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Richard Feynman

Six Easy Pieces

Richard Feynman's Lectures on Physics have achieved pretty much legendary status.Six Easy Pieces takes six of these lectures to provide an introduction to the subject for the beginner. These are include a description of how everything is made of atoms, which in turn are made up of smaller particles, a look at the relationship between physics and the other sciences, and a study of the consequences of the conservation of energy. The book concludes with chapters on the theory of gravitation, and on the mysteries of quantum theory - in particular the implications of the two slit experiment.

The thing is though that while the Lectures on Physics are still a valuable resource for those wishing to learn physics, I would think that if a beginner needs motivation, then it should be something more up to date - these lectures were over 30 years old when the book was published, and predate black holes and quarks. This book may have value to those trying to decide whether to invest in the full Lectures on Physics, and to those wishing to study Feynman's style of lecturing. However, I would suggest that anyone wanting an introduction to modern physics would do better with a more recent work.

Amazon.com info

Paperback 176 pages
ISBN: 0465023924
Salesrank: 47086
Weight:0.45 lbs

Published: 2005 Basic Books

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Paperback 176 pages
ISBN: 0140276661
Salesrank: 10587
Weight:0.31 lbs

Published: 1998 Penguin Books Ltd

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Paperback 176 pages
ISBN: 0465023924
Salesrank: 13926
Weight:0.45 lbs

Published: 2005 Basic Books

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Product Description
Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher is a publishing first. This set couples a book containing the six easiest chapters from Richard P. Feynman’s landmark work, Lectures on Physics—specifically designed for the general, non-scientist reader—with the actual recordings of the late, great physicist delivering the lectures on which the chapters are based. Nobel Laureate Feynman gave these lectures just once, to a group of Caltech undergraduates in 1961 and 1962, and these newly released recordings allow you to experience one of the Twentieth Century’s greatest minds—as if you were right there in the classroom.

Product Description

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher is a publishing first. This set couples a book containing the six easiest chapters from Richard P. Feynman’s landmark work, Lectures on Physics—specifically designed for the general, non-scientist reader—with the actual recordings of the late, great physicist delivering the lectures on which the chapters are based. Nobel Laureate Feynman gave these lectures just once, to a group of Caltech undergraduates in 1961 and 1962, and these newly released recordings allow you to experience one of the Twentieth Century’s greatest minds—as if you were right there in the classroom.

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics By Its Most Brillant Teacher *****
Like most of Dr. Feynman's other books, this one provides someone with a short but understandable account of a variety of important subjects in physics. His descriptions of physics are entertaining and reveal his particular way of approaching the subject. To really understand any subject, it is helpful, I feel, to understand the way the people who have made important contributions to the subject think about the subject. It is also important to know the pursuit of an understanding is within one's reach and is fun. Dr. Feynman does not dissapoint the reader in these respects. It would have been fun to have been a colleague of his.

Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics By Its Most Brillant Teacher *****

Like most of Dr. Feynman's other books, this one provides someone with a short but understandable account of a variety of important subjects in physics. His descriptions of physics are entertaining and reveal his particular way of approaching the subject. To really understand any subject, it is helpful, I feel, to understand the way the people who have made important contributions to the subject think about the subject. It is also important to know the pursuit of an understanding is within one's reach and is fun. Dr. Feynman does not dissapoint the reader in these respects. It would have been fun to have been a colleague of his.

A worthy read *****
Although it is a transcribed version of a spoken lecture, Feynman's eloquence and enthusiasm nonethless makes it's way onto the page, decades after he spoke these words. His articulation of the basic concepts of physics is truely remarkable and I whole-heartedly recommend this book for those beginning their studies in physics and those beginning their teaching career physics. This is, in particular, a good book for the struggling student, as well as for the struggling teacher.

A worthy read *****

Although it is a transcribed version of a spoken lecture, Feynman's eloquence and enthusiasm nonethless makes it's way onto the page, decades after he spoke these words. His articulation of the basic concepts of physics is truely remarkable and I whole-heartedly recommend this book for those beginning their studies in physics and those beginning their teaching career physics. This is, in particular, a good book for the struggling student, as well as for the struggling teacher.

