The Elegant Universe
Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Awards
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Release date
December 23, 2008 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781415963470
- File size: 449535 KB
- Duration: 15:36:31
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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AudioFile Magazine
The author, who is used to lecturing to the general public on scientific matters, attempts to explain the difficult subjects of relativity, gravity, small-particle physics, and string theory. His goal of making these ideas understandable to most readers is a lofty one, when even experts in mathematical physics find the obtuse concepts challenging. The author narrates the introduction, and Erik Davies handles the remainder. Davies's greatest contribution to aid comprehension comes from his conversational ease and flawless ability to pronounce the complicated technical vocabulary. Hearing him inhale before each sentence becomes a little annoying, but the distraction isn't fatal. The value of the production comes not from trying to understand every idea but from being exposed to the forefront of today's technical thinking. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
January 4, 1999
One of the more compelling scientific (cum-theological) questions in the Middle Ages was: "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" Today's version in cutting-edge science is, "How many strings... ?" As posited by s tring theory physics, strings are furiously vibrating loops of stuff. The concept of strings was devised to help scientists describe simultaneously both energy and matter. The frequency and resonance of strings' vibration, just like those of strings on an instrument, determine charge, spin and other familiar properties of energy--and eventually the structure of the universe: a true music of the spheres. There's a chance that strings are themselves made up of something still smaller. But scientists can prove their existence only on the blackboard and computer, because they are much too tiny--a hundred billion billion times smaller than the nucleus of an atom--to be observed experimentally. Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Cornell and Columbia universities, makes the terribly complex theory of strings accessible to all. He possesses a remarkable gift for using the everyday to illustrate what may be going on in dimensions beyond our feeble human perception. Just when we might be tempted to dismiss strings as grist for the publish-or-perish mill, Greene explains how they have demonstrated connections between mathematics and physics that have helped solve age-old conundrums in each field. This book will appeal to astronomy as well as math and physics fans because it probes the important insights string theory gives into hotly debated issues in cosmology. Later chapters require careful attention to Greene's explications, but the effort will prepare readers to follow the scientific advances likely to be made in the next millennium through application of string theory. Author tour.
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