QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter [Paperback]

Richard P. Feynman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0691024170 | ISBN-13: 978-0691024172 | Publication Date: October 1, 1988

Famous the world over for the creative brilliance of his insights into the physical world, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman also possessed an extraordinary talent for explaining difficult concepts to the nonscientist. QED--the edited version of four lectures on quantum electrodynamics that Feynman gave to the general public at UCLA as part of the Alix G. Mautner Memorial Lecture series--is perhaps the best example of his ability to communicate both the substance and the spirit of science to the layperson.

The focus, as the title suggests, is quantum electrodynamics (QED), the part of the quantum theory of fields that describes the interactions of the quanta of the electromagnetic field-light, X rays, gamma rays--with matter and those of charged particles with one another. By extending the formalism developed by Dirac in 1933, which related quantum and classical descriptions of the motion of particles, Feynman revolutionized the quantum mechanical understanding of the nature of particles and waves. And, by incorporating his own readily visualizable formulation of quantum mechanics, Feynman created a diagrammatic version of QED that made calculations much simpler and also provided visual insights into the mechanisms of quantum electrodynamic processes.

In this book, using everyday language, spatial concepts, visualizations, and his renowned "Feynman diagrams" instead of advanced mathematics, Feynman successfully provides a definitive introduction to QED for a lay readership without any distortion of the basic science. Characterized by Feynman's famously original clarity and humor, this popular book on QED has not been equaled since its publication.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This volume, constituting the printed version of the first of the Alix G. Mautner Memorial Lectures to be given periodically at UCLA, certainly gets this new series off to a flying start. World-renowned for the liveliness and creativity of his physical insights, Caltech physicist Feynman provides another of his tours de force as he clearly explains the arcane workings of quantum electrodynamics, a theory which Feynman himself helped to establish. Starting with such familiar phenomena as the reflection and refraction of light, Feynman goes on to describe in detail the interactions between electrons and light. Although the text requires more concentration to grasp than most science popularizations, things never get out of hand. A good choice for collections serving informed readers. Thomas E. Margrave, formerly with Physics & Astronomy Dept., Univ. of Montana, Missoula
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Feynman's lectures must have been marvelous 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. -- Review

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (October 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691024170
• ISBN-13: 978-0691024172
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Nuclear Physics > Atomic & Nuclear Physics
  • #66 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Quantum Theory

More About the Author

Richard P. Feynman was born in 1918 and grew up in Far Rockaway, New York. At the age of seventeen he entered MIT and in 1939 went to Princeton, then to Los Alamos, where he joined in the effort to build the atomic bomb. Following World War II he joined the physics faculty at Cornell, then went on to Caltech in 1951, where he taught until his death in 1988. He shared the Nobel Prize for physics in 1965, and served with distinction on the Shuttle Commission in 1986. A commemorative stamp in his name was issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

161 of 162 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enigma - QED and Feynman are Outside Normal Experience, June 23, 2000

By 

Michael Wischmeyer (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Paperback)

Enigma - this term best describes QED, the notoriously non-intuitive basis of fundamental physics. But 'enigma" equally applies to this book, QED. Why is it so popular? Four lectures on quantum electrodynamics? Why would anyone, other than a physicist, rave about such a book?

Feynman cautions the audience that they may not understand what he will be saying. Not because of technical difficulty, but because they may be unable to believe it, unable to accept what he is saying. "The theory of quantum electrodynamics describes Nature as absurd from the point of view of common sense. And it fully agrees with experiment. So I hope you can accept Nature as She is - absurd."

I long had this problem. I wanted to understand why, in addition to how nature works. I wanted some philosophical understanding, some underlying meaning. I have come to accept that the fundamental laws (rules, behavior, whatever) of physics are not intuitive, but are incomprehensible in terms of common sense.

To appreciate Feynman's QED lectures, you must have patience, some commitment (its not really difficult), but more than anything else you need a willingness to set aside disbelief and simply listen to a physicist talk about quantum electrodynamics. A willingness to accept that nature refuses to be understood. Analyzed, dissected, mathematically described (in a probabilistic sense), but not fundamentally understood. QED.

