For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics

For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time, A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics by Walter Lewin "For the Love of Physics" is the wonderful, educational book that enlightens the layperson to physics. Professor Lewin's passion for physics shines throughout the book as he takes readers on a journey from the tiniest particles to the utter vastness of our universe. Acclaimed MIT professor Walter Lewin, helps us see the world through the eyes of physics. This book is in essence a two-part book, in the first part Lewin focuses on the basics of physics. The second part has to do with his area of expertise, X-Ray Astronomy. An enjoyable, instructive read that is perfect for the layperson who wants to learn about physics through a practical lens versus a mathematical one. This 320-page book is composed of the following fifteen chapters: 1. From the Nucleus to Deep Space, 2. Measurements, Uncertainties, and the Stars, 3. Bodies in Motion, 4. The Magic of Drinking, 5. Over and Under, Outside and Inside, the Rainbow, 6. The Harmonies of Strings and Winds, 7. The Wonders of Electricity, 8. The Mysteries of Magnetism, 9. Energy Conservation - Plus ca change..., 10. X-rays from Outer Space!, 11. X-ray Ballooning, the Early Days, 12. Cosmic Catastrophes, Neutron Stars, and Black Holes, 13. Celestial Ballet, 14. X-ray Bursters! And. 15. Ways of Seeing. Positives: 1. A well-written book about physics that focuses on the beauty of it rather than the details. 2. Well-researched book that is accessible to the masses. 3. Professor Lewin's goal are to educate and to exude excitement over his topics...mission accomplished. As a reader and reviewer, I appreciate the passion 4. An inside look at the world of a physicist. The love for astronomy...Interesting. 5. One of the great strengths of this book is how Lewin educates his students on physics. By using everyday experiences, he is able to convey complex topics in an understandable and hands on way. 6. There are some heart-warming and tragedy behind Professor Lewin's fascinating life and he is kind and brave enough to share them with the readers. 7. The wonderful world of optics. One of the most fascinating optical phenomena...glories. 8. Newton's three laws of motion. 9. The gravity of the situation. Mass vs. weight. 10. Does a wonderful job of properly attributing discoveries to their discoverers. 11. Answers a lot of everyday questions through physics: why is the sky blue, what causes rainbows, how do planes fly, etc.... 12. The basics of sound waves. Myths debunked along the way. 13. Electricity in a whole new light. Magnetism. The physics of lightning. The great Maxwell. 14. How energy works. The various types and applications. 15. The second part of the book, the author concentrates in his area of expertise X-ray astronomy. A tour deluxe of the x-ray universe. The author goes in more depth and takes you out of the classroom. It feels like a memoir of sorts. 16. A lot of amusing tales regarding his days in the field. 17. Neutron stars, supernovae, black holes, neutrinos, pulsars..oh my! 18. Some of the most amazing facts you will ever read, "A teaspoon of neutron star matter would weigh 100 million tons on Earth". 19. X-ray bursts! 20. Stellar spectroscopy...the most powerful tool in astrophysics. 21. The golden age of cosmology. 22. Find out about Professor Lewin's "other" love. 23. Links, very helpful links that add depth to the topics discussed. Negatives: 1. The Kindle version omits the picture inserts unless you count the links for the Kindle Fire. 2. This book is intended for the masses so those in the field of physics will find it too basic. 3. Let's face it, it pains me to say it but a lot of people just can't handle science even at its most accessible. In summary, after reading this educational book the quote that best summarizes it, " A woman does not want to be understood, she wants to be loved". I apologize for not properly attributing the quote but I feel it captures the essence of this book. Professor Lewis wants you to learn about physics but his focus is for you to fall in love with physics. The love for physics will drive one's innate curiosity toward learning physics. It's a wonderful philosophy to have and this book emanates rays of wisdom. If you are a layperson and want to see the world in a different light by all means pick up this book! Further suggestions: " Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 " by Michio Kaku, " The Physics Book: From the Big Bang to Quantum Resurrection, 250 Milestones in the History of Physics (Sterling Milestones) " by Clifford A. Pickover, " Death from the Skies!: These Are the Ways the World Will End . . . " by Phillip C. Plait, " Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries " by Neil deGrasse Tyson, " A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing " by Lawrence Krauss, " Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World " by Lisa Randall, " Wonders of the Universe " and " Why Does E=mc2? (And Why Should We Care?) " by Brian Cox, " Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe (P.S.) " by Simon Singh, and " The Grand Design " by Stephen Hawking.

