Six not-so-easy pieces
Einstein's relativity, symmetry, and space-time
by Richard Phillips Feynman · first published 1997
83% recommend17% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Lectures that explain physics ideas like symmetry and quantum mechanics in an accessible, intuitive way; often recommended as a follow-up to the easier volume for readers who want deeper concepts without heavy math.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
These are six lectures taken from the 3 volume Feynmann Lectures on Physics: Vectors (Vol I chapter 11) Symmetry in Physical Laws (Vol I chapter 52) The Special Theory of Relativity (Vol I chapter 15) Relativistic Energy and Momentum (Vol I chapter 16) Space-Time (Vol I chapter 17) Curved Space (Vol II chapter 42)
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Yes, one of my favorite Feynman lectures I was going to comment on, it re-appears in written form in the symmetry chapter in "Six Not-So-Easy Pieces". (Originally from his massive Feynman Lectures on Physics.) He starts from after you've described the basic exterior human anatomy, which is mostly symmetrical, then he starts with the interior and…
on “How Would You Teach Left from Right to an Alien Civilization?” ↗…inspired and into the mindset. Feynman Lectures on Physics: freshman level course that Feynman taught at MIT. Lots of material, will last you year(s). Six easy pieces: 6 easy lectures from Feynman. Six not so easy pieces: 6 not-so-easy lectures from Feynman. Feynman lectures on computation.
on “Carlo Rovelli on the ‘greatest remaining mystery’: The nature of time” ↗…actually teach any physics. I personally would recommend Feynman's books for the layman, such as QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter or The Character of Physical Law, or Six Easy Pieces (followed by Six Not So Easy Pieces), as ways for people to get at least some exposure to physics without popsci buzzwords. IMO even those books are limited, because you can't really understand physics without actually doing the math and…
on “Speculation that wormholes and entanglement are two aspects of the same thing” ↗OP, we're in the same boat. I also am in a deep, deep QM hole, and just finished reading Six Easy Pieces, Six Not-So-Easy Pieces, and QED (HIGHLY recommended), and have been trying to work through several quantum physics textbooks. It's astonishing to me how few high-quality visualizations there are: smatterings of videos on youtube…
on “Ask HN: Good software for interactive exploration of quantum/particle physics?” ↗…understand it. But I have intellectual curiosity. So the best path forward for me understanding is a path that can maintain that curiosity while making progress on understanding. I can reread the The Six (Not So ) Easy Pieces and not understand any of it and still find value in it. I can play with Arnold's cat and, slowly, through no scientific rigor other than the curiosity of the naked ape, I can experience these concepts…
on “Kalman Filter Tutorial” ↗…attempting to appear more thoughtful than you are. It's a lot like the Richard Feynman idea that if you can't distill something to a freshman lecture, you don't really understand it.[1] [1]: Feynman, Six Not-So-Easy-Pieces: Einstein's Relativity, Symmetry, and Space-Time
on “Write like you talk” ↗