I am largely unsatisfied by books for laymen on quantum physics, string theory, cosmology, and the like. My background includes some physics and I find that a bit of mathematics is more helpful than a great many analogies, no matter how cleverly constructed. QED should have been disappointing. But I gave it five stars.

Feynman did not rely on analogies. He talks physics and experiments. Feynman had a wonderful clarity of thought, an ability to explain advanced physics, and all with a sense of humor. No math symbols, no complex numbers, no matrices, no wave mechanics, no advanced probability analysis - just simple addition of little arrows that shrink and turn.

Feynman was unpredictable. He saw the world in unexpected ways. In a footnote he mentions that Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is really no longer a necessary construct. "If you can get rid of all the old-fashioned ideas and instead use the ideas that I am explaining in these lectures - adding arrows for all the ways an event can happen - there is no need for an uncertainty principle." Heisenberg relegated to a footnote!

The casual reader may find some short sections a bit strenuous, particularly some of the more involved manipulations of arrows, but stay with it. As Feynman points out in the preface, these lectures represent physics accurately without distortions for simplicity. Nothing would need to be unlearned if you later majored in physics. Think about it. QED may lead you down a path heretofore not taken.

70 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining and Informative, March 6, 2002

By 

Kenneth James Michael MacLean (Ann Arbor, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Paperback)

A book on physics that is entertaining? Hard to believe, but during the reading of this book I not only got a grasp on some of the fundamental concepts of Quantum Electro Dynamics, but thoroughly enjoyed the way it was explained. Feynman is a master teacher. He has the ability to take complex concepts and boil them down so that even a physics dummy can understand them. It is obvious when reading the text how complete Feynman's understanding of the material is. You know how you can read a science book and not really get what the author is trying to explain? Sometimes that comes from your own lack of intelligence, but a lot of times it's because the author wasn't totally clear about what he was writing. In this book, you really get the underlying concepts becasue Feynman's understanding of the subject is so complete. I found myself absorbing some of the QED concepts almost by osmosis.
The book is composed of 4 lectures Feynman gave at UCLA in the mid 80's.
QED is about the interaction of light and matter. Feynman starts the explanation of QED by dealing with the partial reflection of light onto 2 surfaces of glass, and uses arrow diagrams to make the explanation easy to understand.
He uses the arrow diagrams in the other lectures which continue the discussion of QED's attempt to explain the interaction of photons with matter. The last lecture deals with subatomic particles and QED's relationship to the rest of physics.
The part of the book I enjoyed most was the 3rd lecture called "Electrons and Their Interactions" which explains how electrons go from point to point in space/time. He gets into the famous "Feynman Diagrams" showing how electrons and photons seem to travel backwards in time, and how photons can go faster or slower than the conventional speed of light. It's fascinating!
What's great about these lectures is their clarity and humor. The author doesn't take himself too seriously and as a result the book is a delight to read, as well as being enlightening.
Kudo's as well to the editor who distilled the material down to a manageable length of 152 pages.
Can a book on Quantum Electro Dynamics be really fun to read? This one is.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars QED is masterfully written by an American Genius, October 26, 2000

By 

Aspen Logic, Inc. (Broomfield, CO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter (Hardcover)

QED is your guide to the theory of Quantum Electro Dynamics which explains the interaction of light and matter. It is about a 1/4" thick and feels like it was written for the layperson to absorb without being over taxing. It isn't just another "popular science" type book because it provides an accurate explanation of the theory without being watered down by inaccurate metaphors and analogies meant to soften some difficult physics for the uninitiated. The text is a series of lectures Feynman prepared for an english teach friend of his who wanted to know about his theories but was afraid to ask (so to speak).

This book is fun to read and I highly recommend it for the scientist or (most importantly) the non-scientist on your gift list. Fear not, Feynman is the greatest teacher of science America has ever had to offer (imho). You will enjoy this and quite likely a few of his other books such as, "Surely, Your'e Joking Mr. Feynman".