On Physics and Philosophy

[David Casseres]

On 10/11/06, Anville Azote <anville.azote at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> To be frank, the sales pitch lost me at "mathematics-free".  If
> physicists can't **do** quantum mechanics without mathematics, then
> any attempt to really get at the subject without teaching the math
> will inevitably be either cursory or imprecise.

The counterexample to that would be Richard Feynman's popular lectures
on quantum electrodynamics.  One set has been made into a book called
QED, which I recommend very highly.  Another set the Douglas Robb
Memorial Lectures, with deeper content, is available as video streams
at http://www.vega.org.uk/video/subseries/8 .

Of course, parts of the theory have been updated since Feynman's time,
but the lectures give a very complete account of quantum theory
without any math to speak of.  Needless to say, the lectures will not
teach anyone to do work in the field, but they will allow anyone who
pays careful attention to understand what the theory is, in
considerable detail.