Book Description
Stephen Hawking’s worldwide bestseller, A Brief History of Time, has been a landmark volume in scientific writing. Its author’s engaging voice is one reason, and the compelling subjects he addresses is another: the nature of space and time, the role of God in creation, the history and future of the universe. But it is also true that in the years since its publication, readers have repeatedly told Professor Hawking of their great difficulty in understanding some of the book’s most important concepts.
This is the origin of and the reason for A Briefer History of Time: its author’s wish to make its content more accessible to readers –as well as to bring it up-to-date with the latest scientific observations and findings.
Although this book is literally somewhat “briefer,” it actually expands on the great subjects of the original. Purely technical concepts, such as the mathematics of chaotic boundary conditions, are gone. Conversely, subjects of wide interest that were difficult to follow because they were interspersed throughout the book have now been given entire chapters of their own, including relativity, curved space, and quantum theory.
This reorganization has allowed the authors to expand areas of special interest and recent progress, from the latest developments in string theory to exciting developments in the search for a complete unified theory of all the forces of physics. Like prior editions of the book–but even more so–A Briefer History of Time will guide nonscientists everywhere in the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.
***
Stephen Hawking will be lecturing at the following locations:
11/7/05:
San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 408 Alamden Blvd., San Jose, CA, 95110, (408) 277-5277
11/10/05:
Paramount Theater of the Arts, 2025 Broadway, Oakland, CA, 94612, (510) 465-6400
11/16/05:
The Paramount Theater, 911 Pine Street, Seattle, WA, 98101, (206) 467-5510
Tickets for "The Origins of the Universe with Dr.Stephen Hawking" are available through Ticketmaster.
Customer Reviews:
Half confused, half amazed.......2007-09-20
For as simple as Hawking was supposed to present the complicated theoretical physics concepts, at times I still found myself as confused as Adam on Mother's Day. Dr. Hawking's work is caught between a rock and a hard place in "A Brief History of Time" and the subsequent "The Universe in a Nutshell"; he provides neither the technical language to satisfy the experienced readers, nor the sufficiently simplified rhetoric to appeal to the uninitiated. Not to worry as the theories and supporting arguments in both books can still satisfy the curiosity of the inexperienced, and his celebrity status in the world of physics keeps the experienced audience engaged.
There is one update to this book not mentioned, and that is, Hawking eventually admits that he was wrong about his theory of loss of information in black holes. This idea of his had put him at odds with many theoretical physicists. Instead, he puts forth the unproven theory that information in a black hole is transferred to a parallel universe. Unfortunately, time may not permit Hawking to complete his work on the proof or supporting evidence of this important theory. His terminal illness appears to be finally catching up to him. I wish him well and thank him for his important contributions to the science of understanding the universe.
Despite its shortcomings, A Brief History of Time succeeds in shedding light on the mysteries of the creation of the universe at the point of singularity, what happened subsequently, and what may or may not transpire in the future. Hawking discusses in length Einstein's general theory of relativity, quantum mechanics and the attempt to combine these into a grand unified theory, a lofty goal that has eluded theoretical physicists to date.
Fascinating.......2007-09-17
Quite accessible for a book on the beginning of the universe. It doesn't explain how it got here, but begins at 1 second post big bang. It has a good explanation of the work of Isaac Newton and why it was important and also the work of Einstein. I understood the physics, at least I did when I was reading it. The explanations were good enough to let me wrap my mind around them. It is interesting that the idea of ether is coming back up for consideration again. Not sure I believe in string theory though. Why not just say everything is made of energy?
Hawking :a master writer.......2007-09-02
Hawking's new book "The Briefest History of Time" should be read by all intelligent Americans. Every book of this quality and with a similar contents may help to stop the tide of idiocy proposed by supporters of creationism in America.Only by spreading real science we will escape becoming the richest but also the most primitive intellectually nation in the world. We need a heavy counterweight to the evangelic snake oil peddlers who can gather tousands sing along automata and preach bible which offenses every educated and intelligent mind. Hawking's book can help to be such a counterbalance.
Great Renewed Introduction on our Time.......2007-08-21
This book explains the physical concepts in very understandable fashion. It can be understood by any person. You do not have to be a scientist or physicists to read the book. There are also wonderful examples explaining the scientific phenomenon underlying our universe and black hole or other galaxies.
customer.......2007-06-27
Book arrived in timely fashion, excellent condition, well packaged to protect it during shipment. I'd read it in the library and thought it excellent. I'm a logical person but not a physicist or a mathematician yet the material was understandable, well presented and the illustrations very helpful. The absence of long proofs/equations not only shortened the book but made the descriptions and illustrations easier to follow and not so intimidating. The large print version was especially helpful even though my eye sight is good. I'll read it a number of times and I'm sure my understanding will increase with each reading.
Amazon.com
Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic A Brief History of Time to help nonscientists understand the questions being asked by scientists today: Where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? Hawking attempts to reveal these questions (and where we're looking for answers) using a minimum of technical jargon. Among the topics gracefully covered are gravity, black holes, the Big Bang, the nature of time, and physicists' search for a grand unifying theory. This is deep science; these concepts are so vast (or so tiny) as to cause vertigo while reading, and one can't help but marvel at Hawking's ability to synthesize this difficult subject for people not used to thinking about things like alternate dimensions. The journey is certainly worth taking, for, as Hawking says, the reward of understanding the universe may be a glimpse of "the mind of God." --Therese Littleton
Book Description
A Brief History of Time, published in 1988, was a landmark volume in science writing and in world-wide acclaim and popularity, with more than 9 million copies in print globally. The original edition was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the origins and nature of the universe. But the ensuing years have seen extraordinary advances in the technology of observing both the micro- and the macrocosmic world--observations that have confirmed many of Hawking's theoretical predictions in the first edition of his book.
Now a decade later, this edition updates the chapters throughout to document those advances, and also includes an entirely new chapter on Wormholes and Time Travel and a new introduction. It make vividly clear why A Brief History of Time has transformed our view of the universe.
Customer Reviews:
This book is a fake!.......2007-10-01
As a physicist I am flabbergasted and slightly depressed by the success of this book. First of all this book presents as if they were equally certain some pieces of orthodox science together with some of the author's dubious speculations. The lay reader is not told which are which. Secondly, the author obviously has no knowledge of the actual history of physics and yet he shamelessly "describes" it to the reader.
Hawking seems to have gathered together all the bad cliches about various physical issues and has taken out all the valuable ideas. He explains nothing, he just asserts that "we physicists know that..., we physicists have demonstrated that...". I cannot see how anyone can actually learn anything about physics from this book, about why we know what we know. And yet, judging from the amount of praise this book receives, it seems that quite a lot of people have fallen under the spell that they have been allowed access to some secret. They haven't and I find this trickery immoral.
Quantum physics and astrophysics are really interesting. They don't deserve to be thrashed in this unashamed manner. If you want to learn something about physics, there are other books which do a much better job, for example Asimov's Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos.
Author - a true genius.......2007-09-22
Stephen Hawking is a true genius. Although I don't understand everything he writes, all-in-all this book gives one the understanding of how wonderfully made the universe is.
Fascinating.......2007-08-24
I found this book to be ingenious yet accessible to the average reader, which is what I believe Hawking set out to accomplish. Great food for thought in my opinion.