Good, but perhaps a bit too easy and a bit unfocused. ****
The intention of this review is to give the reader enough information to decide whether or not to read this book. That Feynman was perhaps the foremost physicist of the middle of the 20th century goes without saying. He was also a great educator and popularize of the most complex ideas of classical and modern physics. All well and good, but what about this book? In short -- I enjoyed this book, but thought that it was a bit unfocused. This was due to the fact that the book was taken from his three-volume lecture series on physics, which was prepared from his lectures to undergraduates of Cal Tech in the early 60's. The editors chose what they considered to be the six easiest lectures and put them in a single small volume, as contrasted to the three much larger volumes that make up the whole series of lectures. The lectures included in the book were not consecutive lectures from the whole series, so there was a bit of a continuity problem with the flow of the text. Also, because so much has been left out from the complete lecture series, the subjects that are covered are done so in a very fragmentary manner. Read this book to get a flavor for Feynman as a teacher, but not to get a complete picture of any of the subjects that are covered. While I liked the book, I liked Feynman's "The Character of Physical Law" even more. It was also based on a series of lectures (covering some of the same material), but all of the lectures in that series were provided and as a result the book was more focused and self contained. I recommend both books, but if you only want to read one, I would recommend "The Character of Physical Law". Both give a flavor of Feynman's teaching style and they are making me consider buying the full three volume lecture series, even though the list price for the three books (plus a volume on problem solving) is almost $200. In more detail -- The lectures covered in this small book are: --- Atoms in motion - Very general overview of atoms, molecules and their relation to vapor pressure, melting and solidification. Very general and very elementary. Well suited for a high school student. --- Basic Physics - Very general overview of the scientific method, classical and modern physics. Also very general and suitable for a high school student. --- The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences - Here, in my opinion, Feynman digresses quite a bit, throwing in a bit of chemistry (including the Krebs cycle) and a bit of biology (including DNA). This chapter is suitable for an advanced high school student or undergraduate college student. --- Conservation of Energy - These last three chapters start the meat of the book, focusing of basic physics topics. The conservation of energy is taught from a simple analogy of the conservation of children's blocks. He follows the same approach he used to describe the first law of thermodynamics; using the concept of reversible machines being the most efficient possible to derive the law of conservation of energy. If one assumes the law of the conservation of energy one can prove that a reversible machine will be as efficient as possible, so both are statements of the same thing. I knew this approach from a study of thermodynamics and while not stated as such, Feynman allowed me to see that the concepts of reversibility and the conservation law are not only the same thing but that they are much more general than just applying to thermodynamics This alone was worth the price of the book. It illustrates the power of his teaching style. --- The Theory of Gravitation - I was disappointed with this chapter. Instead of following Newton's thinking he states Newton's law of gravitation at the beginning of the chapter and then mentioned that it came directly for Keppler's second and third law. I was hoping for more. This chapter illustrates the difficulty in choosing just a chapter from a larger work. These ideas are developed more completely in the complete lecture series (there is also a separate book containing Feynman's lost lecture on this subject). On the plus side, there was an excellent discussion of why there are two tides pre day, not just one. Feynman, corrects the off stated idea that the second tide is due to the moon pulling on the earth. Again, in my opinion, this discussion is also worth the price of the book. --- Quantum Behavior - This is taught from the standpoint of the two-slit interference experiment with photons and electrons. This touches the heart of quantum behavior, but just touches it. Again there is much, much more in the complete set of lectures. All in all -- Some of the lectures were a bit too easy. The choice of only 6 easy lectures from a three-volume set of lectures made the text somewhat unfocused. Some of the lectures were very incomplete, but they are all pure Feynman. (The unfocused and incomplete nature of the text was due to the fact the this book is only a fragment of a much larger work.) Feynman makes physics exciting (or at least interesting) and provides information to readers of all backgrounds. I recommend this book to high school students, first year college students and teachers. Those with a more advanced physics background may find this book a bit too basic, but they may see new ways of looking at things. I also recommend Feynman's "The Character of Physical Law", which covers some of the same material, but in a somewhat more focused manner. In fact I liked it more than this book. I gave it five stars and this book only four.

