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Summary: Beautiful and classic science book
Review: This book is classic. Generations of science students have read through these pages and, in general got absolutely in love with the subject AND the author. Feynman is one of the most charismatic characters of the Physical Sciences, in much a way as others like Einstein. The difference is that Feynman is someone that is discovered, usually by students in an undergraduate level, especially through this book. And the reason why the book is a classic is very simple: basically, it is very good. The subjects are presented in a most original way, expressing the sheer creativity of the author. Quite a difference from the more known textbooks that are so standardised. The book is also very well written, in a very light style showing that one can learn science and keep the spirits up. It is also important to remark that this special edition is particularly nice. Go for it!
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Summary: Listen -
Review: Listen - these books are not a good introduction to physics. These should not be your first physics books. But they are a terrific complement to an introductory physics series. You cannot claim to be a theoretical physicist without having read these books. And frankly, if you want to be a theoretical physicist, you should love reading these (and Dirac's lectures on Quantum Mechanics, also on amazon). If you don't, maybe you should consider doing something else with your time.
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Summary: Conceptual Clarity
Review: Upon reading these books it is immediately apparent that Richard Feyman had a complete grasp of the concepts presented. His expositions are thoroughly well thought out, and extremely logical. Does that make these books great tools for learning to be a practising physicist? The answer to that question has two parts. First, to become a competent physicist one must have a clear conceptual picture of the necessary material. Second, this applies in particular to (although is not limited to) research, one must be able to use the concepts and the machinery to solve problems. These books concentrate on the first problem, having a firm grasp of the concepts fundamental to physics. It must be borne in mind that these books constitute a lecture series. Thus, they contain only the explanations offered by Feyman in his oratory, i.e. no problems sets are included with the texts. Therefore, they are at a significant disadvantage with respect to other, more complete treatments of the material, which is exacerbated by the price of the three volume set. However, when supplemented by another text(s) which provides worked examples and solved problem sets, the volumes really come into their own. Reading and digesting the contents of these three volumes will not develop all of the necessary skills required to practice physics competently, however the sheer clarity of the exposition of the concepts treated provides the student with a thorough grasp of the material from which to formulate approaches to problem solving. Ulimately though, one needs to decide whether the price of these volumes together with that of another complementary text is worth it. If you are serious about developing a deep understanding of the material, the answer is probably yes. If you just need something to get you through your exams, probably not.
Rating: 
Summary: Worth a look but not all it is cracked up to be
Review: I have to say I have been perpetually disappointed with these books. I have used the electricity volume as supplemental information for an E&M course I taught with success. But I could not have turned the students aloose by themselves. These books are full of errors in math and even some in physics. Feynman never meant these books to become the holy grail of physics they have sort of become. These books are the babies of an experimental freshman physics course at Cal Tech designed to reduce the outflow to the EE department. Feynman considered the course a failure partly because of his lack of time and involvement. Nevertheless, I have read some of the material with a great deal of enjoyment. If nothing else these books can bring a tear to the student's eye over what could have been.
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Summary: A rare gem
Review: The Feynman 'brand' has been over-extended a bit since his death. All that bongo nonsense! So, was the dude any good? It's a bit too early to judge his research; give it, say, 400 years. We can judge his teaching though, and, as these books show, it was exceptionally good. These books present a long meandering through the highlights of classical, 19th and early-20th century physics with enough intelligence and content to keep the sharp ones awake and the dim ones from getting lost. So, this is no use as a physics text in the usual sense of the word; if it's 3am and you need to know how to derive the Lorentz transform from the basic relativity axioms, this book won't help. If you want to spend a diverting hour learning about relativity, then this book will be great fun.
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Summary: Inventing Reality - Feynman's Version
Review: With these lectures, you are along for the ride as Feynman invents reality. I like to compare this work to a Mozart piano variation.
