The Character Of Physical Law By Dr. Feynman

Within The Character of Physical Law, Dr. Feynman details the characteristics of nature. He describes nature as being incredibly complex, pointing to examples such as the movement of the planets around the sun and the movement of the tides. Yet, he is able to describe nature as being simple. For a potential reader this can be confusing, as something cannot simultaneously be simple and complex. It is through the understanding and the application of logic to mathematics, the physical laws, and other natural phenomena, that Feynman is able to find simplicity within the complexity of nature.
To begin, Feynman demonstrates the importance of logic within mathematics. Within the second lecture, Feynman discusses mathematics in relation to physics,
Within the fifth lecture, Feynman discusses the idea that the physical laws are unchanged even when placed under different constraints. He explains that this is true even with time “delay in time makes no difference.” (86) However, through this example he brings up the question of why the universe appears to be irreversible even though there is no physical law which would cause this to be the case. Within the sixth lecture, Feynman provides an example of the irreversibility of the universe in the form of a water tank with half the water dyed and the other half clear. He details how if an individual were to remove a barrier between these two sections of the water, they would mix and eventually become a uniform color. The most important point that he articulates is that the two colors would never again separate even though according to the physical laws they should be able to. Feynman concludes that it would be impossible for the molecules to separate themselves again through the use of basic logic. In a tank filled with water it can be assumed that there would be thousands if not millions of water molecules both dyed and undyed. Once they were mixed the probability that they would randomly move to separate sides of the tank once again separating them is practically zero. With the use of logic, Feynman can apply a similar principle to the universe and therefore explains the irreversibility of the universe. It is through the use of logic Feynman is able to describe an incredibly complex phenomenon of nature, that cannot be explained by the physical laws, in a relatively simple