TERRIBLE digital transfer by "Phoenix Audio".......2007-08-10
It's a great book by Hawking, but this product is just a reproduction of something by Hawking/Jackson that we already know is great. So what sort of job does this product do of delivering one of my favorite audio books? Not a very good one.
The original recording sounds fine, but this production from 2005 sounds like it was converted to a low bit rate at some point during editing, and probably had a poor noise removal job done as well. For the benefit of removing possibly a little weak static in the background, we get to listen to a robotic Jackson for 5 hours. It sounds similar to an early digital cell phone with a choppy feel and many T's and S's muffled.
There really isn't any reason I can see for this to not be a perfect reproduction of earlier digital versions. Old bootlegs floating about the internet sound better. Maybe "Phoenix Audio" should have just grabbed those to print, and left all of that tricky audio work to the more competent civilian sector.
A well written classic.......2007-08-01
I have a stack of these :The First Three Minutes: A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe,Cosmic Code and In Search/big Bang: /, so I can compare and contrast.
There is material on black holes here that isn't covered as well in the others. I still would wish that all these authors would put in more of the real equations and less of the dumbing down. One point is that people not able to understand this kind of book, probably won't understand no matter how simple you make the text. Maybe one should make effective use of your time in writing and concentrate on those who will understand and use the results.
Book Description
Readers worldwide have come to know the work of Stephen Hawking through his phenomenal million-copy hardcover best-seller A Brief History of Time. Bantam is proud to present the paperback edition of Dr. Hawking's first new book since that event, a collection of fascinating and illuminating essays, and a remarkable interview broadcast by the BBC on Christmas Day, 1992. These fourteen pieces reveal Hawking variously as the scientist, the man, the concerned world citizen, and-always-the rigorous and imaginative thinker. Hawking's wit, directness of style, and absence of pomp characterize all of them, whether he is remembering his first experience at nursery school; calling for adequate education in science that will enable the public to play its part in making informed decisions on matters such as nuclear disarmament; exploring the origins of the future of the universe; or reflecting on the history of A Brief History of Time. Black Holes and Baby Universes is an important work from one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century.
Customer Reviews:
A great scientist explains his work and his life .......2007-04-01
This book consists in two distinct parts. In one Hawking talks about his life, and in the other about his major areas of interest in his researches. Both parts of the work are written in clear and understandable language, though I admit that when he talks about black holes, singularities, and the real heart of his work my own lack of understanding and knowledge prevents me from feeling I really 'get it'. Hawking's work in these areas is considered foundational and of great importance. I cannot possibly evaluate it.
As for the second simpler section on his life there is the one overwhelming fact. It was only after he contracted AMS that he decided to get down to work, and become a serious researcher. His meeting Jane Wilde was the key here for this gave him hope for his future. She became his wife and the mother of his three children. And though they later divorced he attributes her with having given the hope and belief he needed at that critical time.
Despite his infirmity Hawking went on to make major scientific discoveries. He at one point lost his power his speech and learned to communicate through a special synthesizer. He is a widely appreciated figure whose 'Brief History of Time' won a worldwide readership. He has continued to speak out on issues such as global warming, the nuclear - war danger, the necessity for human population of space.
The book is naturally reticent about many questions regarding Hawking's life which no doubt future biographers will more deeply explore.
One more thought about the 'scientific work'. It seems to me and this is a layman's opinion that a lot of his work is done in areas and ways which are speculative and not as yet verifiable by experimental test. It thus seems to me that comparisons sometimes made of his work with that of Newton and Einstein are probably premature.
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays.......2007-02-06
Very very interesting. Made my husband very happy+
EVENT HORIZON.......2006-11-14
An event horizon is the boundary of a black hole, defined by the light that can reach out that far and no further. Hawking himself sometimes uses pictorial metaphors to illustrate abstruse mathematical concepts, and this one occurred to me by way of an analogy of the brilliant illumination that I am trying to persuade to shine out far enough to reach my own dim wits hovering hopefully in the outer darkness.
The whole `feel' of Hawking's discourses reminds me of the stories I have read about Einstein at work - placid, orderly and without excitement (or should I say `perturbation'?). Genius of this kind seems to be a kind of glorified knack - such minds just operate naturally with concepts of this kind, and there is no sense of effort or struggle. Sandwiched between some biographical material and a radio interview, the main material in this book is a collection of essays and lectures. They include Hawking's inaugural lecture at Cambridge where he occupies the chair of mathematics once held by Newton, and all are intended in the first place for an audience of his peers. On the other hand, where Newton and Einstein did not try to address the general public, Hawking, like Russell, seeks to do just that, and he does it superbly. The style of writing is both literate and unpretentious, and the occasional jokes are very good. Readers who, like myself, are intensely interested in the subject-matter but entirely lacking in natural aptitude for it, ought to find this book enormously helpful. There is a certain amount of repetition inevitably, but the more of that the better so far as I'm concerned. Any amateur trying to get a handle on mathematical concepts like these has to get into a mathematician's way of thinking as best he can and stop thinking as a layman. We can all understand the basics of gravitation without being Newton, but if we are still struggling with the general idea of the General Theory of Relativity in 2006 it's worth remembering that it was propounded in 1915 and that physics and astronomy have came on a long way since then, so we had better get our minds round it at last.
At least as astounding to me as Hawking's triumph over his physical paralysis is the fact that this professor of mathematics at Cambridge never graduated in that subject. His degree subject was physics, allegedly on the grounds that the Oxford physics course was easy. Not easy enough to tempt me away from Latin and Greek, I must say, but doubtless for him. Mathematics is just a technique that Hawking invokes as a tool in his quest for a grand unified theory of the entire cosmos. This, said he 20 or 30 years ago, is something he hoped and largely expected could be achieved in 20 or 30 years. I'm sure we would have heard if he thought by now that he had got there, but he honours us with his ideas at the time of writing on the origin and future of the universe. The main obstacle to the final resolution of the issue is apparently that no one has yet successfully integrated old Newton's gravitation with the rest of it. However he also helps us with some more `back-at-the-office' theory concerning black holes, on which topic he appears to be the leading thinker, and that gives him the opportunity to remind us of the outlines of the most important advances since Einstein, namely quantum mechanics and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
The latter principle enunciates that the better the position of a particle can be predicted the less well its velocity can be predicted, and conversely. Since it is necessary to predict both, all we can do is predict the combination on a `smeared' statistical basis. It seems to come into everything, and Hawking invokes it to try to comfort us with the belief that although everything (and everyone) actually is determined by particle physics, the extent of the unpredictability is such that we might as well consider ourselves to be free agents. For once, I would dare question him. In the first place such a view doesn't seem to require Heisenberg - simply viewing the story of the cosmos as a chain of events constituting causes and effects would surely get us that far, as the permutation of these is incalculably large and therefore only to some extent predictable. Secondly, when we talk about `free will' and `determinism' what are we even talking about? I'm often told in arguments that I can think what I like. On the contrary, I wish I could, but my own observation and reason, such as they are, leave me unable to. When I exercise `free choice', e.g. in choosing from a menu, I can quite understand that my choice might be determined by physical causes (whether that is the truth of it or not). However when I change my mind about something factual or theoretical, which is taken as a sign of free intelligence, I do so because I feel that the evidence leaves me no choice, and evidence is not an `event' or a `cause' or any matter of particles or physics. Where does all this leave `free will'?
