3 ms·

Feynman's Nobel Ambition

15 points by bilsbie 2y ago

Waterluvian 2y ago
Does Feynman usually write the way he speaks like this? I find it so enjoyable to read.
- itisit 2y ago
  I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of the book [0] this selection is from. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surely_You%27re_Joking,_Mr._Feynman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surely_You%27re_Joking,_Mr._Fe...!
  - fintler 2y ago
    If you'd like something more technical, these two are fun (especially if you read them in order): • Feynman Lectures On Computation • QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter The first book is a nice way to get started with reversible computation and quantum computing.
- pictureofabear 2y ago
  He does. You can hear his New York accent all the way through his books.
- atombender 2y ago
  Feynman was a rare kind of speaker in that he spoke in fully formed sentences, with almost no fillers, backtracking, stuttering, or other things that disrupt verbal flow. If he needed to think, he would just pause for a second or two. All the books published under his name are edited transcripts of conversations, speeches, and lectures. Aside from scientific papers, he wrote very little that got published. If you want to watch Feynman speak, the BBC Horizon episode "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out" (1981) [1] is fantastic. It includes his famous answer about how magnets work [2]. (There is also a 1999 book with the same name, but I don't remember if it's edited from the same interviews. I wouldn't be surprised, though.) [1] https://vimeo.com/340695809 https://vimeo.com/340695809 [2] https://youtu.be/MO0r930Sn_8?si=ov6eU2pzrsut62Ff https://youtu.be/MO0r930Sn_8?si=ov6eU2pzrsut62Ff
  - Waterluvian 2y ago
    I find Feynman to sound almost rude or irritated at times when he answers questions. But I realized he’s fighting through the challenge of communication. And that might be what I learned most from the magnet question: that science and engineering communication is considerably more complex than one might think. It’s just so easy to hear a question, make twenty assumptions about the question, assume the question asker made the same twenty assumptions, and then to spend 10 minutes talking past each other.
deleted 2y ago
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15 points by bilsbie 2y ago

Waterluvian 2y ago

Does Feynman usually write the way he speaks like this? I find it so enjoyable to read.

itisit 2y ago
I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of the book [0] this selection is from. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surely_You%27re_Joking,_Mr._Feynman https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surely_You%27re_Joking,_Mr._Fe...!
- fintler 2y ago
  If you'd like something more technical, these two are fun (especially if you read them in order): • Feynman Lectures On Computation • QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter The first book is a nice way to get started with reversible computation and quantum computing.
pictureofabear 2y ago
He does. You can hear his New York accent all the way through his books.
atombender 2y ago
Feynman was a rare kind of speaker in that he spoke in fully formed sentences, with almost no fillers, backtracking, stuttering, or other things that disrupt verbal flow. If he needed to think, he would just pause for a second or two. All the books published under his name are edited transcripts of conversations, speeches, and lectures. Aside from scientific papers, he wrote very little that got published. If you want to watch Feynman speak, the BBC Horizon episode "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out" (1981) [1] is fantastic. It includes his famous answer about how magnets work [2]. (There is also a 1999 book with the same name, but I don't remember if it's edited from the same interviews. I wouldn't be surprised, though.) [1] https://vimeo.com/340695809 https://vimeo.com/340695809 [2] https://youtu.be/MO0r930Sn_8?si=ov6eU2pzrsut62Ff https://youtu.be/MO0r930Sn_8?si=ov6eU2pzrsut62Ff
- Waterluvian 2y ago
  I find Feynman to sound almost rude or irritated at times when he answers questions. But I realized he’s fighting through the challenge of communication. And that might be what I learned most from the magnet question: that science and engineering communication is considerably more complex than one might think. It’s just so easy to hear a question, make twenty assumptions about the question, assume the question asker made the same twenty assumptions, and then to spend 10 minutes talking past each other.

deleted 2y ago

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