For those who didn't know, the Feynman Lectures are now available for free in a few electronic forms from Cal Tech:

http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/

These are awesome and if you like reading about physics, you should give them a gander some time. They are transcriptions of when Feynman taught the introductory physics class at Cal Tech, I think it was a two year class. He just decided he wanted to give teaching the brand new students a go, and his colleagues recorded the lectures and transcribed them. Fun fact: I met Max Sands, who was one of the professors who transcribed and edited them, when I was doing some work at DESY in the 90's.

I heard somewhere that basically everyone bar the few people who were going to become professional physicists pretty much whatever they got taught all failed the course/had no clue/gave up.

Dunno. I've read the first few chapters of volume one and some of volume three and they were excellent. Pretty much everyone I've known who has read any of them thought they presented the material beautifully. Also, I think I had a math professor who would go to his classes (or maybe just read his writings) sole for the elegance of his proofs and derivations. Caveat: I have a math degree and did some grad work in physics. Also I know from my own freshman physics that a 34 could be a c on a test that was stupid easy IMO; I think a lot (possibly most) people just don't get physics / math.

I think it is possible to watch him derive something or solve a problem and get a false sense of understanding because he makes it look so easy. Anyway, if you enjoy physics, you should check them out, they are free after all.

I have two of the three volumes of those lectures, for some reason I never picked up vol II. Not that I ever really learned all the stuff in them but they were worth it just to read Feynman's introduction to QM :P

Biographies of Feynman seemed to indicate that the classes were a complete failure from the perspective of the actual students, who more or less drifted off over the course of the, um, course, and of the university, which had hoped Feynman would revolutionize physics education. But so many auditors showed up the class was always packed and Feynman probably wasn't even aware or didn't care.

who are you guys talking about, some cricket player?

Nerds love them some Feynman.

Well, he is widely regarded as the greatest American physicist ever, but you have have always struck me as a commie pinko so you probably don't acknowledge him

I have a maths degree and two of the three volumes, too. When I've looked at them, they look intense but doable, if I hadn't forgotten most of the maths. What I really need at this point in my life is a guide that gives me enough idea of the maths without actually grinding the real details. Oh, and three days free a week to concentrate on it. That said, I think maybe the qcd stuff is so mind bending that really you need the maths because it's much harder to really have a mental image of it that catches the critical elements.

I would really love to get through more than just the trivial basics of qm, but time doesn't really permit. I have a vague intention of doing some work on the first Japanese Nobel winner, because he's quite an interesting guy but I feel like I really ought to get a bit more chops in the real science of what he did to be more credible.

There a really good history of science course in iTunes university, from Columbia, iirc.

Is he really the greatest American physicist? He's maybe the coolest American physicist. Hey, I like Feynman. I read Surely You're Joking long long ago.

I am not good at math, and while in my early 20s I harbored some hopes of amending that, I gave up somewhere in the middle of integral calculus. It would still be fun to learn, but it's fallen further down the agenda, presently somewhere after learning koine greek and reading more ancient philosophy

Susskind's 'the theoretical minimum' lectures are geared towards a sort of lay audience with low rent maths. You definitely have to concentrate, and they're in 2hour blocks, and you can't just jump to the interesting stuff, but they're an interesting option, too.

Yeah, really the greatest by most accounts. Won the Nobel prize for QED, not that that is what makes people think he's the greatest.

There is a book called "The Nature and Power of Mathematics" by Donald Davis iirc that you should check out. He goes depth first into 4 or 5 subjects, assuming only high school algebra. It's a really cool book.

http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Power-M...of+mathematics

Quick amazon search yields only a kindle version nowadays?

Okay, I've got a few minutes. Kokiri, you may now continue the reveal.

I've always called them Musk Potatoes

he is chairman/largest shareholder of solarcity too. so 3 multibillion companies he essentially runs.

Wow, I wasn't expecting math reading recommendations from this thread. I've been wanting to check out the Feynman Lectures but never got the books. Thanks for the link.

What have I done with my life???

24000+ 2+2 posts got to account for something!

Revving up the engine for a few more.

I think hte score is one out if you got the first answer right, but that will have to wait for me to have a chance to play with the spreadsheet.

At this rate we may finish by Christmas.

Question x: Rob Ford

Filthy says: businessman, confidence 0.1%

Real answer: celebrity drug taker and sometime politician.

Yes
Anarchist
duckburg
Gadarene
||.||.||
Aaronk56
Wellnamed
Luke the fluke
plubius
UofU2010
amplify
Time Lady
kioshk

No - 17 points
eyebooger
Mark_K - Car Sales
Booker Wolfbox - Henry Ford's great grandson