Those seeking God or a Creator will find that Hawking hedges his bets, so that any capable by nature of thinking what they would prefer to think remain, I suppose, `free' to do so. The issue is beyond me, and my own quest is for a better understanding of the cosmos I have been born into and will have to leave before too long. May I wish Professor Hawking a long and productive further career. We are much the same age, and his 20-30-year estimate for solving the riddle of the cosmos is up around now. If he finds it, I hope I can recognise it when I see it.
Fascinating and Stimulating.......2005-11-29
Like others who have reviewed this work, I can endorse it as a stimulating and thoughtful book. It is in essence however not a coherent book with a single theme. It is a compilation of articles and as such there is much in the book that is repetitive. Hawking acknowledges this and disclaims it at the outset. Even with the forewarning I found that element to be a tad annoying.
I listened to the audio version of the book while commuting and I found it overall to be a fascinating read. The biographical material about Hawking helped to put a "person" to the personality. Hawking is, without doubt, brilliant. His ability to reduce difficult concepts to listener sound bites speaks to that brilliance. I came away with an appreciation for his brilliance and abilities as well as the field of cosmological science that I did not have before.
Of particular note, I found Hawking's treatment of metaphysics to be interesting but ultimately no more valuable than anyone else's opinions in that area. Physics will never answer the question of why the universe exists or whether God in fact exists and created this universe. Science can only answer how the universe works and what laws govern its behavior. Hawkings admits this himself so I took no offense to his words, I just found it interesting that his position did not make his insights in that regard any more valuable.
The final segment of transcript from a radio show read by the narrator struck me a an opportunity missed to allow Hawking to finish with his own voice and presence. I was disappointed they did not use the original sound feed and chose to read the transcript.
Well worth the read or the listen. Entertaining. Already dated though and perhaps his more recent works would be of more value to most listeners.
Good, but not up to Hawking's standard.......2005-07-08
I immensely enjoyed A Brief History of Time, and had high hopes for this book as well. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a good book full of interesting things, but there is far too much repitition, both with A Brief History of Time and withing this book itself. It seemed that he explained his "the only boudary conditition is that there is no boundary" theory in every essay. Good material, but you won't find much in here that you didn't already know if you read A Brief History of Time. I would recommend skipping this and going straight to The Universe in a Nutshell, a more recent Hawking book.
Amazon.com's Best of 2001
Stephen Hawking, science's first real rock star, may be the least-read bestselling author in history--it's no secret that many people who own A Brief History of Time have never finished it. Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell aims to remedy the situation, with a plethora of friendly illustrations to help readers grok some of the most brain-bending ideas ever conceived.
Does it succeed? Yes and no. While Hawking offers genuinely accessible context for such complexities as string theory and the nature of time, it's when he must translate equations to sentences that the limits of language get in the way. But Hawking has simplified the origin of the universe, the nature of space and time, and what holds it all together to an unprecedented degree, inviting nonscientists to share his obvious awe and love of the unseen forces that shape it all.
Yes, it's difficult reading, but it's worth it. Hawking is one of the great geniuses of our time, a man whose life has been devoted to thinking in the abstract about the universe. With his help, and pictures--lots of pictures--we can seek to understand a bit more of the cosmos. --Therese Littleton
Book Description
Stephen Hawking’s phenomenal, multimillion-copy bestseller,
A Brief History of Time, introduced the ideas of this brilliant theoretical physicist to readers all over the world.
Now, in a major publishing event, Hawking returns with a lavishly illustrated sequel that unravels the mysteries of the major breakthroughs that have occurred in the years since the release of his acclaimed first book.
The Universe in a Nutshell
• Quantum mechanics
• M-theory
• General relativity
• 11-dimensional supergravity
• 10-dimensional membranes
• Superstrings
• P-branes
• Black holes
One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen’s terms the principles that control our universe.
Like many in the community of theoretical physicists, Professor Hawking is seeking to uncover the grail of science — the elusive Theory of Everything that lies at the heart of the cosmos. In his accessible and often playful style, he guides us on his search to uncover the secrets of the universe — from supergravity to supersymmetry, from quantum theory to M-theory, from holography to duality.
He takes us to the wild frontiers of science, where superstring theory and p-branes may hold the final clue to the puzzle. And he lets us behind the scenes of one of his most exciting intellectual adventures as he seeks “to combine Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and Richard Feynman’s idea of multiple histories into one complete unified theory that will describe everything that happens in the universe.”
With characteristic exuberance, Professor Hawking invites us to be fellow travelers on this extraordinary voyage through space-time. Copious four-color illustrations help clarify this journey into a surreal wonderland where particles, sheets, and strings move in eleven dimensions; where black holes evaporate and disappear, taking their secret with them; and where the original cosmic seed from which our own universe sprang was a tiny nut.
The Universe in a Nutshell is essential reading for all of us who want to understand the universe in which we live. Like its companion volume,
A Brief History of Time, it conveys the excitement felt within the scientific community as the secrets of the cosmos reveal themselves.
Customer Reviews:
Among the deepest, borderline-philosophical questions in modern physics is that of the origin and formation of the Universe.......2007-09-27
Earlier attempts to formulate an answer that takes into account existing theories and observations have failed because of obstacles posed by gravity. The Nature of Space and Time pitts two heavy weights trying to provide a loop quantum gravitational model that successfully merges current ideas, and which may enable us to overcome such difficulties. Stephen Hawking shot to fame in the world of physics when he provided a mathematical proof for the Big Bang theory. This theory showed that the entire universe exploded from a singularity, an infinitely small point with infinite density and infinite gravity. Hawking was able to come to his proof using mathematical techniques that had been developed by Roger Penrose. These techniques were however developed to deal not with the beginning of the Universe but with black holes.
Science had long predicted that if a sufficiently large star collapsed at the end of its life, all the matter left in the star would be crushed into an infinitely small point with infinite gravity and infinite density...a singularity. Hawking realized that the Universe was, in effect, a black hole in reverse. Instead of matter being crushed into a singularity, the Universe began when a singularity expanded to form everything we see around us today, from stars to planets to people. Hawking realized that to come to a complete understanding of the Universe he would have to unravel the mysteries of the black hole.
Hawking and his fellow physicists embarked on an extraordinary intellectual expedition to tame the black hole. Slowly physicists were coming to understand this most destructive force of nature. But Hawking realized that there was something missing from the emerging picture. All work on black holes to that point used the physics of the large-scale Universe, the physics of gravity first developed by Newton and then refined by Einstein's theories of general and special relativity. Hawking realized that to come to a full understanding of black holes, physicists would also have to use the physics of the small-scale Universe, (the physics that had been developed to explain the movements of atoms and sub-atomic particles, known as quantum mechanics.) The problem was that no one had ever combined these two areas of physics before. But that didn't deter Hawking. He set about developing a new way to force the physics of quantum mechanics to co-exist with Einstein's relativity within the intense gravity of a black hole.