Good, but perhaps a bit too easy and a bit unfocused. ****

The intention of this review is to give the reader enough information to decide whether or not to read this book. That Feynman was perhaps the foremost physicist of the middle of the 20th century goes without saying. He was also a great educator and popularize of the most complex ideas of classical and modern physics. All well and good, but what about this book?

In short -- I enjoyed this book, but thought that it was a bit unfocused. This was due to the fact that the book was taken from his three-volume lecture series on physics, which was prepared from his lectures to undergraduates of Cal Tech in the early 60's. The editors chose what they considered to be the six easiest lectures and put them in a single small volume, as contrasted to the three much larger volumes that make up the whole series of lectures. The lectures included in the book were not consecutive lectures from the whole series, so there was a bit of a continuity problem with the flow of the text. Also, because so much has been left out from the complete lecture series, the subjects that are covered are done so in a very fragmentary manner. Read this book to get a flavor for Feynman as a teacher, but not to get a complete picture of any of the subjects that are covered. While I liked the book, I liked Feynman's "The Character of Physical Law" even more. It was also based on a series of lectures (covering some of the same material), but all of the lectures in that series were provided and as a result the book was more focused and self contained. I recommend both books, but if you only want to read one, I would recommend "The Character of Physical Law". Both give a flavor of Feynman's teaching style and they are making me consider buying the full three volume lecture series, even though the list price for the three books (plus a volume on problem solving) is almost $200.

In more detail -- The lectures covered in this small book are:
--- Atoms in motion - Very general overview of atoms, molecules and their relation to vapor pressure, melting and solidification. Very general and very elementary. Well suited for a high school student.
--- Basic Physics - Very general overview of the scientific method, classical and modern physics. Also very general and suitable for a high school student.
--- The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences - Here, in my opinion, Feynman digresses quite a bit, throwing in a bit of chemistry (including the Krebs cycle) and a bit of biology (including DNA). This chapter is suitable for an advanced high school student or undergraduate college student.
--- Conservation of Energy - These last three chapters start the meat of the book, focusing of basic physics topics. The conservation of energy is taught from a simple analogy of the conservation of children's blocks. He follows the same approach he used to describe the first law of thermodynamics; using the concept of reversible machines being the most efficient possible to derive the law of conservation of energy. If one assumes the law of the conservation of energy one can prove that a reversible machine will be as efficient as possible, so both are statements of the same thing. I knew this approach from a study of thermodynamics and while not stated as such, Feynman allowed me to see that the concepts of reversibility and the conservation law are not only the same thing but that they are much more general than just applying to thermodynamics This alone was worth the price of the book. It illustrates the power of his teaching style.
--- The Theory of Gravitation - I was disappointed with this chapter. Instead of following Newton's thinking he states Newton's law of gravitation at the beginning of the chapter and then mentioned that it came directly for Keppler's second and third law. I was hoping for more. This chapter illustrates the difficulty in choosing just a chapter from a larger work. These ideas are developed more completely in the complete lecture series (there is also a separate book containing Feynman's lost lecture on this subject). On the plus side, there was an excellent discussion of why there are two tides pre day, not just one. Feynman, corrects the off stated idea that the second tide is due to the moon pulling on the earth. Again, in my opinion, this discussion is also worth the price of the book.
--- Quantum Behavior - This is taught from the standpoint of the two-slit interference experiment with photons and electrons. This touches the heart of quantum behavior, but just touches it. Again there is much, much more in the complete set of lectures.

All in all -- Some of the lectures were a bit too easy. The choice of only 6 easy lectures from a three-volume set of lectures made the text somewhat unfocused. Some of the lectures were very incomplete, but they are all pure Feynman. (The unfocused and incomplete nature of the text was due to the fact the this book is only a fragment of a much larger work.) Feynman makes physics exciting (or at least interesting) and provides information to readers of all backgrounds. I recommend this book to high school students, first year college students and teachers. Those with a more advanced physics background may find this book a bit too basic, but they may see new ways of looking at things. I also recommend Feynman's "The Character of Physical Law", which covers some of the same material, but in a somewhat more focused manner. In fact I liked it more than this book. I gave it five stars and this book only four.

