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Richard Feynman Fire

nebulajr8 HN recommenders · recommended in 8 months, 2010–2023
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interview · general · evergreen · 2010–2023 on HN

A short clip from a Richard Feynman interview in which he explains fire, describing how burning wood releases sunlight stored by the tree, which built itself mostly from air. It showcases his curiosity and plain-spoken explanations.

HN repeatedly cites it as an elegant, eye-opening explanation of fire and photosynthesis and as an example of Feynman's infectious love of knowledge.

12 comments from Hacker News

@jrscelza2020-07 · in “Richard Feynman cut straight to the heart of complex ideas”

▶ this video Feynman explains fire. I’m a big fan and believe his crude straight to the point style, coupled with an incredible ability to storytell is what made him special. I think it’s pure, genuine, curiosity and the intellectual capacity to understand the complexities.

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@haxiomic2015-08 · in “GravityLight: Generate light with gravity”

Checkout this explanation of fire by Richard Feynman - its a really eye opening perspective ▶ this video He explains the light of a fire is just the light of the Sun, it's just been stored in the wood

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@halfnelson2012-06 · in “Kids should be building rockets and robots, not taking standardized tests”

If anyone wants to know the answer to that question, Richard Feynman explains it wonderfully: (He starts talking about trees at 2:00, but his explanation of fire is equally elegant!) ▶ this video My first instinct was to say that a tree's mass comes from dead stars. Imagining how it got from those stars to the air that eventually becomes the tree would keep you busy for a while :D

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@drats2010-07 · in “The truth about cold water”

I don't want to offend anyone but that article was extremely boring (I did end up reading it). I suppose I'd seen the Richard Feynman video on fire and trees quite recently beforehand and was in an intolerant mood. But it's impossible to stay in any kind of negative mood if you watch Feynman, his love of knowledge is just infectious. ▶ this video

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@jiggawatts2022-03 · in “What’s a fire and why does it burn? (2016)”

Compare a bunch of chemical formulas and equations in this blog with Richard Feynman's explanation of fire: ▶ this video

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