This is a wonderful book. It takes the reader on a journey through classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, waves and Professor Lewin's area of long term research, X-ray astronomy. Although this outline mirrors to some extent the three MIT courses (now available to all, see the post Ellipses), this is more than a cut down version of these lectures. Professor Lewin takes us on this journey with passion, with humor and with enthusiasm. On every page are connections to experiences in everyday life. These connections are not dry explanations of common phenomena but encouragements to the reader to test these ideas. I found myself having the almost uncontrollable desire to turn on a hose with the sun at my back and spin around to generate my own rainbow. I was also saddened that my shower and sun configuration prevents my own personal grasp on these rainbows. These small experiments are not solely qualitative but quantitative exercises. This powerful explanatory and predictive nature of physics is bed rock in the book. At every opportunity, Professor Lewin helps us to understand the enormous numbers (mass, energy, power, etc) of the quantum and astronomical scale by comparisons with values of these properties on objects and states on our human scale. As testimony to the Professor's connection with the reader (we are another wave of students) there are repeated references to internet resources that amplify his words. I have provided some of these in previous posts. The chapters on X-ray astronomy take us on the journey of a an active experimental research physicist. There is agony and ecstasy. This revelation of the invisible, distant and historical amazing view of the cosmos is "mind-blowing". The book not only reveals the fundamental importance of physics in understanding the universe but weaves seamlessly the insightful views of a grand master physicist on issues of global importance: the energy crisis, human obesity, the safety of nuclear power, the Large Hadron Collider. Finally, Professor Lewin gives us instructive glimpses of the formative influences of his life: family, the Nazi occupation and Holocuast (an ever-present shadow), Lady Luck (the visit to MIT, the opportune meetings with friends and colleagues) and the transformative powers of education and Art. It is also clear that "fortune favours the prepared mind". May we all learn to enrich our connections with the world through education, reason and art. If the intelligence, enthusiasm and wonder that Professor Lewin conveys transforms us even a little, then bonus intra melior exi, i.e we enter good but leave better. What greater honour to a bestow on a brilliant teacher?

I haven't finished this book yet and I don't think I will for a while yet, and like any good read, I'll be disappointed when I do. I bought the book in the first place because I saw Walter lewin's MIT lecture by the same name and loved it. I've always been interested in physics and to learn anything new is always worth the time. With 'For The Love of Physics', Lewin captures his wonderful lectures in book form. His love of the subject is so obvious that it becomes infectious and I find myself eagerly explaining the science of rainbows to my wife. Although at times Lewin can go into a subject a little too exhuastively, you soon become used to the style and can skate across the superflous bits. Scattered throughout the text are various autobiographical snippits which give added interest. I think Walter Lewin is not only a very clever physicist, but a talented entertainer as well, not a common combination. A very entertaining and also interesting book, I hope he writes another!

Event horizon, gravitational potential energy, neutron stars, plasma, accretion disk, donor star, X-ray bursts, parallax, destructive interference, Chladni plate, antisolar point, spaghettification, redshift, blueshift - Were you not familiar with any of these terms or they seem boring, this book is specifically written for you, and you should read it! The first chapter isn't much about physics. Professor Lewis touches various topics on his life. Even though it is not about science, do not skip it. I loved the first chapter because I got to know him as a person not as a boring guy that is going to explain boring science stuff to me. He goes over his childhood and family in Netherlands in which a great deal of suffering happened from World War 2. Also, he explains how he could not thrive as a scientist in his homeland because of bureaucracy and authoritarian leadership. Getting to know Professor Lewis is very important in understanding the physics, as weird as it may sound. Trust me. His lessons are intertwined with his life experiences. This way is very effective. For instance, he does not just explain how the red light's maximum refractory degree is 42 and blue light 40 in rainbow. He tells his personal story on how he was able to apply these scientific facts to find a regular rainbow on a trip, and discover a new type of rainbow - glassbow. I had to understand the scientific statements and facts to follow his interesting and cool stories. The last few chapters cover astronomy and his contribution to X-ray bursts. The way he explains is so easy to grasp and intriguing. At no time have I felt bored with the topics and scientific concepts. He wrote this book to help readers to see the world through the eyes of the physics. He gives a warning: you will not be able to see the world as you did before after reading the book. He could not be more right. He puts it as “YOU HAVE LOST YOUR VIRGINTY.” I saw a rainbow yesterday. I was verifying antipolar point, confirming that the red band within the rainbow was on top within 42 degree from the antipolar point. At night, I looked up at the night sky with stars. I was telling myself that one third of stars were binary systems in which two stars look like a star to naked eyes. Today, I was conversing with a friend while I was driving. An ambulance was passing us by. I told my friend how the sound waves' frequency increases while the ambulance was coming towards us due to its speed and the direction, evidenced by higher pitch, and vice versa as the ambulance was going away from us. I finished my lecture by saying "isn't science amazing?" I can't forget his confused expression on his face. He didn't see that coming from a guy like me who is a full time soldier in the Army – to know and even extol a nerdy subject with such an excitement. Who cares? Doppler Effect is so amazing! Just as the title of the book tells, For the Love of Physics, Professor Lewis loves physics. And it is contagious. Please let him take you to the world of physics with which you will fall in love.

