He worked night and day, analyzing data from weather balloons and satellites for evidence of distant galaxies. Six months later, Lewin accepted a faculty position in the Department of Physics.Īt that time, he found himself in the middle of the new and exciting field of X-ray astronomy. The Dutch graduate wasted no time, setting foot on the MIT campus in January 1966. “My daughter Pauline tells me that if I see her wearing wool, I still turn away such is the effect the war still has on me,” Lewin says in the book.Īfter the war ended, his father resurfaced remarkably, Lewin describes having a “more or less normal childhood.” His parents continued running the school, which he says strongly influenced his love of teaching.Īfter graduating from Delft University of Technology with a degree in nuclear physics, Lewin received an invitation from MIT professor and X-ray astronomy pioneer Bruno Rossi. His mother was left to raise the children and run a small school she and her husband had started together.ĭuring those harsh winters, the family kept warm by wearing “rough, scratchy, poor-quality wool,” a material Lewin cannot tolerate to this day. To protect the family, Lewin’s father - who, unlike his mother, was Jewish - decided one day to simply leave without telling anyone. Many of Lewin’s relatives were captured and sent to the gas chambers, something he still finds difficult to contemplate. His family went into hiding soon after the Nazis seized control of the country. Lewin grew up in the Netherlands amid the turmoil of World War II. However, For the Love of Physics lets the reader in on topics that Lewin’s videos have not touched upon - namely, his important research contributions, and his own personal journey. Lewin’s contagious enthusiasm is in ample supply in For the Love of Physics, in which he describes “little wonders of the everyday world,” urging readers to “focus on the exquisite beauty of physics, rather than on the minutiae of the mathematics.” In his book, Lewin expands on his most popular lectures, from his pendulum-swinging demonstrations to a lesson in air pressure delivered using two paint cans and a rifle.Īll the experiments detailed in the book can be viewed online. Triumphant, he shouted, “I told you! Physics works!” According to the timer, the pendulum’s period was the same with or without Lewin aboard. At 10, Lewin dropped to the floor, spent, to whoops and hollers from the crowd. Lewin held on, swinging back and forth as the audience counted the number of swings. Walter Lewin swings across Room 26-100 during a re-enactment of one of his famous demonstrations - this one showing that a pendulum’s period remains constant regardless of mass. Lewin, 75, confessed that it had been 12 years since the last time he performed the stunt - a tricky exercise requiring him to cling to a five-meter pendulum while operating a stopwatch. The online traffic has made the professor with a penchant for colorful rings and brooches an international star, as well as an unofficial ambassador for physics.ĭuring his Monday evening lecture, Lewin recreated some of his most popular demonstrations, including a famous experiment showing that a pendulum’s period remains constant regardless of mass. Videos of Lewin’s lectures on MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW), YouTube and iTunes U have been viewed more than 5 million times by people all over the world - including Bill Gates, who has confessed to repeated viewings. Many others held cell phones, recording the event and no doubt uploading the lecture to YouTube. Many audience members held copies of the book, released just two weeks ago, for Lewin to sign. The visit was pegged to the release of his new book, For the Love of Physics: From the End of the Rainbow to the Edge of Time - A Journey Through the Wonders of Physics (Free Press), written with Warren Goldstein. Walter Lewin, MIT professor emeritus of physics, had returned to Building 26-100 - the hall where he has given more than 800 lectures - to deliver one last talk. As more people filtered in, the hum morphed into a buzz - until a man with wild white hair, wearing a shirt the colors of sherbet, took the stage, commanding, “Take your seats, please.” People young and old jockeyed for seats the unlucky were left to stand in the aisles. On Monday night, MIT’s largest lecture hall filled with the hum of a capacity crowd, creaking with anticipation in their wooden chairs.
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