After months of work Hawking came up with a remarkable result. His equations were showing him that something was coming out of the black hole. This was supposed to be impossible. The one thing that everyone thought they knew about black holes was that things went in but nothing, not even light itself, could escape. But the more Hawking checked, the more he was convinced he was right. He could see radiation coming out of the black hole. Hawking then realized that this radiation (Hawking Radiation) would cause the black hole to evaporate and eventually disappear. Although Hawking's theories about black hole evaporation were revolutionary, they soon came to be widely accepted. But Hawking knew that this work had far more fundamental consequences. In 1976 he published a paper called 'The Breakdown of Predictability in Gravitational Collapse'. In it he argued that it wasn't just the black hole that disappeared. All the information about everything that had ever been inside the black hole disappeared too.
There are limits to what science can know. For many years no one took much notice of Hawking's ideas until a fateful meeting in San Francisco. Hawking presented his ideas to some of the world's leading physicists. In the audience were Gerad t'Hooft and Leonard Susskind, two leading particle physicists. They were shocked. Both realized that Hawking's 'breakdown of predictability' applied not only to black holes but to all processes in physics. According to Susskind, if Hawking's ideas were correct then it would infect all physics, there would no longer be any direct link between cause and effect. Physics would become impotent. Since that meeting arguments effectively boiled down into two camps. On the one side were Susskind and those who believed that Hawking was wrong: information could not be lost. On the other were Hawking and those who believed that physics would have to be rewritten to take into account the uncertainty about information that Hawking had uncovered. Until a paper emerged by a young mathematician Juan Maldacena. It claimed to be a rigorous mathematical explanation of what happened to information in black holes. It showed that information was not lost. Hawking, it seemed, was on the losing side. But he was not convinced. Hawking set to work with a young research student, Christophe Galfard, to try to pick apart the Maldacena paper. They thought they could use the same mathematical techniques employed by Maldacena to prove that information was in fact lost. But after two years they still could not prove their thesis.
Hawking was soon back at work, working on a new proof for the information paradox. But he was to defend his long held belief that information was lost in black holes, instead he claimed that he could now prove the opposite. Hawking presented the outline of proof that he hoped would at last solve the problem that he had posed almost 30 years earlier. But despite the bold claims, some physicists remain unconvinced. Over a year has passed and he has still not presented a fully worked mathematical proof to back up his ideas. But Hawking is a stubborn man. If Hawking is going to change his mind on a view he held for almost 30 years then it will be with his own proof, in his own time. In spite of failing health and increasing problems communicating with his colleagues, he is still working on the proof. If he succeeds in completing a proof that convinces his colleagues, he will not only have solved one of the most difficult problems in physics but he will have managed to have produced ground breaking work at the very end of his career. A feat that even his hero Einstein could not accomplish. If not, Hawking will have inspired some future physicist, who will eventually complete the paradox and answer the question 'What happened before The Big Bang?'
--B.D.
Still half confused and amazed.......2007-09-20
Dr. Hawking begins every chapter in this book with an intriguing question such as "Is time travel possible?" Instead of providing a response and proceeding to explain, prove or disprove his assertions, he delves into the detail of the theoretical physics aspect of time travel, and then somewhere in the middle of the chapter the following appears: "It seems, therefore, that quantum theory allows time travel on a microscopic scale." Hooray! It's fine and dandy that microscopic particles can travel through time. Please tell us about spaceships, humans, aliens, ANYTHING larger than a microscopic particle traveling to the past or the future. Here's what Hawking divulges two sentences later: "Can the probability in the sum over histories be peaked around spacetimes with macroscopic time loops?" This sentence alone mentions three complicated concepts covered in other chapters, albeit not in sufficient detail. And therein lies my biggest criticism of this book:
The uninitiated reader can easily lose her comprehension because of the layout and depth or lack thereof of material suited more to readers who have a physics background.
As was the case with his previous bestselling book , Mr. Hawking provides neither the technical detail to satisfy the knowledgeable, nor the simplified information for the lay person.
Nevertheless, Dr. Hawking deserves recognition for using his celebrity status in the world of theoretical physics combined with his remarkable effort to simplify and bring to the masses difficult concepts that only a handful of people in the world can fully grasp, especially given his dire physical condition afflicted by his decades old fight with Lou Gehrig's.
The Universe in a Nutshell.......2007-09-16
The definition of science is "observation of data to form hypothesis." Stephen Hawkins is a "theoretical physicist." Theory is not science. He has some very interesting ideas, yes. He is an incredibly gifted individual, yes. However, his ideas are based on mathematics - not physical data. - conceptual "data." There are times in his book where he correctly states that his ideas are only theories. He then goes on, in the majority of the work, to use words such as "proven," "proved," etc. He may mean that the numbers work out, but the context may cloud the "theoretical" nature of this work. He sometimes states his ideas are proven without mentioning that his proof is "in the numbers" on paper - not in the actual, physical world.
There are times when he shuns scientific rules (such as the laws of thermodynamics) for the benefit of reaching the desired goal. At other times he holds these very same rules up as unalterable - when it benefits his desired goal.
The author's ideas are based on assumptions (theory). He sometimes gives a number of results of his ideas. The author then chooses the favorable result and uses it to build more on his theories. This is a repeated cycle in the book. How many times can assumed favorable conditions be used to make up more assumed favorable conditions without losing a grasp on what is factual?
Such a situation occurs when he makes a factual statement that time must have a shape. Prior to this statement, he has been in the theoretical world and then makes an astounding discovery and states it as fact!
Mathematics is what a great deal of the author's ideas are based upon. It is said that it is mathematically impossible for a bee to be able to fly. Equations can, sometimes, lead to beneficial knowledge - and have in the past. But predicted results (mathematically) are not always perfect and do not always pan out in reality, Ask people who spend ime in a lab how how many times "textbook answers" are reproduced perfectly in their experiments - not very often.
It is interesting that this book takes some religious viewpoints - such as time being created - ie. it was not always existent . The author attempts to come up with a theory for this same belief through means of what is called science - but actually is the theoretical process aforementioned.
I am glad there are people out there taking stabs at this area of "science." But, as in the fairy tale of "The Emperor's New Clothes," we must be careful not to blindly attribute credence to an idea, brand it as fact, accept it as such, and then use this to build upon for even more "factual" ideas.
Overall a good read - just be careful to remember that power and peers do not dictate when clothes are actually present.
For general audience a.k.a Averagely Intelligent audience .......2007-09-03
This book is a completely commercial product. It's written for average people to read and memorize, so that they can impress others with. Of course, no one will argue with them for two reasons: It's written by Hawking, and it is just like saying nothing.
Most of the book is basically theories that, with their limited amount of knowledge about the universe, SCIENTISTS CAN explain the world with. The author turns in circles as he talks and use many vague words when there is nothing for a "general" reader to read. And he keeps putting those sidebars that are sometimes needed to understand the text. But, once you read them, you'll feel distracted....off the road. You don't know where were you and what you've been reading lately.
More than 50 percent of the book has no text! It's either a photo, a picture, or an illustration. You might think that's a good thing while it really isn't. The illustrations are repeated, over made, over sized, sometimes absurd. And speaking of illustrations, when ever your finger lands on one of them, you'll see your finger print clearer than the picture itself. The paper is the cheap kind that reflects light straight at your eye what ever the angle was. The hard cover will blacken your hand if you rob it or hold it for a long time, this means it will ware out quickly.
