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Physics Video Lectures

6 Post author: EvelynM 02 October 2011 09:05AM

Comments (8)

Comment author: betterthanwell 02 October 2011 10:12:34PM *  2 points [-]

Leonard Susskind has published a bunch of videos outlining the theoretical foundations of modern physics. The collective title is Modern Physics: The Theoretical Minimum, and it seems intended to serve as his take on the simple physics of everything. He disregards constants in the equations, using the natural units wherever possible and so on, thereby managing to explain the dynamics of a wide range of physical phenomena quite compactly. The series on cosmology was excellent.

Comment author: Carinthium 02 October 2011 11:50:07AM 2 points [-]

And why is this useful for a rationality site, as opposed to a physics site?

Comment author: Dreaded_Anomaly 02 October 2011 06:54:55PM 5 points [-]

It improves the map.

Comment author: Hyena 02 October 2011 12:06:08PM 4 points [-]

The judgment would be whether it is considered useful to the users and sufficiently related to the allied goals of rationalists. If a strict ground is needed, it should suffice that these videos address topics in physics which are often the target of (generally unrealized) mystical thinking or mysteriousness. Insofar as they help people discard either, they advance rationality in the viewer at least as much as the various posts on why we should all be atheists.

Comment author: MinibearRex 03 October 2011 12:57:02AM 1 point [-]

We study rationality in order to, you know, do something with it. If we talk only about rationality we miss out on a chance to practice our skills with each other.

Comment author: wedrifid 03 October 2011 02:27:39AM 0 points [-]

We study rationality in order to, you know, do something with it.

Speak for yourself. ;)

(OK, ok, at least 10% of my rationality study is to do something with it.)

Comment author: MinibearRex 03 October 2011 03:13:27AM 0 points [-]

Why do you make the time and the effort to study rationality, then?

PS I didn't downvote

Comment author: MartinB 02 October 2011 01:15:21PM 0 points [-]

A nice intro is Richard Mullers lecture series on 'Physics for future presidents' available as podcast and video on youtube.