

All in all this was an interesting book for those who are studying physics or just have an interest.

Judging by the sheer number of biographies and other books, Dr. Feynman was indeed a most curious character. His voice, New York accent and humorous and direct delivery make this lecture series a joy to listen to. Physics has never been so clear and enjoyable!