QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Princeton Science Library) Hardcover Author: Visit Amazon's Richard P. Feynman Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0691127174 | Format: PDF, EPUB
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Review
Praise for Princeton's original edition: "Feynman simply cannot help being original. In this quirky, fascinating book, he explains to laymen the quantum theory of light."--
New YorkerPraise for Princeton's original edition:"[A]nother tour de force by the acknowledged master of clear explanation in physics."--
John Roche, Times Literary SupplementPraise for Princeton's original edition:"Feynman's lectures must have been marvellous and they have been turned into an equally entrancing book, a vivid introduction to QED which is leavened and enlivened by his wit. Anyone with a curiosity about physics today should buy it, not only to get to grips with the deepest meaning of quantum theory but to possess a slice of history."--
Pedro Waloschek, NaturePraise for Princeton's original edition: "In four conversational and breezy chapters. . . . Feynman, who himself gave the theory its most useful and powerful form, undertakes without one equation to explain QED to the generality of readers."--
Philip Morrison, Scientific American"Using clear language, many visuals, and his own Feynman diagrams, the author presents a clear introduction to the quantum theory of the inter-action of light with matter, without mathematics but with humor."--
Physics TeacherAbout the Author
Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) was Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology. A. Zee is a Permanent Member of the Institute for Theoretical Physics and Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of "Fearful Symmetry: The Search for Beauty in Modern Physics" and "Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell" (both Princeton).
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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- Series: Princeton Science Library
- Hardcover: 192 pages
- Publisher: Princeton University Press (April 4, 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0691127174
- ISBN-13: 978-0691127170
- Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
Caveat - Be sure to read Professor Zee's introduction as well as Feynman's introduction before you read the rest of the book. More about this at the end of this review.
In my opinion this is one of the best of Feynman's introductory physics books. He does close to the impossible by explaining the rudimentary ideas of Quantum Electro Dynamics (QED) in a manner that is reasonably accessible to those with some physics background. He explains Feynman diagrams and shows why light is partially reflected from a glass, how it is transmitted through the glass, how it interacts with the electrons in the glass and many more things. This is done via his arrows and the rules for their rotation, addition and multiplication.
One reviewer has criticized this book because Feynman does not actually show how to determine the length of the arrows (the square of which is the probability of the action being considered occurring) and the how you determine their proper rotation. True, but as is stated in Feynman's introduction, this was never the intention of the book. If you want to learn how to create the arrows used in a Feynman diagram and use them to solve even the most rudimentary problem, you have to major in physics as an undergraduate, do well enough to get into a theoretical physics graduate program and then stick with the program until the second year, when you will take elementary QED. You will then have to take even more classes before you can solve harder problems. Clearly, it is not possible to do all this in a 150-page book aimed at a general audience. He does, however, give the reader a clear indication of what these calculations are like, even if you are not actually given enough information to perform one on your own.
This book covers four lectures that explains QED in terms of the path integral method, which was developed by the author. Needless to say, this is authoritative on this approach, but it also remarkably clear and comprehensible. Notwithstanding that, I would recommend slow and careful reading, as you may find a small sequence of statements that seem perhaps a little unjustified. Later, Feynman fronts up to some of these, and explains why he oversimplified to get things going. If you see them first, and this is not unreasonable, I believe you will get more from the text. The first lecture is a general introduction that shows how the path of the photon as a particle can be followed in terms of time-of-flight from all possible paths. The assertion is, the photon is a particle, not a wave, however there is no explanation for why there is a term that I would call the phase. The second lecture is a tour-de force and explains in terms of this particle treatment, why light reflects and diffracts, and is particularly interesting in why light behaves as if it is reflected only from the front and back of glass, whereas it is actually scattered by electrons throughout the glass. The third lecture covers electron-photon interactions, and covers Feynman diagrams and shows why QED is the most accurate theory ever proposed. The fourth lecture may seem a bit of a disappointment. The author tries to cover a very wide range of phenomena, which he terms "loose ends", and in some ways this chapter has been overtaken somewhat, nevertheless it also gives a look into Feynman's mind, and that also is well worth the price of the book. It is also here that the issue of renormalization is discussed - if you could call Feynman admitting it is "a dippy procedure" a discussion.
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