3 ms·
I agree; his comments really do cover why I am a huge fan of them. Feynman's lectures are less about the actual physics, and more a tour de force in how he appr
by NamTaf 13y ago
I agree; his comments really do cover why I am a huge fan of them. Feynman's lectures are less about the actual physics, and more a tour de force in how he approaches problem solving and intuition of problems. He just uses physics to deliver it (and in doing so, gives you an excellent primer to a large amount of physics topics at a level that an interested party could find accessible).
Having done some tertiary level physics, I've covered much of the content but I still find the Volumes an excellent read not only as a refresher on the subject matter but also a demonstration of how to really nut out a problem and think about it in a way that supports a fuller understanding of the principles at play.
Feynman lamented that his lectures, in and of themselves, were a failure when he presented them to the Caltech classes. I think that misses their true worth of teaching the prospective student how to think through problems. That's a skill that is incredibly valuable to learn and improve upon no matter what your level of physics understanding or indeed what discipline you choose to pursue. To me, the material is largely secondary to that.
- VLM 13y ago"intuition of problems" I have read several of his books, both non fiction and the autobiography. Would you say intense focus on development of intuition is a Feynman thing or a physicist thing or a general trait of anyone who masters a topic (not mutually exclusive). He is the most persuasive author I can think of WRT his (correct) opinion that development of good intuition results in problem solving.
- NamTaf 13y agoI think it's a teacher thing. All the best teachers I've observed, both in my life and famous ones, have mastered the teaching of intuition. This is not limited to physics or even the hard sciences. I'd also say that there's a causal link between those who can teach material well and those who truly master a subject matter, so your latter statement is correct. I've been doing 8.01x and 8.02x on edX - both are taught by Walter Lewin[1] and I have found him to capture the same principles of understanding intuitively the material. Indeed, reading the discussion boards of the subjects I routinely see people laud the homework material for being challenging but when they finally crack it, experiencing a deeper understanding of and insight into the fundamental nature of the subject matter. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Lewin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Lewin