6 ms·

Quantum physics made relatively simple: Three lectures by Hans Bethe

127 points by davidroberts 14y ago

Jun8 14y ago
Not quantum physics, but if you want to read a real classic, there's also Weyl's Space-Time-Matter, which is mind-blowing in its lucidity and ambition (unifying GR and electromagnetism): http://archive.org/details/spacetimematter00weyluoft http://archive.org/details/spacetimematter00weyluoft. Well, while I started, why not add a list of freely available physics books online from PSE: http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/6157/list-of-freely-available-physics-books/7382#7382 http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/6157/list-of-free.... It's amazing that you can pretty much get up to PhD level education using these books (you should buy Landau's books, though, unfortunately those are not free).
MrBra 14y ago
apple quicktime....
- davidroberts 14y ago
  Yes. Sad to say.
- alien_acorn 14y ago
  Direct links: http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/intro_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/intro_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_1_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_1_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_2_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_2_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_3_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_3_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/outro_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/outro_large.mov
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - dmak 14y ago
    Thanks, saved me a lot of time.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
lisper 14y ago
Before you invest three hours to watch these lectures you should know that the title is terribly misleading. These lectures are not about QM at all, they are about the history of QM, albeit told by someone who was actually part of it. But the coolness of hearing the history of QM firsthand is undermined by the fact that Bethe is clearly well past his prime, and he's not particularly good at telling stories. If you want a video that is true to this title I'd recommend this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rqd8Oa-sA4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rqd8Oa-sA4 EDIT: And if you want to really understand QM, there's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEaecUuEqfc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEaecUuEqfc :-)
- eric-hu 14y ago
  Thank you for sharing these links. I've bookmarked the second one and watched through the first. My first thought is the first link has left me with more questions than answers, but I suppose that might just be the nature of QM.
  - laumars 14y ago
    I think it was Richard Feynman that once wrote: "If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics" If it wasn't him, then he certainly said something akin to that (there's a number of similar remarks made by a number of different physicists)
  - chii 14y ago
    I think the first link is more a pop science show than real depth...this is a much better series from feynmen(unfortunately its really long): 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLQ2atfqk2c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLQ2atfqk2c 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSgE62S6oo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSgE62S6oo 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNNXD7fuE5E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNNXD7fuE5E 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigjOJm6F9o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigjOJm6F9o
    - _dark_matter_ 14y ago
      Fantastic. Feynman is the most amazing scientist possible - enlightening and (seemingly) approachable, yet still a genius. I can only hope that there will be more like him in the future.
Maro 14y ago
If you're interested in watching Physics lectures online, don't miss Susskind's excellent series of lectures from Stanford. http://www.lecture-notes.co.uk/susskind/ http://www.lecture-notes.co.uk/susskind/
- kriro 14y ago
  Yes the Quantum Entanglements series is what I watched. It's actually built for a non-student audience (interested professionals etc) so I think you can follow it fairly well even if your background isn't in math/physics (it's not easy though)
ahxn 14y ago
thanks.
stared 14y ago
If you really want to have a good (but easy) introduction to quantum mechanics (and quantum information) I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Six-Quantum-Pieces-Course-Physics/dp/9814327549 http://www.amazon.com/Six-Quantum-Pieces-Course-Physics/dp/9... - it requires nothing more than some linear algebra. (As a side note, I'm trying to make a computer game of quantum mechanics, to make people learn by playing.)
advisedwang 14y ago
Don't forget to check out his other lecture series "General Relativity Made Quantumly Simple".
RockofStrength 14y ago
Quantum tic-tac-toe is an engaging way to get a feel for superpositions and cyclic entanglements. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tic-tac-toe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tic-tac-toe

127 points by davidroberts 14y ago

Jun8 14y ago

Not quantum physics, but if you want to read a real classic, there's also Weyl's Space-Time-Matter, which is mind-blowing in its lucidity and ambition (unifying GR and electromagnetism): http://archive.org/details/spacetimematter00weyluoft http://archive.org/details/spacetimematter00weyluoft. Well, while I started, why not add a list of freely available physics books online from PSE: http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/6157/list-of-freely-available-physics-books/7382#7382 http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/6157/list-of-free.... It's amazing that you can pretty much get up to PhD level education using these books (you should buy Landau's books, though, unfortunately those are not free).

MrBra 14y ago

apple quicktime....

davidroberts 14y ago
Yes. Sad to say.
alien_acorn 14y ago
Direct links: http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/intro_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/intro_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_1_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_1_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_2_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_2_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_3_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/lecture_3_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/outro_large.mov http://bethe.cornell.edu/media/outro_large.mov
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
- dmak 14y ago
  Thanks, saved me a lot of time.
deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

lisper 14y ago

Before you invest three hours to watch these lectures you should know that the title is terribly misleading. These lectures are not about QM at all, they are about the history of QM, albeit told by someone who was actually part of it. But the coolness of hearing the history of QM firsthand is undermined by the fact that Bethe is clearly well past his prime, and he's not particularly good at telling stories. If you want a video that is true to this title I'd recommend this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rqd8Oa-sA4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rqd8Oa-sA4 EDIT: And if you want to really understand QM, there's this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEaecUuEqfc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEaecUuEqfc :-)

eric-hu 14y ago
Thank you for sharing these links. I've bookmarked the second one and watched through the first. My first thought is the first link has left me with more questions than answers, but I suppose that might just be the nature of QM.
- laumars 14y ago
  I think it was Richard Feynman that once wrote: "If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics" If it wasn't him, then he certainly said something akin to that (there's a number of similar remarks made by a number of different physicists)
- chii 14y ago
  I think the first link is more a pop science show than real depth...this is a much better series from feynmen(unfortunately its really long): 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLQ2atfqk2c http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLQ2atfqk2c 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSgE62S6oo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSgE62S6oo 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNNXD7fuE5E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNNXD7fuE5E 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigjOJm6F9o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UigjOJm6F9o
  - _dark_matter_ 14y ago
    Fantastic. Feynman is the most amazing scientist possible - enlightening and (seemingly) approachable, yet still a genius. I can only hope that there will be more like him in the future.

Maro 14y ago

If you're interested in watching Physics lectures online, don't miss Susskind's excellent series of lectures from Stanford. http://www.lecture-notes.co.uk/susskind/ http://www.lecture-notes.co.uk/susskind/

kriro 14y ago
Yes the Quantum Entanglements series is what I watched. It's actually built for a non-student audience (interested professionals etc) so I think you can follow it fairly well even if your background isn't in math/physics (it's not easy though)

ahxn 14y ago

thanks.

stared 14y ago

If you really want to have a good (but easy) introduction to quantum mechanics (and quantum information) I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Six-Quantum-Pieces-Course-Physics/dp/9814327549 http://www.amazon.com/Six-Quantum-Pieces-Course-Physics/dp/9... - it requires nothing more than some linear algebra. (As a side note, I'm trying to make a computer game of quantum mechanics, to make people learn by playing.)

advisedwang 14y ago

Don't forget to check out his other lecture series "General Relativity Made Quantumly Simple".

RockofStrength 14y ago

Quantum tic-tac-toe is an engaging way to get a feel for superpositions and cyclic entanglements. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tic-tac-toe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_tic-tac-toe