Feynman lectures volume II - how is it?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the suitability of Feynman's Lectures Volume II on electromagnetism for students preparing for a course in the subject. Participants explore alternative texts that align with Feynman's style and address the needs of undergraduate students.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about Feynman's own admission that he did not contribute much original content in Volume II and questions whether to read it or seek alternatives.
  • Another participant suggests Griffiths' Introduction to Electrodynamics as a suitable alternative, noting its alignment with Feynman's spirit and its adoption by MIT for introductory courses.
  • Some participants affirm the value of Feynman's presentation, despite his reservations about the content.
  • A participant inquires about the appropriateness of Landau & Lifshitz's books for reading rather than as course texts.
  • One participant describes the Classical Theory of Fields as too advanced for undergraduates but recommends Schwartz's Principles of Electrodynamics as a good fit, citing its Feynman-like approach.
  • Another participant echoes the recommendation for Schwartz's book, sharing their positive experience with it as an undergraduate.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the value of Feynman's Lectures but express differing opinions on its suitability as a primary text. Multiple competing views exist regarding alternative texts, particularly Griffiths and Schwartz, with no consensus on a single best option.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that certain texts may be too advanced for undergraduate students, and there are varying opinions on the appropriateness of different books for self-study versus formal coursework.

Sourabh N
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I'll be studying electromagnetism next sem (January) and I thought reading Feynman before the proper start of course will be useful, but Feynman himself said( in the preface) that he did not do much creation in vol II. So, is there any other Feynman sort of book on electromagnetism or I should go with Feynman's lectures ?
 
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Griffiths' Introduction to Electrodynamics is pretty close to the spirit of the Feynman lectures, in my opinion. It is intended for a second course in electromagnetics, but I think a sufficiently motivated student could use it for a first course. I am not alone in thinking this, as MIT now uses Griffiths as the main text for the honors section of their first course in electrodynamics and Purcell and Feynman as reference texts. (Source: http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Physics/8-022Fall-2006/Syllabus/index.htm )
 
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Feynman may not have been satisfied, but I still think his presentation makes for a great read.
 
Daverz said:
Feynman may not have been satisfied, but I still think his presentation makes for a great read.

I was expecting this reply only.

thanks for both replies.
 
How is Landau & Lif****z's two books on electrodynamics and fields, will it suit my purpose? (I mean I don't exactly need a course book, just a book which is good for reading).
 
I only have the Classical Theory of Fields book, and it's really too advanced to be very useful for an undergrad course, though certainly fascinating and enlightening.

I'd recommend Principles of Electrodynamics by Schwartz. (3rd one down on this Amazon search.) It's written very much in the Feynman spirit.
A downside is that he uses the old "ict" notation for relativity, but that won't cause brain damage contrary to popular opinion.

I also highly recommend the book by Nayfeh & Brussel, which is full of useful worked problems.
 
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Daverz said:
I'd recommend Principles of Electrodynamics by Schwartz. (3rd one down on this Amazon search.) It's written very much in the Feynman spirit.
Ditto. I used that one as an undergrad. Excellent.
 

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