Give Mozart a melody and he'll compose a hundred variations of it. Feyman does the same in presenting a dynamic or equation - you realize that behind an equation lies a thousand stories. Read and master this work if you want to be a credible physicist.
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Summary: Schaum's>Feynman Lectures
Review: Hype is absolutely right; If you want to really learn physics you have to be solving problems and as Gregory mentioned there are NO exercises. Of course if we were stranded on a deserted island we would be satisified with constructing our own problems I guess. Anyway,if you don't need Feynman's LONG! explanations and want to do some thinking for yourself get Spiegel's Schaum's outline or a Paul Davies book for enlightenment.
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Summary: The best freshman physics text for grad students
Review: My title is both facetious and accurate. Richard Feynman was, as many people know, a wonderfully colorful guy even during lectures and he was good at explaining things. Though lacking the entertainment value of his autobiographies, some of Feynman's personality comes through even here. As far as content goes, the Feynman Lectures on Physics covers most aspects of physics as was known in the early sixties and taught during that time (don't expect laser physics here). His coverage was comprehensive and understandable. He made a serious and successful effort to explain the material. But even Feynman himself admitted that when he delivered these lectures during his teaching of the introductory college physics classes at Cal Tech, only about a half dozen students really understood everything. Cal Tech is not exactly known for mediocrity among the student body, so keep this in mind. I must admit that I've read only the third volume cover to cover, but I periodically referenced the other volumes during my grad school years. Even though the level of the equations was usually suitable more for undergraduates, the descriptions and physical ideas presented were always helpful. Had there been more worked examples, these volumes would have been a truly exceptional work. But even so, they are still very good and highly recommended for advanced students.
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Summary: Don't Believe the Hype!
Review: Like Public Enemy said: DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! Get ready for some blasphemy to set your head straight: These books just aren't that great! Everyone and their uncle and their uncle's uncle have been telling me over and over again how great the Feynman Lectures are. Professors, friends, colleagues-- even the Amazon.com community, as you can see by the other reviews. Long ago, I bought into the hype, and bought myself a set. Now, years later, after struggling again and again through these volumes (espeically volume 3)--- and thinking over and over again "well, it must just be me," I finally have to conclude that, "NO, it is NOT just me." The fact is, these books just aren't that good. How can I say such a thing? Let me give you some reasons. First of all, the math is kind of lacking. "Yeah yeah," I can already hear you saying "but this is an INTRODUCTORY book, so there SHOULD be very little math." Well, yes and no. While he does talk about physical situations to try and get his points across, he often sort of leave stuff out that a few little equations would make much clearer-- and this is most tremendously frustrating. He tries to do something that may simply be impossible--- to write an introductory physics book for a physics audience-- not a POPULAR audience like, for example, James Gleick-- without many equations. Because of that, for people who are trying to really learn something, it is almost impossible, because just when you think you might be getting it, it's on to another topic. This makes the whole thing rather disjointed and frustrating. I really could not get a deep grasp of things from these books. Second, there are no problems-- not with calculations and numbers. Again, I know you're gonna argue. But for me, I need at least one or two examples with CALCULATIONS. Finally--- and I know I'm gonna get skewered for this one--- he is just NOT THAT GREAT AT EXPLAINING things! Blasphemy of blasphemies!! Saint Feynman the Great Expositor not that great at explaining things? Sorry, yes, that is what I think. This is a matter of personal preference, I guess, since a lot of people (ie. the rest of humanity!) think he is absolutely wonderful. I guess we will just have to agree to disagree...
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Summary: encounter a great mind
Review: This is a great mind's presentation of an integrated view of physics. He can't help but portray it idiosyncratically, at his level. Historians will review it to see what we were thinking. Take it as you will. It's remarkable how much of this 40 year old book holds up. The chapter deriving Euler's formula numerically alone is worth the price of admission. This magisterial work belongs in the time capsule, or alongside "Ulysses", "King Lear", and the complete works of Yeats and Auden. Most of all, it is the ideal gift for someone with possibilities.
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