Richard Feynman Lectures
From Jim Hoburg, Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Indira Nair, Vice Provost for Education:
As a celebration of things that are universal in our university, we present the original seven Feynman lectures on The Character of Physical Law. The lectures were given as part of the Messenger Lecture Series at Cornell University in November, 1964, when Richard Feynman was Professor of Theoretical Physics at Cal Tech. They were originally recorded on 16 mm film by the BBC. Each lecture will be followed by a discussion forum.
Richard Feynman lived from 1918 to 1988. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965. Feynman's ideas extended far beyond the technical content of physics. He had a unique ability to convey the excitement and universality of science and the human search for knowledge — part of what is so appealing in the original lectures is that their content extends across all disciplines.
The Feynman Lecture Series on The Character of Physical Law
Adamson WIng, Baker Hall 136A
Tuesdays at 4:30–6:00
February 24, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.1: The Law of Gravitation
March 2, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.2: The Relation of Mathematics to Physics
March 16, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.3: The Great Conservation Principles
March 23, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.4: Symmetry in Physical Law
April 6, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.5: The Distinction of Past and Future
April 20, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.6: Probability & Uncertainty—The Quantum Mechanical View of Nature
Wednesday, April 28th, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.7: Seeking New Laws
Location: DH 2210
Descriptions of lectures:
February 24, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.1: The Law of Gravitation
Professor Feynman describes the history of the law of gravity, the method and character of its discovery, its range of application, and its limitations.
March 2, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.2: The Relation of Mathematics to Physics
Professor Feynman presents examples of how the logic of mathematics helps us describe nature and use models to formulate laws. He emphasizes the contrasts between physical laws and mathematical theorems.
March 16, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.3: The Great Conservation Principles
Professor Feynman describes the properties of a physical law that make it a conservation law. He discusses the conservation of charge, energy, and momentum and their range of validity. He also considers the importance of conservation laws in extending our understanding of a complicated phenomenon and in developing new laws.
March 23, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.4: Symmetry in Physical Law
This lecture covers symmetries of physical phenomena. Topics include translations in space and time, rotations in space, the right- and left-handedness of fundamental interactions and living things, the consequence of relative motion, and the interconnections of space and time.
April 6, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.5: The Distinction of Past and Future
This lecture compares the irreversible phenomena of nature. Professor Feynman uses numerous models to describe these processes and develops analogies of temperature and entropy. He also briefly describes the interconnections among various scientific and philosophic ideas.
April 20, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.6: Probability & Uncertainty—The Quantum Mechanical View of Nature
Professor Feynman considers the behavior of electrons and photons according to the theories of quantum mechanics. He also discusses single and double slit experiments.
April 27, 2004
Feynman Lecture No.7: Seeking New Laws
Professor Feynman summarizes the state of our knowledge of the physical world, probes some existing mysteries, and discusses a useful method for seeking new laws—the art of guessing. He uses the development and analysis of currently accepted laws as examples of how this art works.
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