In conclusion, I don't recommend purchasing this book, ESPECIALLY for a Physics student.
Fantastic DEEP read.......2007-07-30
A fasinating book, which is very well written, although the physics are a bit deep. If you like to think about why the world exhists and how, this one is for you.
Book Description
Based on lectures given in honor of Stephen Hawking's 60th birthday, this book comprises contributions from the world's leading theoretical physicists. Popular lectures progress to a critical evaluation of more advanced subjects in modern cosmology and theoretical physics. Topics covered include the origin of the universe, warped spacetime, cosmological singularities, quantum gravity, black holes, string theory, quantum cosmology and inflation. The volume provides a fascinating overview of the variety of subjects to which Stephen Hawking has contributed.
Customer Reviews:
Books like this don't come along often.......2006-03-21
This book collects a series of lectures given at a conference celebrating Stephan Hawking's sixtieth birthday. If you don't know who Stephen Hawking is then this book is definitely not for you! His contributions are too extensive to give a comprehensive list here, a very short list of highlights would include seminal contributions to singularity theorems, quantum cosmology, co-authoring one of the great books in general relativity and his discovery that black holes emit (approximately?) thermal radiation. The lectures collected in this book provide a more complete overview of the many areas in which he has contributed. Given Hawking's accomplishments it's not surprising that the books contributors include many of the world's most prominent physicists.
There are forty-four chapters covering a vast range of topics in theoretical physics. The level of the material also has a wide range, from introductory to very advanced discussions. I thought the selection of papers was great.
The first part of the book is at a very introductory level. That isn't to say the material isn't quite interesting. The topics include basic general relativity, gravity waves, cosmology and singularities. This part should be accessible to a general audience.
The remainder of the book is more advanced, some of it quite advanced. Nevertheless I would expect much of it to be accessible to advanced undergraduates. Some of the material is fairly standard such as cosmology (standard general relativity treatment), inflation and black holes (standard general relativity version). However, most of the topics presented involve less well understood physics.
It's difficult to describe the breadth of the content without just looking a table of contents, but I'll try to give a rough idea of it. Not surprisingly there are many talks on physics of black holes that isn't completely understood. A partial list of black hole topics includes: primordial black holes, inner-horizon stability (a tentative answer is given), string effects and information loss. Here is a very coarse grained list of the rest of the content: loop quantum gravity, chronology protection conjecture, topology change, the holographic principle (or conjecture, depending on who you ask), Euclidean quantum gravity, topology change, string theory (touched on in many talks), quantum cosmology (basic, with supersymmetry and implication for the problem of time), cosmology (a wide variety) and more.
In summary, many interesting ideas in theoretical physics are discussed. They naturally center on general relativity, quantum gravity and cosmology. Even the difficult topics are fairly accessible. I would expect most graduate students would enjoy it, as would many advanced undergraduates with a solid background in general relativity and quantum mechanics (however, a lot of the material is quite challenging). Some of the material would also be interesting to astronomy and astrophysics students too.
Customer Reviews:
SIMPLY SUPERB!!.......2001-10-26
This is the BEST book I have ever read. I had never ever known astronomy in such a detail. I was able to impress my physics teacher by asking questions that brought even her in utter chaos and by answering some questions that were meant for 12th grader and above. You will start digesting astronomy after readin it!
Absolutely wonderful!.......1999-11-25
I'm only sixteen and before I read this book I knew very little about space. With this book I was even able to prove my chemistry teacher wrong on several occasions, one dealing with nuclear force. This book is excellent for anyone looking to expand their knowledge on how we came to be.
It made me think on higher levels about the universe..........1999-11-04
Stephen Hawking's a Brief History of Time: A Reader's Companion was a time stoppingly good book. It made me think on a higher level about the universe, black holes, and time. Much of this information, like the fact that black holes give off radiation, I had not yet begun to comprehend in the far reaches of my younge mind. Stephen Hawking, unlike most people of his brain power (if there are any people with brain power equal to his), made his words in a form that even the most common of Joes could understand every atom of what he was trying to say. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about time and how it effects the universe and its black holes. I hope everyone likes it as muck as I do. Thank you and, Stephen, keep up the good work.
Amazon.com
With a title inspired as much by Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series as Einstein, The Theory of Everything delivers almost as much as it promises. Transcribed from Stephen Hawking's Cambridge Lectures, the slim volume may not present a single theory unifying gravity with the other fundamental forces, but it does carefully explain the state of late 20th-century physics with the great scientist's characteristic humility and charm. Explicitly shunning math, Hawking explains the fruits of 100 years of heavy thinking with metaphors that are simple but never condescending--he compares the settling of the newborn universe into symmetry to the formation of ice crystals in a glass of water, for example. While he explores his own work (especially when speaking about black holes), he also discusses the important milestones achieved by others like Richard Feynman. Though occasionally an impenetrably obscure phrase does slip by, the reader will find the bulk of the text enlightening and engaging. The material, from the nature of time to the possibility that the universe has no beginning or end, is rich and deep and inevitably ignites metaphysical thinking. After all, Hawking is famous for his "we would know the mind of God" remark, which ends the final lecture herein. --Rob Lightner
Book Description
Based on a series of lectures given at Cambridge University, Professor Hawking's work introduced "the history of ideas about the universe" as well as today's most important scientific theories about time, space, and the cosmos in a clear, easy-to-understand way.
Customer Reviews:
Even if it is unofficial..........2007-10-02
Even if this product is unofficial, and unsanctioned by Stephen Hawking himself, I have to say I enjoyed it.
I liked how its topics were so clearly delineated into thematically cohesive lectures, I liked that the author read them himself using a computer, and I loved the clear and organized way that Hawking laid out topics as complex and unfathomable as black holes and time and the beginning of the universe.
Don't buy this, I suppose, since it's really not sanctioned by Hawking himself, but do buy his other work that basically repeats this same material.
Do buy this, though, if you're a Hawking completist, already have all his other books, and are looking for just a little bit more.
I loved it.
Phoenix Strikes Again.......2007-08-13
When Phoenix did a crummy job on their audio book production of A Brief History of Time, I thought "that seems kind of disrespectful, doing a hack job like that just so they can make money off of a famous book."
Ha! Do I feel like a fool now!
Oh yeah, and of course I am obligated to add this little bit from Hawking's website:
IMPORTANT NOTE
It has come to our attention that the book "The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe" has been published. Professor Hawking would like to make it clear that he has not endorsed this book. The text was written by him many years ago, however the material has already been published in books such as 'A Brief History of Time'. A complaint was made to the Federal Trade Commission in the US in the hope that they would prevent the publication. We would urge you not to purchase this book in the belief that Professor Hawking was involved in its creation.
Question the publiser.........2007-07-05
IMPORTANT NOTE
It has come to our attention that the book "The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe" has been published. Professor Hawking would like to make it clear that he has not endorsed this book. The text was written by him many years ago, however the material has already been published in books such as 'A Brief History of Time'. A complaint was made to the Federal Trade Commission in the US in the hope that they would prevent the publication. We would urge you not to purchase this book in the belief that Professor Hawking was involved in its creation.
In a nut shell.......2007-06-10
The toughts of the supposed beginings of the universe are thought provoking. The book was easy to read, in fact this book took me no time at all, but has left me with a life time of knowledge.
