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Feynman (was: Work/Energy theorem ?)



Dear all,

I'm sad, too, about Feynman not being with us any more. His Lectures are in a
good place on *my* bookshelf. So is QED.
I'm a high school teacher and science writer in Bologna, Italy. I'm starting to
translate The Feynman's Lost Lecture just now, and I would appreciate any
comment from your part.

By the way: I'm trying to read The Theory of Fundamental Processes and Quantum
Electrodynamics (I'm a fan, you see), but I have hard times in relating Feynman
formalism to the ordinary QM I had at the university, like Dirac or Schiff or
Slater's Quantum Theory of Matter. I'm not going to give up, still. Maybe
someone can pick up for me one or two "missing links"?

Thank you, Leigh. Your messages are always worth reading. So is most of the
list, actually.

--
Paolo Cavallo " Ce qui n'ex-iste pas
via Beroaldo 38 in-siste.
40127 Bologna ITALY Insiste pour exister. "
ton0621@iperbole.bologna.it MICHEL TOURNIER (1924)

----------
Da: Leigh Palmer <palmer@sfu.ca>
A: phys-l@atlantis.cc.uwf.edu
Oggetto: Re: Work/Energy theorem ?
Data: mercoledì 19 marzo 1997 6.46

Feynman emphasizes the difference between Dennis's blocks and energy:
with energy there are no blocks! He makes that a very strong point.
That and the necessity of making a mathematical statement are the
reasons I like the development so much.

I don't remember the business about windows being "Heat" and "work".
I tend to be rather uncritical of what Feynman writes. I was
privileged to spend some considerable time with him on several
visits he made to British Columbia, both alone and with his family.
When I read what he says (he doesn't write it; Leighton and Sands
did that) I do so hearing his voice. He may disagree with some of
my cherished views (though I can't think where), but he was such a
great teacher of physics that he could probably convert me. Donald
feels that he is not read by physics teachers. If that is so it is
a great pity. At the very least everyone should read "QED: the
strange theory of light and matter". It has no equations in it.

I am very sorry he's gone.

Leigh