Interesting historical perspective ****
This is the kind of book to pick up from the library out of curiosity, as opposed to buying it. I am a big Feynman fan and wanted to see what he said all those years ago about these basic topics, as opposed to wanting to learn much from the content. If you are pretty informed about basic physics, then you won't find much you didn't know. Feynman's approach to the problem is certainly interesting, and he manages to given six different overview chapters with almost no mathematics. He also offered some insights that I had either never thought of or had long forgotten. One nice benefit is how often Feynman says, "we don't know this yet" or equivalent, and to compare that to the reality 40+ years later. For several items, we of course still don't know. He could have covered much of basic physics without wandering into the "don't know" explanations, but that wouldn't have been Feynman then, would it? I can also understand why many of the Cal Tech freshman didn't appreciate the lectures and attendance faded, according to the introduction. The work of actual problem solving techniques with gravity and the other topics was offloaded to the sections with other staff. The book is short and not difficult to read, so it may be worth a look. I'd rank it back of various other books by Feynman as far as pleasure for the casual reader who is not himself or herself a teacher.

Interesting historical perspective ****

This is the kind of book to pick up from the library out of curiosity, as opposed to buying it. I am a big Feynman fan and wanted to see what he said all those years ago about these basic topics, as opposed to wanting to learn much from the content. If you are pretty informed about basic physics, then you won't find much you didn't know. Feynman's approach to the problem is certainly interesting, and he manages to given six different overview chapters with almost no mathematics. He also offered some insights that I had either never thought of or had long forgotten.

One nice benefit is how often Feynman says, "we don't know this yet" or equivalent, and to compare that to the reality 40+ years later. For several items, we of course still don't know. He could have covered much of basic physics without wandering into the "don't know" explanations, but that wouldn't have been Feynman then, would it?

I can also understand why many of the Cal Tech freshman didn't appreciate the lectures and attendance faded, according to the introduction. The work of actual problem solving techniques with gravity and the other topics was offloaded to the sections with other staff.

The book is short and not difficult to read, so it may be worth a look. I'd rank it back of various other books by Feynman as far as pleasure for the casual reader who is not himself or herself a teacher.

Reads very quickly ***
I have heard of Feynman's collection of physics lectures for a long time and had intended reading them "one of these days" but never seemed to get to it. When a couple of friends and I formed a book club to discuss science and other types of expository prose, and one of them suggested this book, I decided "this is the day." In reading Six Easy Pieces, I had a distinct sympathy with Feynman's undergraduate students. The man's mind must have run at the speed of light, ideas just firing off like gunshots. For a decade that had only reel to reel tape recorders, and big ones at that, the only resort for the student taking notes would have to have been a strong skill at shorthand. I had expected a more difficult and thorough book, but the author presents a very simple, almost too brief, analysis of basic physics in this volume, which is a section of a larger text based on his lectures. In it he illustrates the close association, even a basic underpinning, of other sciences by physics. He notes relationships with earth sciences, particularly geology, with astronomy/cosmology, biology, and chemistry in particular. What he doesn't do is go into very great detail on how these areas relate to one another, his discussion of chemistry being the most thorough of them. The book is very short, and the author spends much of it on the history and relationships of physics as a science. It is more like a general introduction written to preface material presented later in the course. He does a nice job of explaining the issue of particle/wave duality in electromagnetic and other waves in the final chapter of the book, which also suggests that the bulk of the book is "introductory" in nature and that more is to come later. Athough the author presents some equations and graphs, those who are math-shy needn't be daunted; they are straight forward and helpful in understanding the points the author makes. Furthermore, Feynman's narative style goes very rapidly. He jumps from topic to topic, intercalating brief stories and amusing comments to put his message across in an entertaining manner, rather than in a ponderous discussion or chalk boards full of formulae. Although the reader who has no physics background may enjoy learning something of the field through this book, I suspect those with a science background may find one of the more recent books on the subject more informative.

Reads very quickly ***

I have heard of Feynman's collection of physics lectures for a long time and had intended reading them "one of these days" but never seemed to get to it. When a couple of friends and I formed a book club to discuss science and other types of expository prose, and one of them suggested this book, I decided "this is the day."

