Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics: Richard Feynman & Steven Weinberg - 1987

Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics was written by physicists, Nobel laureate Richard Feynman and Steven Weinberg. It is a summary of the 1986 memorial lectures of the famous British physicist Paul Dirac.

Weinberg presents elementary particles and quantum field theory in a clear manner, whereas Feynman uses the principles of Paul Dirac’s work (such as CPT symmetry theorem, the presence of antiparticles, and the spin-statistics theorem) to derive many of his own results which are unique compared to other work in the field.

The book is split into two sections, the first trying to combine quantum mechanics with relativity theory, and the second discussing advances in physics which can explain reality with a single group of physical laws. This poses one of the greatest and ongoing challenges in modern physics.

Both scientists explored this possibility and the limitations to what we know today. This was presented in lectures given by Feynman in one year and by Weinberg the next year at Cambridge University commemorating Dirac’s work. Although the exceptional work is transcribed from the lectures which were presented and geared towards non-specialists, both Weinberg and Feynman have a strong belief in mathematical support of all physical laws. As such, the book requires a substantial foundation of physics to be comprehended by the reader as many technical information and complex theories are discussed.

A highly educational and fascinating read, Elementary Particles and the Laws of Physics is highly recommended and guaranteed to have all physicists hooked on understanding the way the world works.