There is not comparison.......2007-04-27
This book PALES in comparison with A Brief History of Time and A Briefer History of Time.
I highly recommend either of those two books over this one.
Average customer rating:
- excellent coffee table book
- The Best Images of the Universe at your Fingertips!!!
- Wow! The Ideal Picture Book
- Fabulous coffee-table book for astronomy buffs at bargain price
- A striking collection of images culled from world archives
|
What's Out There: Images from Here to the Edge of the Universe
Mary K. Baumann ,
Will Hopkins ,
Loralee Nolletti , and
Michael Soluri
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Spacecam: In Co-Operation With NASA
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ASIN: 1844831906 |
Book Description
This breathtaking photographic tour of the universe features more than 180 exquisite, cutting-edge images, as well as a foreword by award-winning physicist Stephen Hawking. The photos, taken by the newest space explorers—highly sophisticated telescopes, probes, and satellites—are arranged in an A to Z format with thorough text blocks that elucidate the phenomena in a refreshingly concise and accessible manner. From asteroids to pulsars to white dwarfs, each entry consists of bold photos and descriptive text. A data box accompanying each picture provides fascinating details about how, where, and when each shot was taken. In the back of this awe-inspiring volume are the stories behind the space probes and telescopes, along with an essay on color imagery in space and a glossary.
Customer Reviews:
excellent coffee table book.......2007-03-10
visually stunning and excellent coffee table book. if you are looking for a picture book of the universe for casual purusal this book will more than do. provides very brief, non-technical descriptions of what each photograph is of. not for heavy duty research. recreational reading only. once again, the photos are...wow!
The Best Images of the Universe at your Fingertips!!!.......2006-10-04
++++++
"Astronomy is one of the sublimest fields of human investigation. The mind that grasps its facts and principles receives something of the enlargement and grandeur belonging to the science itself. It is a quickener of devotion."
The above is a quotation uttered by American educator Horace Mann in the 1800s. It eloquently sums up my feelings when I viewed the images (the majority of which are taken from our Galaxy) and read their accompanying text in this fascinating book by M. K. Baumann, W. Hopkins, L. Nolletti, and M. Soluri (with astronomy consultant R. Villard).
Stephen Hawking, who wrote the book's forward, tells us that "the [spectacular] images in this book represent some of the most up-to-date and high-definition data available." Yes, the more than 180 images are truly spectacular and were selected because they were judged to be the "most important" examples to highlight a particular topic. (The earliest image was taken May 1967 and the most recent was taken Jan. 2005.) Each photographic image has a standard data area that gives key information about the image. For example the data area of the image that's on the front cover of this book (shown above by Amazon) might be as follows:
(1) Identification icon of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft. (I will explain more about these icons below.)
(2) Saturn with its moon Enceladus appearing near its south pole
(3) Visible-light image (metallic color added)
(4) Cassini orbiter (Note that this spacecraft consists of this orbiter and the Huygens probe)
(5) 16 May 2004
(6) 12.5 million miles (20 million km) from Earth
Each topic is presented alphabetically with a brief, easy-to-understand, descriptive, and interesting text to explain a topic. The letters covered are from "A" to "W" (excluding "K," "O," and "Q"). Topics under each letter range from one to several. For example, under "A" are two topics covering four pages but under "C" are six topics covering ten pages.
Thus each topic generally has three pieces of information. For example, the first topic under "A" is "Asteroid." Then there is:
(1) a descriptive text of an asteroid
(2) an actual image of an asteroid--in this case asteroid Eros
(3) a data area for asteroid Eros (which, as shown above, has (i) an identification icon (ii) image description (iii) image type (iv) image source (v) date image taken and (vi) distance celestial object is from Earth).
At the end of the book are three sections. One section lists with a brief description the mechanical and human image-makers that made the images in this book possible. Another well-written section explains the science behind the images used in this book. The last section is a glossary of important terms.
The section regarding the image-makers is one I found especially interesting. Over forty image-makers are listed and well described. These image-makers are divided into four groups:
(1) Earth-based (like observatories)
(2) Near-Earth (like space-based telescopes)
(3) Spacecraft, probes, & cameras
(4) Individuals (who work with accessible and mobile equipment).
The identification icons I mentioned in the sample data area above are in this image-makers section. Any icon that appears in the book can be matched with the same icon in this section. For example, the icon of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft mentioned in the sample data area above can be matched with the identical icon in the above-mentioned third group. Then below the icon is a brief description of this spacecraft that I found quite interesting.
Finally, I did find some problems with this book. I should emphasize that these in no way affect the book's readability but I found them to be irritations:
(1) There is no introduction. There is a four-paragraph blurb on the inside front jacket flap that promotes the book and at the same time tries to give some indication of what to find in it. It does not do the latter very well. For example, how to use the icons is not explained at all. There should have been a good introduction included within the book itself.
(2) Three astronomical images located on the first two pages are not explained at all. Why?
(3) There are no references for the text. True, we are given the names of almost sixty scientists and space professionals who shared their knowledge. But throughout the book's pages are certain figures that must have been looked up somewhere. These sources are not given credit.
(4) The glossary is somewhat redundant. For example, the first word in the glossary is "asteroid." But as I mentioned above, it's a topic in the main section of this book! Why include it in the glossary? I found this for several other words as well.
(5) Right after the index of this book (that is, on the very last page) is a description of a newly discovered phenomenon that is "a telltale trace of other Earth-like planets out beyond our solar system." I found this VERY interesting. Why was it on the very last page of the book? It should have been included in the main narrative.
In conclusion, if you're an armchair astronaut like me, you'll appreciate this visually stunning and informative book that reveals the awesome beauty and mystery of the cosmos!!!
(first published 2005; forward by S. Hawking; the Milky Way; celestial phenomena from "A" to "W;" science behind the images; the image makers; main narrative 175 pages; glossary; index; picture credits; acknowledgements; Earthshine)
+++++
Wow! The Ideal Picture Book.......2006-09-01
Not many things in the world can literally take your breath away. Maybe it was your first kiss, or maybe when your son or daughter finally became part of the living. But this book cannot be excepted from that category, because these pictures seem to live and breathe just as we do. Light years and light years away.
Mars is viewed up so close, you feel like you're actually breathing in the dusty storms of the planet and you're surrounded by barren red wasteland, where life might once have existed. Jupiter's moon, Europa, has so many stunning pictures, as each one depicts its greenish-blue hue cracked with red lines and ice that fit in with the satellite so icily, but coolly. And don't get me even STARTED on the nebulae! They are so unbelievably beautiful - swirls of reds tingling with blue and a shiver of yellow belting down an orange, with sparkles and beauty outlining every inch of it. I think the nebulae deserve fifty chapters just for themselves.
All the pictures are arranged alphabetically from their title, from A for Asteroid to W for WMAP (check the book if you don't know what that is ;D), this book has it all. All the pictures are high-definition and just a frightful wonder to look at, staring at the deep, stellar field of space.
But as another reviewer said, don't miss out on the captions! There's an universe of information to be read, and they just can't be ignored because the pictures are so gorgeous. They're extremely factual and faultless, and only glorify the images with much information, unlike other space books where one-liners just dismiss the true meaning behind the pictures.
This book is highly recommended. I can't imagine a better source to start a lifelong interest in space, or to simply indulge in the beauty of space.
