Reading Journal 3 - The Relation of Physics to Other Sciences

This chapter of Six Easy Pieces shows how physics affects all the other sciences. Despite Feynman’s earlier tone towards chemistry and its inferiority to physics, he does realize the importance in all the other sciences. He discusses how each one gives knowledge of the world and furthers understanding of physics. For chemistry, he talks of how theoretical chemists are actually physicists and that the deepest levels of chemistry end up in quantum mechanics. For biology, he discusses how biologists helped discover conservation of energy. For astrology, he discusses how physics came to be from people noticing the simplicity of the movement of stars and planets. For meteorology, he gives a cynical view in which he says that the reason the measurements are for meteorology are possible is physics and how they have everything wrong. Water and air is unstable, making it impossible to know the condition of the air. For geology, his tone lightens as he discusses the unknowns of geology and how there is much more to be known. For psychology, he discusses two parts. One for psychoanalysis, which is not a science, and the other for the way our brains interpret sensation. He also explains how when we learn, cells have to change, therefore meaning atoms have to change, which brings us back to physics in the interest of the atom. Finally, the explanation of how physics relates to all the other sciences. In his explanation, Feynman analyzes that every other science wants to know what created what they study, and that each science is constantly changing. However, physicists do not interpret what physics is now as anything different of what it was at the beginning of time. Once and for all, he ends his conversation of other sciences to tell the importance of bringing it all together so they can truly understand the world.

Reading Journal 2 - Basic Physics

This chapter of Six Easy Pieces discusses basic or simple physics, generally through the eyes of the 1920’s. Not only does Feynman discuss breakthroughs in physics, he also discusses the effects of our understanding of the world these breakthroughs have. In the subject of physics, he talks about forces and their origins. These forces include the repulsion/attraction of protons and electrons. Apparently this force is what makes the electromagnetic field which at different frequencies gives us light, radio waves, etc... Later into the chapter, Feynman discusses quantum physics and how it shows that sub-atomic particles act as both waves and particles, making them particle-waves. Not only does quantum physics say that there are particle-waves, but it also states that you cannot tell the momentum and position of anything at the same time. Because of this, you can never fully know what the outcome of an experiment will be. For instance, if your experiment is to test if you can walk through walls, you cannot know that you are going to bump back from the wall until is has already happened because the positions of these particles is unknown making each experiment completely different. Because each experiment is different it is presumed that the outcome could also be different. Feynman also explains what his brilliant work in quantum electrodynamics has done for our understanding to the world. It is apparent that “out of quantum electrodynamics come all known electrical, mechanical, and chemical laws.” This makes the study of quantum physics important to the world because of the knowledge it can give us is all sciences. Although it is presumed that sub-atomic particles refer to only electrons, protons, neutrons, and photons, there are actually a lot more than just those four. Each particle has an anti-particle. For example, electron’s anti-particle is a positron. There are three classifications of these particles, baryons, mesons, and leptons. These categories fit similarly to the way a periodic table is organized. There are many similarities based on which column, row, and ground they are in (referring to Table 2-2 on page 41).

Reading Journal 1 - Atoms in Motion

This chapter of Six Easy Pieces discusses everything is made from atoms. It emphasizes this theories importance as well. What makes the atomic theory so important? Why would it be the “only one sentence passed on to the next generations of creature?” Why not start at more elementary particles like electrons, photons, protons, neutrons, etc…? Feynman talks about the structures that atoms form in solids and the errors in illustrating atoms. Illustrations of atoms fail to show how atoms never stop moving. Even at absolute zero, the atom still has to jiggle and vibrate. If moving uses energy, then wouldn’t the idea that all atoms are constantly moving mean that everything needs a constant supply of energy? If so, what is the source of energy? Would it be the repulsion and attraction of protons and electrons? Feynman does say that these illustrations are beneficial in their ability to show angles. Wouldn’t you be in able to see the 3rd dimension of angles; making the illustration a failure at demonstrating angles? He also discusses how water evaporates and the equilibrium that is established between the air and the liquid. If by blowing these air away alters the equilibrium to push more liquid into water vapor, couldn’t you cool mass amounts of liquid with a fan blowing the top of it? There is also a brief discussion on the task assigned to chemists in naming compounds. Feynman clearly believes that physics is the superior science, however I believe that chemistry is just a different, equal form of science. It does not require less brainpower to do chemistry; it is simply a different skill. If that is the case then what about the other forms of science (biology, engineering, astrology, psychology, etc…), are they also inferior to physics because they require different skills?