  In one of his books [$\textit{The Feynmann Lectures on Physics}$, vol. 2],
Feynman presents a didactic approach to introduce basic ideas about tensors,
using, as a first example, the dependence of the induced polarization of a
crystal on the direction of the applied electric field, and also presenting the
energy ellipsoid as a way of visualizing the polarization tensor. In the
present paper, we propose some variations on Feynman's didactic approach,
considering as our basic models a single ground-state atom and a carbon dioxide
($\text{CO}_{2}$) molecule, instead of crystals, and introducing a visual
representation of tensors based on the ideas of the Lam\'e stress ellipsoid,
instead of the energy ellipsoid. With these changes, the resulting didactic
proposal presents a reduction in the prerequisites of physical and mathematical
concepts if compared to Feynman's original approach, requiring, for example, no
differential calculus and only introductory vector algebra. The text is written
so that it can be used directly as a learning tool for students (even those in
the beginning of the undergraduate course), as well as for teachers interested
in preparing their own materials.
