QED: A Play [Paperback]

Peter Parnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2002

QED is a seductive mix of science, human affections, moral courage and comic eccentricity... not to be missed."- John Simon, New York Magazine The play itself is a kind of proof, dramatically illustrating how a man who happens to be a genius elegantly and movingly works through the human problem of how to face the end of his life." - Nancy Franklin, The New Yorker With a moving and powerful introduction from Alan Alda. Who knew that quantum electrodynamics could make for a dramatic read? In the hands of the late, great physicist Richard Feynman, it does. Feynman's theory of QED is just one of the many topics the playwright Peter Parnell explores in this nearly-one-man show, a recent Broadway triumph for star Alan Alda as Feynman. Set in Feynman's office on the weekend of his realization that he has terminal cancer, this play is an intellectual tour-de-force that captures the unique, hilarious, and puckish genius that Feynman was. From his work on the Manhattan Project to the death of his beloved first wife, from his mission to reconstruct the Challenger space shuttle tragedy to his Nobel-prize winning physics ideas, the resume of Feynman's life is fascinating. But Parnell gives us more, letting fill in the details of his life. When he reads a letter he wrote to his wife after her death, or flirts with a student, or chillingly recalls walking around Manhattan calculating the damage an atomic bomb could do, we grow to love the man behind the scientist. And we read in fascination as he puzzles out the problem of his own death. Combining the current interest in science and math in the entertainment world with one of the most entertaining scientists in U.S. history, QED is a tour-de-force.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard P. Feynman (1918-1988) was one of this century's most brilliant theoretical physicists and original thinkers. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1965 for his work on QED. Books by Feynman in Penguin include The Character of Physical Law (1992, 36,000 copies), Six Easy Pieces (1998, 27,000 copies, and Six Not-So-Easy Pices (1999, 10,000 copies). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Applause Books (September 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557835926
• ISBN-13: 978-1557835925
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,022,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frenetic and Fascinating, January 13, 2004

By 

"eminentbrain" (SF Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: QED: A Play (Paperback)

This play comes up short as a deep history (see Gleick's "Genius" for that), but does a great job of laying out in broad strokes the diverse and idiosyncratic nature of one of the recent histories' greatest minds. I wish I had been able to see Alan Alda perform this piece, because based on how it read I can imagine that he did Feynman great justice.

2.0 out of 5 stars Caution: Try before you buy!, July 17, 2011

By 

Ronald W. Johnson "Old Curiosity Shopper" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: QED: A Play Inspired by the Writings of Richard Feynman and "Tuva or Bust!" by Ralph Leighton (Kindle Edition)

I only have the sample and was surprised by the unusual FONT style - fine lines that taper off with no serifs! I found it difficult to read at any (reasonable) size. I will probably buy it eventually but if you have any visual handicap, I strongly reccomend you sample it first yourself.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shake the Hand that Shook the Hand of John L. Sullivan..., April 22, 2007

By 

A Reader (California USA) - See all my reviews

(...I once took a course at Stanford and its instructor had once worked at CalTech. I once mentioned my interest in Richard Feynman to her and this led to her recounting her real-life encounters with him. Notably, she english-teacherly entoned "he definitely had something." By meeting with this english professor, I in effect did touch the hand that shook the hand of Richard P. Feynman. )

This is superb treatment on how light and matter interact. Suprisingly, many of these concepts prove invaluable in semiconductors, but as far as I can tell, they are not usually discussed in undergrad solid-state courses. But these Richard Feynman type concepts could easily be taught and should be taught.

Back in school, I was interviewed by an Bell-Labs/Stanford EE Ph.D. grad as part of my program's ABET certification renewal process. When I pointed out this obvious weakness in the standard EE solid-state course, this guy became angry and hostile towards me. His body language, his tone, and the words that he used suggested that I didn't know what I was talking about and I remember him saying "Teaching Semiconductor Physics can never be easy," forcefully contradicting my assertion that teaching semiconductor physics could be much simpler (and in all likelihood even easy, at least to honestly interested students).

Anyway, if one is planning to take or have taken sophmore level EE solid-state physics, I recommend reading this book. It will provide a framework that will enhance one's understanding of many solid-state concepts very quickly. And to hell with Bell-Labs and Stanford's EE hidden curriculum.