It was Feynmansinsteins clearly, or with...
Six Not-So-Easy Pieces: Einsteins Relativity, Symmetry, and Space-Time Reviews
This book is unreadable in the Kindle edition. I don't know why Amazon sells it. Kindle format is unsuitable for math and science books. The equations and diagrams do not scale. In the case of this book, the equations are so tiny, they are unreadable. Which makes the book unreadable.
This book has allowed me to verify some of the concepts I thought were true, based on other books I have read but did not totally understand. Feynman does not presume that the reader can mentally leap from one mathematical concept to another without a conceptual bridge which he usually provides. His examples around how the longest elapsed time is the shortest spacetime distance are excellent. His explanations of time dilation due to speed and gravity are very clear. I really like this book. The subjects in this book can be understood by anyone who has some physics and math background but it is not going to work for someone who has no background or has no intention of taking some time to ponder and study.
Though the title implies it, this book is not really a sequal to the Six Easy Pieces. They can be read seperately. It treats some of the concepts centered around Special and General Relativity that revolutionized physics near the turn of the century. It would be impossible to find another book that can dive so deeply into topics such as symmetry and space-time, while bypassing formalism and exposing the fundemental ideas and signficance in every-day terms. The delivery is in lecture form, and while that makes it more authentic and real, the fact that this is a book and the reader is not really in a lecture, makes it a little awkward. One often gets the feeling that one had to be there to get the full benefit. There is little attempt at explaining the historical context and other niceties and focus is solely on the concepts themselves. One needs to have at least college level math background to follow the derivations. Feynman has done a phenomenal job in reducing such complex concepts into digestable pieces of conversation. There is no abstraction, everything is quantified. I especially enjoyed the chapter Curved Space, as I had never seen it treated so intimately. The self consistency of all these topics and how they are interrelated is elegantly presented.
If you took math at a good science or engineering university, you'll be able to follow the math here (maybe not actually do it....but be able to follow it). If not, I think you'll still learn a lot.
This is not a traditional layman's book as it does assume some background in calculus and physics -- but it is not overloaded with endless mathematical equations, just the critical ones. If it's difficult to appreciate the meaning of an equation like F = d(mv)/dt -- then it's probably best to skip the book -- but if it resonates with you, the book is very approachable. Though his style is informal, Feynman's words are carefully chosen. It is not especially long -- but it should be read very carefully. The book contains excerpts from his famous lecture series -- this particular collection focusing primarily on special relativity with some vector math, symmetry, and a touch of general relativity tossed in. If you have a layman's working knowledge of special relativity, this is a nice way to cement it into place with a very intuitive development from a moderately basic level.
A classic for anyone who enjoys basic physics and the concepts behind our universe. I taught a course using this book years ago and the kids just ate it up, even though the book was already over years old.
I had the 3 Feynman's lectures on physics for the longest time, but I find these little books including the Six Easy Pieces and Six NOT-SO Easy Pieces, the Q.E.D, very readable and very giftable to young and old, those who are interested in trying to understand. Feynman felt physics and his teaching is to help you feel physics. Great read
these essays offer fascinating views into Feynman's approach to learning and knowledge. They also provide wonderful presentations of phenomena that at some levels are simple but at other levels wonderfully subtle and complex. they are occasionally a little out of date, but Feynman's insights to what we know will never be out of date.