Ease Reading-Find Your Next Favorite Book

Hot Search

Tips on Physics: A Problem-Solving Supplement to the Feynman Lectures on Physics

richard p. feynman michael a. gottlieb ralph leighton robert b. leighton matthew sands

... Show More

This new volume contains four previously unpublished lectures that Feynman gave to students preparing for exams. With characteristic flair, insight and humor, Feynman discusses topics students struggle with and offers valuable tips on solving physics problems. An illuminating memoir by Matthew Sands who originally conceived The Feynman Lectures on Physics gives a fascinating insight into the history of Feynman’s lecture series and the books that followed. This book is rounded off by relevant exercises and answers by R. B. Leighton and R. E. Vogt, originally developed to accompany the Lectures on Physics.

162 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31,2005

This edition

Format
162 pages, Hardcover
Published
January 1, 2005 by Addison-Wesley
ISBN
9780805390636
ASIN
0805390634
Language
English

More editions

About the author

Profile Image for richard p. feynman

richard p. feynman

... Show More
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as work in particle physics (he proposed the parton model). For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman was a joint recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965, together with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Feynman developed a widely used pictorial representation scheme for the mathematical expressions governing the behavior of subatomic particles, which later became known as Feynman diagrams. During his lifetime and after his death, Feynman became one of the most publicly known scientists in the world.

He assisted in the development of the atomic bomb and was a member of the panel that investigated the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. In addition to his work in theoretical physics, Feynman has been credited with pioneering the field of quantum computing, and introducing the concept of nanotechnology (creation of devices at the molecular scale). He held the Richard Chace Tolman professorship in theoretical physics at Caltech.

-wikipedia

See Ричард Фейнман

Readers also enjoyed

Community Reviews

Rating(4 / 5.0, 26 votes)
5 stars
10(38%)
4 stars
7(27%)
3 stars
9(35%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
26 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Boxorileys
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
I like Feynman's attempt at creating a personal narrative but honestly this book feels quite dated. Both in its content and in the maturity level. I wouldn't recommend this book for someone looking for help on physics but for someone looking for a work from Feynman.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
ZenAverageIQ
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
This is a very short read, however Feynman presents us with some excellent tips for the freshman physicist and also gives us some insight into what learning under Feynman was like.

What I found most interesting was Feynman's differentiation technique that isn't often studied in school. It is a very powerful tool to handle awkward looking functions.

Plenty of practical examples are presented in the book and there is an entire chapter of exercises left for the reader to solve at the end.
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
zefreak
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
(I actually read the free online version.)

I really should've read this after FLP volume 1, but oh well. This may be of help in solving physics problems but mostly it just makes me wish I could've had Feynman as a professor!
0 0 Reply
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Newheights
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
... Show More
I felt much better after reading this book - it gave me reassurance that I was not alone in feeling uneasy about Feynman's Lectures in Physics. At the outset, Feynman himself questions if the lectures that gave rise to 'Tips on Physics' will be of any use to listeners/readers. Until I heard that and subsequently read what his collaborators (in the Lectures on Physics project) had to say, I thought I had been alone in feeling that Lectures in Physics was interesting in many places, but not something that I could actually use to learn physics basics. It was heartening to find out that I was far from the only one with that opinion.

That said, I still love reading everything Feynman. For me, his 'lectures'' are more akin to watching a master painter using the most basic of tools to create the most beautiful artwork. It's a nice respite from traditional physics texts - short journeys highlighting very specific applications that illustrate how a master can wield simple laws/equations to obtain deeper results. Fun excursions - and then one can go back to learning physics from a more traditional book/approach.

Sprinkled throughout the book are useful tidbits ('tips'). One that comes to mind is Feynman's mention of the simple rule for differentiating the product of several functions. Most calculus books introduce the product rule for the derivative of a product of 2 functions and don't mention this useful (and simply proved) extension to products of n functions. Feynman illustrates the rule with an example but somehow fails to mention the rationale for the rule (if F = f1*f2*...fn, then derivative of log(F) = F'/F = f1'/f1+f2'/f2+...+fn'/fn), multiply both sides through by F to get F' = F*(f1'/f1+...+fn/fn), which is not only simple, but gives one a reason/way to remember the formula. Oh well, I guess that part is math, not physics.

In summary, 'Tips' made me feel a whole lot better about not being able to actually learn physics from Lectures on Physics. I still love Feynman-isms and the wonderful example he set for how 'real' physicists attack problems. Just wish I had been told a few decades ago that 'Lectures' was not necessarily the true path to physics that I was told it was at that time.
0 0 Reply
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.