In reading Six Easy Pieces, I had a distinct sympathy with Feynman's undergraduate students. The man's mind must have run at the speed of light, ideas just firing off like gunshots. For a decade that had only reel to reel tape recorders, and big ones at that, the only resort for the student taking notes would have to have been a strong skill at shorthand.

I had expected a more difficult and thorough book, but the author presents a very simple, almost too brief, analysis of basic physics in this volume, which is a section of a larger text based on his lectures. In it he illustrates the close association, even a basic underpinning, of other sciences by physics. He notes relationships with earth sciences, particularly geology, with astronomy/cosmology, biology, and chemistry in particular. What he doesn't do is go into very great detail on how these areas relate to one another, his discussion of chemistry being the most thorough of them.

The book is very short, and the author spends much of it on the history and relationships of physics as a science. It is more like a general introduction written to preface material presented later in the course. He does a nice job of explaining the issue of particle/wave duality in electromagnetic and other waves in the final chapter of the book, which also suggests that the bulk of the book is "introductory" in nature and that more is to come later.

Athough the author presents some equations and graphs, those who are math-shy needn't be daunted; they are straight forward and helpful in understanding the points the author makes. Furthermore, Feynman's narative style goes very rapidly. He jumps from topic to topic, intercalating brief stories and amusing comments to put his message across in an entertaining manner, rather than in a ponderous discussion or chalk boards full of formulae.

Although the reader who has no physics background may enjoy learning something of the field through this book, I suspect those with a science background may find one of the more recent books on the subject more informative.

Excellent book!! Well written *****
I have a biological sciences background so at first i was worried i wouldnt be able to follow this book. But little did i know that Feynman was an excellent writer. Its easy to read and didnt make me nod off to sleep like most of the microbiology books i read do. If your interested in reading about a new topic for the first time then this is the book.. But if youve got a physics background, this might be a lil slow for you... Well, i will be a Biophysicist one day =)

Excellent book!! Well written *****

I have a biological sciences background so at first i was worried i wouldnt be able to follow this book. But little did i know that Feynman was an excellent writer. Its easy to read and didnt make me nod off to sleep like most of the microbiology books i read do.
If your interested in reading about a new topic for the first time then this is the book.. But if youve got a physics background, this might be a lil slow for you... Well, i will be a Biophysicist one day =)

Compelling reading for anyone with an enquring mind *****
My son bought me this book for Christmas. I have always had a fascination for physics and as a lay person I found this book extremely readable. I cannot claim to understand all the concepts in detail but these lectures must be close to perfection in explaining matters that are hard to understand. To give an example - I have an enquiring mind and yet I reached the age of 58 without understanding why a person or article orbiting the earth appears to be weightless. After reading Richard Feynmans brief explanation I now understand. PS On a similar topic I can thoroughly recommend Quarks, Leptons and the Big Bang by Jonathan Allday published by Institute of Physics Publishing.

Compelling reading for anyone with an enquring mind *****

My son bought me this book for Christmas. I have always had a fascination for physics and as a lay person I found this book extremely readable. I cannot claim to understand all the concepts in detail but these lectures must be close to perfection in explaining matters that are hard to understand.
To give an example - I have an enquiring mind and yet I reached the age of 58 without understanding why a person or article orbiting the earth appears to be weightless. After reading Richard Feynmans brief explanation I now understand.

PS On a similar topic I can thoroughly recommend Quarks, Leptons and the Big Bang by Jonathan Allday published by Institute of Physics Publishing.

Fascinating for anyone curious about science *****
Despite being 'easy' these are full-on scientific concepts. Nevertheless, they are explained about as clearly as possible by one of the finest scientists and communicators of the last hundred years. This isn't a casual read, but it is extremely interesting and mind-blowing. It got me so interested that I ended up buying the full set of Physics textbooks by Feynman! I'd regard this as essential and enjoyable reading for anyone interested in the way the world works, as this explores some of the most crucial scientific theories that have a bearing on all aspects of science and nature. The structure and behaviour of atoms, quantum mechanics and gravity, are all covered superbly. By the end of the book, you'll still be fairly boggled by the concepts, but they are so fundamental to life, science and technology that there are few people who wouldn't benefit from at least some understanding of these landmark theories.

