FEYNMAN,RICHARD POPULAR LECTURES ON QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS - THE 1979 ROBB-LECTURE AT AUCKLAND-UNIVERSITY

The subject of quantum electrodynamics (QED) was the subject of QED-Th e Strange Theory of Light and Matter, the popular book by Richard Feyn man which was published by Princeton University Press in 1985. On p. 1 , Feynman makes passing reference to the fact that the book is based o n a series of general lectures on QED which were, however, first deliv ered in New Zealand. At Auckland University, these lectures were deliv ered in 1979, as the Sir Douglas Robb lectures, and videotapes of the lectures are held by the Auckland University Physics Department. We ha ve carried out a detailed examination of these videotapes, and we disc uss here the major differences between the original Auckland lectures and the published version. We use selected quotations from the lecture s to show that the original lectures provide additional insight into F eynman's character, and have great educational value. (C) 1996 America n Association of Physics Teachers.