Fabulous coffee-table book for astronomy buffs at bargain price.......2006-08-28
Splendid images, combined with descriptions of what you're viewing, abound in this book, available for less than $20.
It's arranged alphabetically, so you can either browse from page 1 onward, or go to your favorite subject, such as "galaxy" or "black hole." And, it runs from our backyard to the edges of the universe, so whether your interests are planetary, interstellar, or deep space, there's plenty here for you.
The text material greatly adds to the value of the book (if that is possible).
For instance, under the pictures of different types of galaxies, readers will get an explanation of how barred spirals or ellipticals are believed to develop. But, that's not all.
In the caption for each photo, the authors carefully note what satellite, explorer craft, or telescope took the picture, what wavelength it was used, how it was filtered, etc. and otherwise brought to "normal" visible light, etc.
And, that's not all. There's more for backyard astronomers with telescopes.
In all pictures of nebulae, M or NGC numbers are provided for nebulae so identified.
A striking collection of images culled from world archives.......2006-04-27
Stephen Hawking provides the foreword to WHAT'S OUT THERE: IMAGES FROM HERE TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE. Here are nearly two hundred of the most important images ranging from close-ups of Mars to views of the most distant nebula. An alphabetical arrangement allows for quick and easy reference and topics which lend to commentary by experts as they accompany striking color photos. Photos have been culled from archives and astronomical sources from around the world and beyond the planet and provide an amazing A-Z picture record of striking images. Very highly recommended; especially for college-level astronomy holdings.
Book Description
The Universe in a Nutshell
Stephen Hawking's phenomenal, multimillion-copy bestseller, A Brief History of Time, introduced the ideas of this brilliant theoretical physicist to readers all over the world.
Now, in a major publishing event, Hawking returns with a lavishly illustrated sequel that unravels the mysteries of the major breakthroughs that have occurred in the years since the release of his acclaimed first book.
The Universe in a Nutshell
* Quantum mechanics * M-theory * General relativity * 11-dimensional supergravity * 10-dimensional membranes * Superstrings * P-branes * Black holes
One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them. In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to explain in laymen's terms the principles that control our universe.
Like many in the community of theoretical physicists, Professor Hawking is seeking to uncover the grail of science -- the elusive Theory of Everything that lies at the heart of the cosmos. In his accessible and often playful style, he guides us on his search to uncover the secrets of the universe -- from supergravity to supersymmetry, from quantum theory to M-theory, from holography to duality.
He takes us to the wild frontiers of science, where superstring theory and p-branes may hold the final clue to the puzzle. And he lets us behind the scenes of one of his most exciting intellectual adventures as he seeks "to combine Einstein's General Theory of Relativity and Richard Feynman's idea of multiple histories into one complete unified theory that will describe everything that happens in the universe."
With characteristic exuberance, Professor Hawking invites us to be fellow travelers on this extraordinary voyage through space-time. Copious four-color illustrations help clarify this journey into a surreal wonderland where particles, sheets, and strings move in eleven dimensions; where black holes evaporate and disappear, taking their secret with them; and where the original cosmic seed from which our own universe sprang was a tiny nut.
The Universe in a Nutshell is essential reading for all of us who want to understand the universe in which we live. Like its companion volume, A Brief History of Time, it conveys the excitement felt within the scientific community as the secrets of the cosmos reveal themselves.
The Illustrated Brief History of Time
In the years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time has established itself as a landmark volume in scientific writing. It has also become an international publishing phenomenon, translated into forty languages and selling over nine million copies. The book was on the cutting edge of what was then known about the nature of the universe, but since then there have been extraordinary advances in the technology of observing both the micro- and the macrocosmic world. These observations have confirmed many of Professor Hawking's theoretical predictions in the first edition of his book, including the recent discoveries of the Cosmic Background Explorer satellite (COBE), which probed back in time to within 300,000 years of the universe's beginning and revealed the wrinkles in the fabric of space-time that he had projected.
Eager to bring to his original text the new knowledge revealed by these many observations, as well as his most recent research, for this revised and expanded edition Hawking has prepared a new introduction to the book, revised and updated the original chapters throughout, and written an entirely new chapter on the fascinating subject of wormholes and time travel.
In addition, to heighten understanding of complex concepts that readers may have found difficult to grasp despite the clarity and wit of Hawking's writing, this edition is magnificently enhanced throughout with more than 240 full-color illustrations, including satellite images, photographs made possible by spectacular new technological advances such as the Hubble telescope, and computer- generated images of three- and four-dimensional realities. Detailed captions clarify these illustrations, enabling readers to experience the vastness of intergalactic space, the nature of black holes, and the microcosmic world of particle physics in which matter and antimatter collide.
A classic work that now brings to the reader the latest understanding of cosmology, The Illustrated A Brief History of Time is the story of the ongoing search for the tantalizing secrets at the heart of time and space.
Customer Reviews:
If only it was called a novel I would give it 5 stars........2007-01-09
With all due respect, brilliance is looking at Genesis 1:1. There we have the answer. This book is a huge roundabout way of getting to the first verse of the bible, which the book falls short of doing although the name of God is mentioned in the book. How can a brilliant writer acknowledge God yet miss God's explanation of the issue at hand? Steve, read genesis 1:1.
My 2 cents on 2 good books.......2005-11-30
"Universe in a Nutshell" and "Brief History of Time" are two books worthy of your time if you're even remotely interested in our planet and the universe. These books could never be called light reading. However, they are highly interesting and thought provoking.
Explaining the Unexplainable.......2003-05-24
When I bought Stephen Hawkings first book, the multimillion best seller, A Brief History of Time, I didn't know why I bought it and along with 90% of others, I didn't read it.
There is much speculation about why we all did this. Inquisitivenes of a Physically Impaired Physicist? Egotistical dinner party host who not only chooses great wine, but understands physics as well!
Did the 'upwardly mobile' set all cruelly steal this from Stephen's first book, just as nature was cruelling stealing his mobility.
No. The answer is that we are all secretly fascinated about what is 'out there', where did we come from. What's it all about Stevie?
This second volume, The Universe in a Nutshell attempts to explain the unexplainable with beautiful Salvador Dali-like illustrations, and a style of words which are easy to digest.
Buy the set if you want to be inched closer to the ultimate truth of how we got here, and what are the forces that hold us together. But like an ant in a balloon, dont expect to know who blew up the ballon, or who's watching you through it, as you try to figure it all out. Steven provides some educated guesses, and they provide a wonderful voyage through space and time. Fear not if you don't follow it all - to paraphase the great scientist Heisenberg when talking of quantum mechanics, if you think you've understood it - then you don't really understand it
Good but redundant.......2003-03-16
I bought this set because it was not much more than just purchasing an Ilustrated Brief History of Time. After reading both, it was apparent to me I could have chosen just one and gotten 90% of the information contained in both.
I first read Illustrated Brief History of Time. Hawking does a great job of explaining complex subjects in simple plain speak which does not feel over your head. His descriptions of Relativity, Quantum Theory, String Theory, and other topics are great and easily understood by someone with a limited science background. Those with a science background, such as myself, my wish for more in depth analysis at times, but that is not the focus of book, it is more an overview. There is a list of further reading books if one is interested.
