There is quite a buzz on the physics (and also math) blogospheres over the release of seven videotaped lectures, which were delivered by Richard P. Feynman as part of Cornell University’s Messenger Lecture Series of November 1964. The videos have been released by Microsoft Research with quite a few enhancements, though, I believe, they have been around on YouTube for quite some time.
I watched the first two video lectures, titled ‘Lecture 1: The Law of Gravitation – An Example of Physical Law‘ and ‘Lecture 2: The Relation of Mathematics and Physics‘. It goes without saying that they are spell-binding and brilliant! Of course, the textbook ‘The Feymnan Lectures on Physics‘ (which was followed later by a problem-solving supplement that I highly recommend) is such a joy to read, but if you wish to learn physics “face to face” from the master, then I exhort, nay implore, you to watch those video lectures.
(I came to know about the existence of the videos released by the Microsoft Research group from Terence Tao.)
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July 19, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Kea
They really are wonderful. I especially like the one on Symmetry, as in the symmetries that lead to both conservation and NON conservation laws! In this lecture he talks about everything from Galileo’s work on the non scaling of bones, to Mach’s principle, to the lack of understanding of cosmology and the possibility of varying fundamental constants – something that would get him the label of crackpot today.
August 16, 2009 at 3:50 pm
Scott Carnahan
I always find Feynman’s early 20th century Long Island accent rather jarring when listening to recordings of his talks. It’s quite at odds with the voice I had imagined when reading his work.