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QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (1985)

by Richard Feynman

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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3,029394,525 (4.21)28
Celebrated for his brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman clearly and humorously communicates both the substance and spirit of QED to the layperson. A. Zee's introduction places Feynman's book and his seminal contribution to QED in historical context and further highlights Feynman's uniquely appealing and illuminating style.… (more)
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» See also 28 mentions

English (33)  German (2)  Hungarian (2)  French (1)  Danish (1)  All languages (39)
Showing 1-5 of 33 (next | show all)
Knowing absolutely nothing about quantum electrodynamics (the theory of photon interaction with matter), one can still make sense of the the book - and that is Feynman's true genius, in a way.
In a nutshell, QED is (at present) the nearest step to a Grand Unified Theory, the utopian theory which will explain the universe in the form of formulae that are so short that they can be inscribed on your shirt. It explains almost everything that we notice in our day-to-day lives - ranging from why you see your image in a mirror, to more esoteric effects such as predicting which particles arise during extremely high-energy collisions (such as in the Large Hadron Collider).
It is a marvel to witness a genius at work. Without any Math whatsoever, Feynman explains the theory while not leaving out any detail - where it works, where it doesn't work, and how our understanding of Physics is still pitiful, because every answer that we find brings a whole lot of questions to the fore.
The fourth chapter is on our understanding of Physics so far, and where QED fits in - it is a tonal mess, especially when compared to the succinct previous chapters, and it is the only time I felt disgruntled when reading the book.
TL;DR - an amazing read to reinvigorate interest in Physics/science, or to ignite the spark of interest that was never there in the first place. Either way, it is a must-read for the inquisitive mind. ( )
  SidKhanooja | Sep 1, 2023 |
Another great Feynman book. Every time I read something by him, I get re-excited about physics. ( )
  dcunning11235 | Aug 12, 2023 |
Okay, it’s been a while since I’ve read any science related books and even longer since I was in grad school. And Feynman’s excellent discussion of QED was a bit of a challenge but well worth the effort to remind us of “how it all works”. ( )
  wahoo8895 | Nov 20, 2022 |
Mr. Feynman does a nice job explaining complex topic in simple terms so that person can follow his lecture on the nature of light and matter at the atomic level. ( )
  MadMattReader | Sep 11, 2022 |
As Dr. Feynman said, "Why are you going to sit here all this time, when you won't be able to understand wheat I am going to say? It is my task to convince you NOT to turn away because you don't understand it. You see, my physics students don't understand it either. That is because I don't understand it. NOBODY DOES." (Emphasis added)

And that about sums it up. After a few futile attempts to read and understand what professor Feynman was saying, I finally just read it as though I was attending his lecture while sitting in the back row. Whatever fragments I picked up helped me fill in the gaps to my heretofore fragmented understanding of the subject. I learned some names, some theoretical ideas, and some vague notion as to how this might someday all fit together. And then I walked out of the lecture (put the book down) shaking my head and made myself a gin & tonic to celebrate the occasion.

Thank you Dr. Feynman! Four stars for the effort! ( )
  Renzomalo | Jul 23, 2022 |
Showing 1-5 of 33 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (14 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Richard Feynmanprimary authorall editionscalculated
Leighton, RalphPrefacesecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mautner, LeonardForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Zee, AnthonyIntroductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Alix Mautner was very curious about physics and often asked me to explain things to her. I would do all right, just as I do with a group of students at Caltech that come to me for an hour on Thursdays, but eventually I’d fail at what is to me the most interesting part: We would always get hung up on the crazy ideas of quantum mechanics. I told her I couldn’t explain these ideas in an hour or an evening—it would take a long time—but I promised her that someday I’d prepare a set of lectures on the subject.
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Celebrated for his brilliantly quirky insights into the physical world, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the general public. Here Feynman provides a classic and definitive introduction to QED (namely, quantum electrodynamics), that part of quantum field theory describing the interactions of light with charged particles. Using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman clearly and humorously communicates both the substance and spirit of QED to the layperson. A. Zee's introduction places Feynman's book and his seminal contribution to QED in historical context and further highlights Feynman's uniquely appealing and illuminating style.

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In questo libro, con stupefacente chiarezza, un grande fisico ci spiega come tutto ciò che percepiamo dipenda da accadimenti naturali che violano ogni aspettativa del senso comune. La via scelta è la seguente: guidare, come in un vero tour de force, ogni testa pensante negli impensabili meandri dell'elettrodinamica quantistica (abbreviata nella sigla QED del titolo). E - ciò che più conta per il lettore non specialista - Feynman procede mantenendo sempre la spiegazione in stretto contatto con l'esame di varie esperienze fisiche, così da farci entrare, in certo modo, nella mente dello scienziato che le osserva (e, per certi fenomeni, la prima mente che osservava fu proprio la sua).
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