Conceptual Science

What is time? This is the deceptively simple question that Richard Feynman wrestles with in his  Lectures on Physics , only to find that a satisfying definition remains elusive. In his typical style, Feynman dismantles our intuitive understanding of time, revealing the difficulties in pinning down something so fundamental. His exploration, filled with humour and vivid imagery, does not provide a rigid definition but instead offers a pragmatic approach: time is what we measure it to be. The Challenge of Defining Time Feynman begins by highlighting the inadequacy of dictionary definitions. To say that “a time” is “a period” and that a “period” is “a time” is to go in circles. He jokingly suggests an alternative: “Time is what happens when nothing else happens.” But this, too, proves unhelpful. The problem is that time is such a fundamental concept that any attempt to define it merely restates what we already assume it to be. In the end, Feynman concedes that time is simply  how ...

Feynman on Motion: Galileo’s Revolution in Observation Richard Feynman’s  Lectures on Physics  are celebrated not just for their depth but for their clarity and storytelling. Chapter 5-1,  Motion , revisits one of the most fundamental breakthroughs in physics: Galileo’s experimental study of motion. Feynman’s approach here is instructive and evocative, using historical context, simple yet profound examples, and a clear pedagogical structure to demonstrate how Galileo transformed the study of motion from a philosophical debate into a measurable science. From Thought to Measurement: Galileo’s Break from Aristotle Before Galileo, discussions about motion were largely philosophical. The prevailing Aristotelian view was that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones and that motion required a continuous force to be sustained. These ideas were largely accepted without experimental verification. Galileo challenged this by turning motion into something that could be measured....