Fascinating for anyone curious about science *****

Despite being 'easy' these are full-on scientific concepts. Nevertheless, they are explained about as clearly as possible by one of the finest scientists and communicators of the last hundred years. This isn't a casual read, but it is extremely interesting and mind-blowing. It got me so interested that I ended up buying the full set of Physics textbooks by Feynman!

I'd regard this as essential and enjoyable reading for anyone interested in the way the world works, as this explores some of the most crucial scientific theories that have a bearing on all aspects of science and nature. The structure and behaviour of atoms, quantum mechanics and gravity, are all covered superbly. By the end of the book, you'll still be fairly boggled by the concepts, but they are so fundamental to life, science and technology that there are few people who wouldn't benefit from at least some understanding of these landmark theories.

he is the master *****
Feynman is an unusual genius in that he also has a gift for explaining things in a way that makes them appealing. This is not the book for you if you want to wrestle with the complexities of quantum theory, but it is fascinating to hear more fundamental physics explained by one of the subject's stars.

he is the master *****

Feynman is an unusual genius in that he also has a gift for explaining things in a way that makes them appealing.

This is not the book for you if you want to wrestle with the complexities of quantum theory, but it is fascinating to hear more fundamental physics explained by one of the subject's stars.

Richard Feynman brings physics to life..... *****
Richard Feynman has never failed to provide me with the inspiration and motivation to learn more about the world around me. His illustrations are easy to understand, and are enjoyable to pass on to others. He makes physics seem necessary, challenging and very interesting. I have never studied physics before, and found the content within reach. References to "missing" chapters have encouraged me to buy the full lecture set.

Richard Feynman brings physics to life..... *****

Richard Feynman has never failed to provide me with the inspiration and motivation to learn more about the world around me. His illustrations are easy to understand, and are enjoyable to pass on to others. He makes physics seem necessary, challenging and very interesting. I have never studied physics before, and found the content within reach. References to "missing" chapters have encouraged me to buy the full lecture set.

An introduction to Physics and Feynman's wit *****
Feynman has condensed the contents of his presentations to 1st year Physics students at CalTech. The information about the six topics is simply put and without a prerequisite deep mathematic understanding. These more advanced lessons are available in the Feynman Lectures on Physics. If you would like a basic Physics understanding and would like learning it from a teacher with wit and verve, this is a great resource. The six topics are about atoms, basic Physics, Physics relations to other sciences, energy, gravity, and Quantum Mechanics. When read with "Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman", this book is far more interesting. It will highlight Feynman's wit and prepare you for its appearance in his lecture.

An introduction to Physics and Feynman's wit *****

Feynman has condensed the contents of his presentations to 1st year Physics students at CalTech. The information about the six topics is simply put and without a prerequisite deep mathematic understanding. These more advanced lessons are available in the Feynman Lectures on Physics. If you would like a basic Physics understanding and would like learning it from a teacher with wit and verve, this is a great resource. The six topics are about atoms, basic Physics, Physics relations to other sciences, energy, gravity, and Quantum Mechanics.

When read with "Surely you must be joking, Mr. Feynman", this book is far more interesting. It will highlight Feynman's wit and prepare you for its appearance in his lecture.

Master Delivery ****
Feynman is one of my favorite American heros. It is hard not to admire any one aspect of his life. Above all, he was a great teacher obviously. The book is a collection of his lectures for introductory physics, may be a little too elementary for some. Note that, nowadays such topics are delivered to students at earlier ages since Feynman first started these lectures. Still, how he uses daily language and examples to explain and highlight the basic principles of physics is impressive. More importantly, he is very open and clear about exactly what is known and explainable and what we really do not know yet. This comes in very handy in the last chapter on quantum physics, which I enjoyed the most.

Master Delivery ****

Feynman is one of my favorite American heros. It is hard not to admire any one aspect of his life. Above all, he was a great teacher obviously. The book is a collection of his lectures for introductory physics, may be a little too elementary for some. Note that, nowadays such topics are delivered to students at earlier ages since Feynman first started these lectures. Still, how he uses daily language and examples to explain and highlight the basic principles of physics is impressive. More importantly, he is very open and clear about exactly what is known and explainable and what we really do not know yet. This comes in very handy in the last chapter on quantum physics, which I enjoyed the most.