I then read Universe in a Nutshell. The book started very similar to Brief History and although it was layed out a bit different the content was very similar, in fact some of the illustrations were exactly the same. There was a little more on String Theory in this book, but not enough to justify buying both unless you are a die hard Hawking fan.
Overall, I would recommend buying just one and saving a few bucks to buy one of the other books on the recommended reading list if you want to delve deeper.
Book Report Review.......2003-03-12
Stephen Hawking uses a mixture of humor and wit to explain some of the most difficult concepts of our time. The book contains illustrations that give visual aid to otherwise inconceivable ideas. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. It provides a provocative view of our universe, while encouraging stimulating thoughts of the vast limits of existence. I would encourage readers to brush up a little on their physics so that they don't feel too lost, in which case unless you're a genius physicist you most likely will need to do so.
Average customer rating:
- Classic.....
- Good Book, but more to do with other Various Scientists
- A basic primer, well presented
- Best book describing the best cosmological principles
- Beware! You will be dumber after reading this!
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Stephen Hawking's Universe: The Cosmos Explained
David Filkin
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ASIN: 0465081983 |
Customer Reviews:
Classic............2006-11-18
This is a classic book. And it looks great on a coffee table. Everyone will think you're smart.
A great book to have and read, and to tell people that you read it.
Good Book, but more to do with other Various Scientists.......2005-04-01
Stephen Hawking's Universe is a book that attempts to explain Stephen Hawking's theories of how the universe was created. Under Stephen's theories he supports the Big Bang. In the Big Bang theory it states that the universe was created by a big explosion. Aside from explaining the Big Bang theory, the book also talks a little about Hawking's personal life before he developed Lou Gehrig’s syndrome which has paralyzed him for life.
Although the book talks about Stephen Hawking's Work, it mentions
very little. The book focuses mostly on the history of cosmology and various other cosmologists who have attempted to find the beginnings to the universe. If you are looking for a book that describes in depth Hawking's work and his theories, then this is not the right book.
A basic primer, well presented.......2004-11-16
Stephen Hawking is widely acknowledged as one of the most intelligent persons on the planet, often seen as the intellectual successor to Einstein in reputation if not in actual adherence to theories. This book by David Filkin is a companion to book to a BBC/PBS series by the same name, highlighting different aspects and ideas that came from the television production.
Stephen Hawking's own book, `A Brief History of Time', is a very popular and accessible account of modern theoretical physics - it is somewhat astonishing that a book on this topic should have sold well over 10 million copies worldwide, being translated into many languages. Filkin's book looks not only at the theories (many of which can be found in Hawking's book), but also at the personality of the man behind the ideas. Hawking describes himself as a boy who liked to take things apart to see what made them tick - this is a rather difficult enterprise to undertake when dealing with the universe as a whole.
David Filkin and Stephen Hawking were at Oxford together. Filkin was on the crew team, and Hawking was the cox for the team of eight. Filkin writes of knowing Hawking only peripherally then, but being impressed with his determination, something that has continued to show through in Hawking's life, as he battles debilitating illness. However, as Filkin states, it is easy to get lost in thinking of Hawking in those terms. Hawking is worthy of recognition for his academic achievements in their own right - he holds the mathematics chair at Cambridge that Sir Isaac Newton held (and, as testament to its importance, one of the `future scenes' of Star Trek shows the android Data also hold the same chair, mentioning into the futuristic narrative both Newton and Hawking in the same breath).
Despite this brilliance, Hawking readily admits that much of his model of the universe is not his own. Standing on the shoulders of giants, he sees further, but acknowledges his debts to past scientific research. Filking introduces theories of the universe by looking at past models, everything from `turtles all the way down' to Ptolemaic, Copernican, and more modern ideas. Filkin draws in the major scientists of the progress of science - Galileo, Kepler, Copernicus, Doppler, and Hubble - and shows a steady progress of science against a backdrop of political, religious and social concerns. The early days of the Hubble discovery of red-shifted light from stars and Einstein's change of view from an eternal, infinite universe to one that had an origin is presented in context of Lemaitre, a cosmologist for the Vatican, who tried to reconcile modern scientific theories with the idea that the universe did have a point or moment of origin; this was not universally accepted (no pun intended), however, as some scientists such as Fred Hoyle continued to argue for an eternal, infinite universe with the Steady State theory.
Beginning with chapter five, and continuing throughout the rest of the text, the real heart of the matter of modern theoretical physics, astronomy and cosmology is presented. Filkin uses both the progress of ideas of Hawking, the progress of technology, and the various personalities involved in the scientific community (most of whom who are presented are still alive and at work) to develop the narrative of understanding the universe. Big Bang theory presented in great detail, including some of the more philosophical/theological concerns involved (while some churches applauded the Big Bang theory because it provided evidence for a moment of creation, others decried it as being contrary to a strict, literal six-day creation interpretation). One of the most intriguing ideas to arise in physics as a part of these developments was the proposition of the black hole, a gravitational oddity that occurs when a supermassive object cannot support its own weight, and the effects on the space-time continuum are so severe that not even light can escape its grasp.
Along the way, Filkin describes in historical and scientific ways the development of ideas of matter (atoms, from ancient Greek thought to modern times), light and energy, dark matter, and more. We learn about WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), MACHO men (Massive Astrophysical Compact Halo Objects observers), SETI research (Search for Extraterrestrial Life), and doing the impossible - locating the elusive black hole. How can you see something no one can see?
The limits of observation also play into the limit of the partnership between theory and observation for cosmology. Filkin writes that, through history, there have been historic pairings (Kepler's theories and Brahe's observations make a classic example), but the limits of nature are bumping up against observational ability, and the theoretical limits of such observatories is being reached - nothing at absolute zero can be detected in and of itself, as absolute zero is the lower limit; similarly, very high temperatures render everything opaque and fuzzy. None of this even begins to deal with the observational issue of the observer changing the status (the uncertainty principle).
There is an interesting duality that arises in cosmology - those who think that our understanding of the universe and its principles is nearly complete (Ed Witten, one of the present-day physicists highlighted, speculates in this direction) and those who think that there is still a vast body of unknown information to be discovered. One cannot help but think of the speculation around the turn of the last century, as nineteenth-century science triumphed in its understanding of various things in the world, and intellectual hubris was so high as to make some consider that patent offices would soon be closing, as everything that would ever be invented already had been. The early twentieth century in science destroyed both the intellectual arrogance and the stability of our understanding of the world, and things have continued at a quickening pace for decades. Have we reached the limits? Time will tell.
Of course, that might be imaginary time (thanks to Richard Feynman).
Best book describing the best cosmological principles.......2002-08-26
Stephen Hawking's universe is one of the very few books of its kind. It describes the complex and beautiful picture of our cosmos as presented by the most famous living scientist of the world. This book will prove helpful and informative for all those who are concerned with the universe and also with Professor Hawking.
Stephen Hawking's universe is such a book which tends to describe a difficult subject with simplicity and ace. Thus any one out there who is intrested in cosmology and is waiting for a new arrival the please do have a look at this one.
Beware! You will be dumber after reading this!.......2002-07-25
I've always enjoyed Stephen Hawking's writings, as in them he clearly explains things without condescendingly 
God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History
A Short History of Nearly Everything: Special Illustrated Edition
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
