Feynman's Tips on Physics

Resumen del libro

Essential advice on problem solving from physics' clearest teacher

Feynman's Tips on Physics is a book in two parts. The first will be a treat for any Feynman fan: it includes a memoir by Matthew Sands about the origins of the Feynman Lectures on Physics, and is dominated by four lectures, delivered with the rest of the FLP but not included in it, that Feynman gave to help his students review for exams. It is here that readers will get the Feynman approach to problem solving, but there is more to it than this, as Feynman reflects on the problems facing students making the transition from high school to college, and then to real life. The discussion, for example, of what happens when the smartest guy in high school turns out to be the dumbest guy at Caltech is not to be missed. There is also an excerpt of a post-lecture discussion of Feynman with his students, giving a clear picture of what made him such a beloved professor, accessible, helpful, but always intellectually demanding. The second part of the book are the exercises, developed by Gottlieb et al., where readers of the FLP, or any other physics student, can apply the advice they've gotten from Feynman.

The late Richard P. Feynman was Richard Chace Tolman Professor of Theoretical Physics at the California Institute of Technology. He was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize for his work on the development of quantum field theory. He was also one of the most famous and beloved figures of the twentieth century, both in physics and as a public intellectual.
Michael Gottlieb was a self-employed computer programmer for 26 years, before retiring in 2003 to edit and supplement The Feynman Lectures on Physics. He is currently employed by The California Institute of Technology, where he manages projects related to The Feynman Lectures. He lives in Costa Rica.
Ralph Leighton was a physicist and astronomer, an esteemed teacher and textbook author, and professor at Caltech for many years. He lives in Tiburon, California.

Biografía del autor

Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988), nació en Nueva York y se doctoró en la Universidad de Princeton. Trabajó en el Proyecto Manhattan y ocupó cátedras en la Universidad de Cornell y el Instituto de Tecnología de California. En 1965 recibió el Premio Nobel de Física por su contribución a la creación de la electrodinámica cuántica. Entre sus obras, cabe destacar El placer de descubrir (2001), Seis piezas fáciles (2002), Conferencias sobre computación (2003) y ¡Ojalá lo supiera! (2006), todas ellas publicadas por Crítica.