If you have not yet read For The Love Of Physics, I highly recomend that you do so. Please do not miss out on such an opertunity as to own and read this book written by the legendary Walter Lewin. The book is so wonderfully written, Walter captured my attention from the very firs word and right straight through each chaper and to the end of the book. I loved it so much. What a fabulous experience and oppertunity to see the world in a new way, and see all the beauty of the Physics behind it. Walter Lewin has proven that Physics does work and makes reading about it so enjoyable. I have been a fan for several years now,and have seen all his lectures, and I will personally treasure this book, I love it. Walter Lewin really excells in this book, showing his love for Physics and Art, it is a real eye-opener. I know that you all will enjoy reading For The Love Of Physics, I know I did. Anne M. Bacchiocchi

I love this book. He is so so very right and so brilliant. The book is wonderfully written. Physics is around us -- it's in everything. Lewin is everything a teacher should be: a motivator, a person who gets you to ask "why" and "how" -- and he knows how to not just explain but demonstrate. Watch some of his YouTube videos. They are viewed the world over. He practiced for those demonstrations (as seen on YouTube) for hours before he exhibited experiments in class. He came from a tough background. Read the book and you'll understand. Those videos are a main reason why I bought the book. If I enjoyed the videos enough to watch them more than once...what does he have to say on paper? I wanted to know and was not disappointed and you won't be either. If you have a teen interested in science and engineering (my daughter is) -- read it as a family, chapter by chapter. It's a wonderful way to connect on something technical, share thoughts and ideas -- and ponder the world we live in.

It is widely assumed that a good scientist is also good at teaching. At the same time the stereotypical scientist is reclusive and hidden behind piles of paper covered in chalk dust. Needless to say that all of these are completely unrelated - and along comes Walter Lewin. "For the Love of Physics" is not a book about everything you ever wanted to know nor a comprehensive review of our fundamental theories of the universe. It is an exhibition of raw curiosity that every one of us probably has felt at one or another point in our lives. It is that original spark which is at the core of a good scientist. The boldness to ask questions without the fear of not understanding the answer. Even better, the answers are beautifully simple once the relations are laid out (in principle). Here is the scientist who can't help himself but go out and let other people rediscover the world around them. "For the Love of Physics" is in part biography and in fact starts with a chapter on the author's childhood, although these parts never serve their own purpose. There may be short chalk board type excursions (no equations, though) but in the end everything always leads back to the basic motivation. Research happens in all our lives and whatever we do in research needs to be understandable (or maybe adorable) by everyone. That being said, this book is for everyone. If you ever felt that certain curiosity about nature and the universe, here is your guide to find it again. If not... find it for the first time.

This is a well-written book to whet your appetite for physics, if you know nothing at all about physics yet have a burning desire to learn about X-ray astronomy. I would think that narrows the audience a bit. Physics was my favorite subject in college, and I have continued to read books for the layperson (Hawking, Greene, Kaku, etc.). Those authors have a way of explaining new leading developments in modern physics in a way that speaks to the non-scientist. Lewin has a way of explaining basic, established Newtonian physics that is easy to understand but won't appeal to many of us who have had a college course or two in general physics, or even a really good high school physics course. The best audience might be high school students who are about to take their first physics course. This first part of the book takes on a conversational tone, talking down a bit, taking pains to reach us on our own level, almost like Mister Rogers if he had taught physics. ("See how revealing good measurements can be?") The first two-thirds of the book covers a range of interesting topics, although I think that one of the author's favorite topics is himself and his wonderful teaching style. He has received countless accolades for his classroom presentation, and cares about teaching a lot more than many physics professors who phone in their lectures while focused on research, so he deserves credit. But he really wants us to know that he is able to get his students to roar with laughter, or shriek in delight--"The students' eyes widen....As you may imagine, it's really very dramatic and my students are always quite shocked." The oddest thing about this book is the bulk of it talks about fundamental physics, but then he launches into a long section on his own research into X-ray astronomy, his various misadventures in launching and tracking observational balloons, and his important discoveries. This second section takes on a completely different tone, with more advanced subject matter, and seems aimed a different audience than the first part. This is a very accessible book for general audiences but depending on your interests and background you will probably just skim over one half or the other.