Feynman's Lost Lecture: The Motion of Planets Around the SunRescued from obscurity, Feynman's Lost Lecture is a blessing for all Feynman followers. Most know Richard Feynman for the hilarious anecdotes and exploits in his best-selling books "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and "What Do You Care What Other People Think?" But not always obvious in those stories was his brilliance as a pure scientist--one of the century's greatest physicists. With this book and CD, we hear the voice of the great Feynman in all his ingenuity, insight, and acumen for argument. This breathtaking lecture--"The Motion of the Planets Around the Sun"--uses nothing more advanced than high-school geometry to explain why the planets orbit the sun elliptically rather than in perfect circles, and conclusively demonstrates the astonishing fact that has mystified and intrigued thinkers since Newton: Nature obeys mathematics. David and Judith Goodstein give us a beautifully written short memoir of life with Feynman, provide meticulous commentary on the lecture itself, and relate the exciting story of their effort to chase down one of Feynman's most original and scintillating lectures. |
Contents
Preface | 11 |
Introduction | 17 |
From Copernicus to Newton | 21 |
A Reminiscence | 45 |
Feynmans Proof of the Law of Ellipses | 63 |
Epilogue | 171 |
Feynmans Lecture Notes | 179 |
| 183 | |
| 185 | |
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Common terms and phrases
altitude of SBc angle is equal area swept areas in equal Aristotelian Aristotelian mechanics astronomical atom bisector of F'G called Caltech change in velocity conic sections construction Copernican Copernicus curve deduced demonstration direction distance from F draw Earth electric elliptical orbits equal angles equal areas exactly Feyn Feynman's lecture Feynman's lost lecture force acting force of gravity Galileo geometrical intersection interval inversely Isaac Newton James Clerk Maxwell Johannes Kepler Kepler's laws Kepler's second Kepler's third law later law of ellipses lecture notes Leighton mathematical means minutes of arc Newton's laws Newtonian nucleus orbit diagram origin parallel particle perpendicular bisector physics planet moves planetary motion point G Principia problem proof proportional prove quantum mechanics radius reflected light regular polygon Richard Feynman segment semimajor axis square straight line string sweeps out equal tangent line thing Tycho Brahe velocity circle velocity diagram Δν