Great Introduction to Physics ****
I love reading Feynman. I am not going to write a long review of this book. If you are interested enough in physics to be at this page, then reading this book is a no brainer. I will say that I read QED first, and that is Feynman's masterpiece. This work suffers by comparison only in that he is addressing underclassman and trying to get them interested in the big picture, whereas QED is the big picture. The great thing about this book is its conversational tone. You can almost imagine yourself in a classroom headed by the most brilliant physics teacher or our time. That's worth something, I'd say. Enjoy.

Great Introduction to Physics ****

I love reading Feynman. I am not going to write a long review of this book. If you are interested enough in physics to be at this page, then reading this book is a no brainer. I will say that I read QED first, and that is Feynman's masterpiece. This work suffers by comparison only in that he is addressing underclassman and trying to get them interested in the big picture, whereas QED is the big picture. The great thing about this book is its conversational tone. You can almost imagine yourself in a classroom headed by the most brilliant physics teacher or our time. That's worth something, I'd say. Enjoy.

Good Job with Difficult Subject Matter *****
I'm a high school physics teacher who is currently using this book to supplement my physics students' reading. Well, actually, there have been whole subject matters, such as Conservation of Energy and Law of Universal Gravitation which we have entirely taken from this book. My students are from diverse backgrounds, and Feynman has allowed them to really get their hands on these complicated ideas, which, frankly, a math-only-oriented program wouldn't let someone with high school math skills do. This book has convinced me to look for other appropriate texts by Feynman for my class.

Good Job with Difficult Subject Matter *****

I'm a high school physics teacher who is currently using this book to supplement my physics students' reading. Well, actually, there have been whole subject matters, such as Conservation of Energy and Law of Universal Gravitation which we have entirely taken from this book. My students are from diverse backgrounds, and Feynman has allowed them to really get their hands on these complicated ideas, which, frankly, a math-only-oriented program wouldn't let someone with high school math skills do. This book has convinced me to look for other appropriate texts by Feynman for my class.

A Proper Introduction To Physics For The Layman ****
Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to one of today's most intriguing scientific fields. Feynman presents physics in a series of easily understandable lectures that are appealing to the layman, in that it presents theories and concepts through simple example. Despite the age of his work, much of what is taught and discussed in the book is still relevant and accepted in physics today. The book centers on the basic principles and operations of the following topics: 1 - Atoms In Motion 2 - Basic Physics 3 - The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences 4 - Conservation of Energy 5 - The Theory of Gravitation 6 - Quantum Behavior Within each topic lesser subtopics are addressed, more specifically subtopics that are rooted to or based in one of the overall topics. The teaching style exhibited by Feynman is well thought out and should appeal to the majority of readers. However, Six Easy Pieces is meant as an introduction for the layman and is not suggested for those already experienced in the field. In closing, Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to the topic of physics, however it is just that - an introduction. Therefore, it is highly recommended for the layman, but not for the physicist.

A Proper Introduction To Physics For The Layman ****

Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to one of today's most intriguing scientific fields. Feynman presents physics in a series of easily understandable lectures that are appealing to the layman, in that it presents theories and concepts through simple example. Despite the age of his work, much of what is taught and discussed in the book is still relevant and accepted in physics today.

The book centers on the basic principles and operations of the following topics:
1 - Atoms In Motion
2 - Basic Physics
3 - The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences
4 - Conservation of Energy
5 - The Theory of Gravitation
6 - Quantum Behavior

Within each topic lesser subtopics are addressed, more specifically subtopics that are rooted to or based in one of the overall topics. The teaching style exhibited by Feynman is well thought out and should appeal to the majority of readers. However, Six Easy Pieces is meant as an introduction for the layman and is not suggested for those already experienced in the field.

In closing, Six Easy Pieces is an excellent introduction to the topic of physics, however it is just that - an introduction. Therefore, it is highly recommended for the layman, but not for the physicist.