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Feynman Lectures On Gravitation
The Feynman Lectures on Gravitation are based on notes prepared during a course on gravitational physics that Richard Feynman taught at Caltech during the 1962-63 academic year. For several years prior to these lectures, Feynman thought long and hard about the fundamental problems in gravitational physics, yet he published very little. These lectures represent a useful record of his viewpoints and some of his insights into gravity and its application to cosmology, superstars, wormholes, and gravitational waves at that particular time. The lectures also contain a number of fascinating digressions and asides on the foundations of physics and other issues.Characteristically, Feynman took an untraditional non-geometric approach to gravitation and general relativity based on the underlying quantum aspects of gravity. Hence, these lectures contain a unique pedagogical account of the development of Einstein's general theory of relativity as the inevitable result of the demand for a self-consistent theory of a massless spin-2 field (the graviton) coupled to the energy-momentum tensor of matter. This approach also demonstrates the intimate and fundamental connection between gauge invariance and the principle of equivalence.
282 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
About the author
Richard P. Feynman
269 books5,963 followersRichard 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 4, 2012
I didn't have a clue what was going on in this book for the most part: I'm much better equiped to tackle it these days and should re-read it.
June 2, 2022
Now of mainly historical interest only. Feynman gave these lectures back in the early 1960s, just before the start of the Golden Age of general relativity. Unsurprisingly, then, while some of his ideas are surprisingly prescient, others turn out to be naive or outdated. But as usual, the great physicist gave the subject of gravitation his best shot, approaching it from the point of view of quantum field theory instead of geometry, which is the traditional entryway. In particular, he treated the field of a massless spin-2 particle, that is, a graviton, and from there derive general relativity. You could tell that he was frustrated at his lack of success in this endeavor, at least when compared to the glory that was quantum electrodynamics. Tellingly, not all lectures were transcribed. In any case, for anyone interested in the history of physics, the preface, written by John Preskill and Kip Thorne, both accomplished gravitational physicists in their own right, is a fine gem.
October 9, 2019
This was my second time to borrow and try to read the book. The first time was when I was still in grad school at the University of Minnesota. I understood very little from the book then, but this second time, after learning about the Linear Field Equations for Gravitation from Hans Ohanian's book (borrowed from Rice U), I understood much better what Feynman did. I also recognized his QFT-inspired treatment while browsing MTW and Zee's QFT in a Nutshell. This made me embark on a more serious study of QFT. I have already read sections from Zee, Coleman, Srednicki, Banks, etc. I keep a notebook dedicated to writing down interesting things I've learned and understood about QFT.
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January 6, 2008Great book by Feynman. Its his actual lectures as recorded by graduate students. It captures the Feynmanesk way of thinking although a lot of his ideas were not correct.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews