Book Description
In his exciting new book, physicist Victor J. Stenger shows how time symmetry at the quantum level makes it possible to draw a model of underlying reality that is simpler and more symmetric than the conventional view. This reality is timeless, with no beginning, no end, and no arrow of time. Time is indeed reversible. And in this "timeless reality," nothing rules out the existence of other universes besides our own; in fact, such a multiverse is strongly suggested by modern theories of cosmology. But whether or not reality has one universe or many, it had no beginning and was not created. It neither was nor will be. It just is.
Customer Reviews:
Enthraling adventure into the real world.......2005-12-16
The author takes the reader from basic concepts into the world of physics where I have never been before. It is not a book to take to the park to feed the birds. It, at least for me, requires concentration, energy and a love of anticipating the next step in how things came to be and why we think it so. I ordered five more related books as a result. What fun to be so challenged.
Naive simplicity.......2005-06-29
This is yet another 'just so' story explaining why the universe is not unique and appears to fail on all technical counts.
Examples -
-"information is negative entropy"? They are not even the same units and even correcting for that, information in communication theory is a state function difference. This perpetuates the widespread confusion of correlating disorder with thermodynamics.
-"I propose that the big bang was not the beginning of the universe, nor the beginning of time."? But he doesn't suggest there wasn't one, just before 'inflation' from the false vacuum! Good luck if that's not a starting point!
Stenger also adopts a popular misconception that inflation (the early exponential expansion of the universe) causes the direction of time. Paul Davies lost this argument decades ago to Don Page in a science journal debate, by ignoring gravity. Stenger thinks he has it solved with a simple black hole argument-
"The initial entropy of the universe was also as large as it could have been, since it was also the entropy of a black hole. Thus, the universe has maximum entropy at the two extremes on the time axis. In each case, the universe is in equilibrium. At each time, the universe is in a static state of total chaos. This is a point that has been missed by almost everyone, including Penrose." [Referring to his earlier book The Emperor's New Mind.]
In Penrose's recent book, The Road to Reality, wherein he explains in detail why the universe is not simple, he also lays waste to Stenger's attack -
"Now let us return to the extraordinary 'specialness' of the Big Bang. The fact that it must have had as absurdly low entropy is already evident from the mere existence of the Second Law of thermodynamics. But low entropy can take many different forms. We want to understand the particular way in which our universe was initially special...
It seems to me that this apparent thermal equilibrium in the early universe has grossly misled some cosmologists into thinking that the Big Bang was somehow high entropy 'random' (i.e. thermal) state, despite the fact that, because of the second law, it must have actually been a very organized (i.e. low entropy) state. A prevalent view seems to have been that the resolution of this paradox must lie in the fact that, soon after the Big Bang, the universe was 'small' so that comparatively few degrees of freedom were available to it, giving a low 'ceiling' to possible entropies. This point of view is fallacious, however, as was pointed out [earlier]. The correct resolution of the apparent paradox lies in the fact that the gravitational degrees of freedom have not been thermalized along with all of those matter and electromagnetic degrees of freedom...In fact, these gravitational degrees of freedom -providing a huge reservoir of entropy -are frequently not take into account at all...Rather than sharing in the thermalization that, in the early universe, applies to all other fields, gravity remains aloof, its degrees of freedom lying in wait, so that the second law would come into play as these degrees of freedom begin to become taken up. Not only does this give us a Second Law, but it gives us one in the particular form that we observe in nature. Gravity just seems to have been different!...physicists have tried to come to terms with this puzzle and related ones, concerning the origin of the universe. In my opinion, none of these attempts comes at all close to dealing with the puzzle..."
Real Five Stars (or even more)........2004-01-17
I simply love Victor Stenger's books and lecturing. Who possibly can be better in presenting such subjects of science? After all, author is a professor of psychology as well. As Bertrand Russell wrote in 1950: "philosophy aims at a theoretical understanding of the structure of the world: on the other hand, it tries to discover and inculcate the best possible way of life..it can give to the individual a just measure of himself in relation to the whole history of man and to the astronomical cosmos". "Timeless Reality" is absolutely a "meisterstuck" dedicated to reader who is not afraid of mathematical formulas and equations. Learn from professor Stenger about time symmetry solving mysteries of quantum double nature and that cause not always precedes effect. Find more: brief history of philosophy, every topic of modern particle physics related to cosmology - explained and repeated each time when needed. If you have not find easy and convincing explanation of EPR paradox so far, you will find it here, one of the most interesting! Large sections of "Timeless Reality" successfully navigate through this hazy subject! Yes, it is a popular science book at its best, loaded with names, properties and behaviors of many exotic particles. Estimated level of difficulty rests somewhere between Roger Penrose's "The Emperor's New Mind" (quantum theory content) and Alan Guth's "The Inflationary Universe" or Lee Smolin's "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity".
takes some getting used to..........2003-03-04
I first read this book two years ago and I found the ideas presented to be very unsettling. I needed to set the book aside and think about more ordinary aspects of the world for a while. The fact is, however, that Dr. Stenger describes reality and there's no getting away from reality. Now my investigations lead me back to the implications of time symmetry. And happily, I have Dr. Stenger's book on hand to turn to again. This time, unafraid, I am finding the experience extremely satisfying.
I agree with the detailed reviews written below. I would also like to add an important bit of information about trust. Anyone who has investigated this field becomes familiar with the corruption that has taken place. Science is used as propaganda to support dogmatic conclusions. Speculation is too easily mutated into whatever covert form of mysticism the author secretly harbors and seeks to spread. Therefore, it is necessary to exert significant effort to find a guide into the stranger regions of reality who can be trusted to NOT MISLEAD. Victor Stenger is someone who can be trusted.
This makes all the difference in the world.
I've had the pleasure of receiving several kind personal responses to questions I posed to Dr. Stenger by way of his friendly and helpful website. I was delighted to find that he is genuinely interested in furthering human understanding and improving the human condition. He is without any hidden agenda. What you see is what you get. He is interested in exposing deception instead of practicing it. He sincerely cares about individuals who struggle with the almost insurmountable challenge of trying to understand what's really going on here in the world. He provides a sense of much-needed balance in an effort that often seems to threaten one's sanity.
And given the fact that what's really going on here takes some time for a person to adapt to, please take your time and let the ideas filter in gradually. Whether we like it or not, the strangeness of the world isn't going to go away. In fact, things become increasingly more interesting the more closely they are examined. And this is why having a trusty guide who's familiar with the topography is so important.
I am please to see that Dr. Stenger has an important new book coming out that will further help those of us who need technological expertise in exposing the mischief of the dogmatists. "Has Science Found God?" promises to provide further comfort and support for those of us who just want to approach the truth unadulterated. If truth is defined as "good" (no matter how uncomfortable it makes us), then Dr. Stenger is firmly on the side of the good. He's a great and welcome ally.
Serious science for dedicated enthusiasts.......2002-03-25
First of all, I'd like to start with a caveat. I gave this book 5 stars, but that assumes the reader has a college education or a very technical background. For someone not used to college-level writing, I would recommend avoiding this book. Having said that, I thought this book was amazing. My head is still spinning from all the detailed, technical information about quantum physics and relativity. Without getting bogged down in the actual mathematics, this book tells you just about everything you might want to know about modern physics.
Some of the best and most original writing is actually at the end, where Stenger presents his ideas on symmetry and how it relates to cosmology and the history of the universe. However, everything else in the book leads up to this, and there are plenty of references to previous chapters.
Stenger's concluding paradigm is simple, logical, and aesthetic, and definitely meets his own criterion of parsimony, or Occam's razor. Parsimony is a common theme in this and Stenger's other books, and he does a great job of using it to critique and analyze the various theories and philosophical interpretations of modern physics.
Again, I would recommend this book to anyone comfortable with college-level reading, but I would also love to see Stenger's concluding ideas summarized in another, less technical and more accessible format, for a wider audience.
Book Description
IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME....
Once widely considered an impossibility--the stuff of science fiction novels--time travel may finally be achieved in the twenty-first century. In Breaking the Time Barrier, bestselling author Jenny Randles reveals the nature of recent, breakthrough experiments that are turning this fantasy into reality.
The race to build the first time machine is a fascinating saga that began about a century ago, when scientists such as Marconi and Edison and Einstein carried out research aimed at producing a working time machine. Today, physicists are conducting remarkable experiments that involve slowing the passage of information, freezing light, and breaking the speed of light--and thus the time barrier. In the 1960s we had the "space race." Today, there is a "time race" involving an underground community of working scientists who are increasingly convinced that a time machine of some sort is finally possible.
Here, Randles explores the often riveting motives of the people involved in this quest (including a host of sincere, if sometimes misguided amateurs), the consequences for society should time travel become a part of everyday life, and what evidence might indicate that it has already become reality. For, if time travel is going to happen--and some Russian scientists already claim to have achieved it in a lab--then its effects may already be apparent.
Download Description
"IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME.... Once widely considered an impossibility--the stuff of science fiction novels--time travel may finally be achieved in the twenty-first century. In Breaking the Time Barrier, bestselling author Jenny Randles reveals the nature of recent, breakthrough experiments that are turning this fantasy into reality. The race to build the first time machine is a fascinating saga that began about a century ago, when scientists such as Marconi and Edison and Einstein carried out research aimed at producing a working time machine. Today, physicists are conducting remarkable experiments that involve slowing the passage of information, freezing light, and breaking the speed of light--and thus the time barrier. In the 1960s we had the ""space race."" Today, there is a ""time race"" involving an underground community of working scientists who are increasingly convinced that a time machine of some sort is finally possible. Here, Randles explores the often riveting motives of the people involved in this quest (including a host of sincere, if sometimes misguided amateurs), the consequences for society should time travel become a part of everyday life, and what evidence might indicate that it has already become reality. For, if time travel is going to happen--and some Russian scientists already claim to have achieved it in a lab--then its effects may already be apparent."
Customer Reviews:
Very Informative.......2007-09-07
I have read many books pertaining to time travel and I must say this is one of the best. It is a "must read".
A Glimpse of the Future, or the past, or all of the Above?.......2007-07-11
I adore books like this, stretching one's concepts beyond their comfort zone to consider new possibilities. At the same time, however, I feel compelled to approach such works as "Breaking the Time Barrier" with a healthy measure of skepticism. Of course, most people believe that crossing boundaries of time is impossible, although from a theoretical perspective it appears possible at the same time that it is unlikely. Jenny Randles, a British science writer, tracks in "Breaking the Time Barrier" efforts beyond science fiction and wishful thinking to crack that barrier. There are enormous challenges, probably insurmountable ones at least for the projected future, in overcoming the speed of light, understanding and moving beyond of three dimensions into higher dimensionality, and navigating the space-time continuum of a black hole.
Recent investigations undertaken by serious scientists may yield answers to at least some of these questions. The result might be a workable time machine in some distant unimaginable era. Then watch out, fascinating possibilities exist. Read and enjoy, but don't rush out and invest money in a company offering time travel vacations immediately. It will be quite a while before we see that.
Not a barrier.......2007-02-03
If you're fascinated with the science of light and time travel but not a physicist or mathematician, this book is a great read. It's written in easy to understand language, backed up by appropriate research. Jenny Randles is excellent at writing these kinds of books and I recommend her other recent publications.
Faster than a speeding bullet..........2006-01-02
The first great popularising of the idea of a time machine was undoubtedly H.G. Wells' novel of the same name, but lesser known is the fact that scientists from the same time period forward to today have been speculating in earnest about the factual possibilities of time travel and time machines. These kinds of speculations do not take the form of machines that look like go-carts with umbrellas on top (such as the films portray), but they are nonetheless fascinating. Once upon a time, the idea that human beings would send ships to the moon and other planets seemed like the stuff of fanciful science fiction; time machines and time travel still has that veneer, but as recently as a few years ago, physicist Paul Davies was able to state with all seriousness that there is no theoretical problem with building a time machine.
Jenny Randles has put together an intriguing text looking at the history of time machine and time travel speculation and research. This includes a good dose of science fiction, but more interestingly, a strong selection of science fact. Scientists with well-known names such as Einstein, Fermi, Hawking, and Penrose are joined with lesser-known figures such as Kaku and Chernobrov, the latter of whom has claimed to have built a time machine of sorts already.
Of course, this flies in the face of the law of chronological protection - a speculation advanced by Hawking (among others) that there is an as-yet undiscovered law of nature that enforces the cause-preceding-effect sequence of events. Just because it hasn't been discovered yet doesn't mean it's not there, and for good measure, the idea was advanced that civilisations with time-travel capabilities would have already made their presence known (if not destroyed us entirely) if such capabilities were ever found in fact. Others hold for a less rigid law of restrictive behaviour - you cannot go back and prevent your own birth, for example. However, where the boundary exists between chronology protection and flexible but restrictive boundaries is impossible to tell.
Randles discusses in general terms experiments, theoretical physical and mathematical models, and concepts that deal with dimensional analysis and speculation. How many dimensions are there, really? Even scientists such as Einstein could not come up with a single answer over the course of his life. Do we live in a universe or a 'multi-verse'? Just what is a multi-verse, anyway? These are some of the questions discussed. Randles does not get into equations and technical details, but sticks with general narrative discussion; thus, the level of science in this text never advanced much further than popular levels. However, there are some references listed in the back that can lead the interested reader to further texts. This part could be expanded to be more helpful for those who are technically inclined.
This is an interesting text, a quick read, full of personality and intrigue as well as scientific (and science fiction) ideas.
These are exciting times.......2005-07-18
Jenny Randles writes about research being done in the arena of time travel. She compares our current period of time to the space race of the 60's. In her book she talks about various time travel theories and how the basic research into the area was started by Tesla. It was later expanded during the Philadelphia Experiment and the Montauk Project. Jenny Randles talks about modern researchers like Dr. Ron Mallet and about Steven Gibbs who claims to have built the first commercial time machine the HDR or Hyper Dimensional Resonator.
I thought it was well worth my time to become familiar with the world of time travel research and new events in chronodymanics.
Book Description
This book has been thoroughly revised to include important new results. At the same time it retains the features that make it a classic text on irreversibility, and one which clearly distinguishes the latter from those time asymmetries which may be compensated for by other asymmetries. The book investigates irreversible phenomena in classical, quantum and cosmological settings. In particular, this fourth edition contains a revised treatment of radiation damping as well as extended sections on dynamical maps, quantum entanglement and decoherence, arrows of time hidden in various interpretations of quantum theory, and the emergence of time in quantum gravity. Both physicists and philosophers of science who reviewed earlier editions considered this book a magnificent survey, a concise, technically sophisticated, up-to-date discussion of the subject, showing showing fine sensitivity to crucial conceptual subtleties.
Customer Reviews:
Buy the FIFTH EDITION due out June 2007!.......2007-05-15
Make no mistake, this is a great book!
It thoroughly discusses the six arrows of time and their law like vs. fact like nature. It discusses pretty much every other serious work that's been done respecting time and its physical descriptions (including those of Hu Price and Julian Barbour as well as the more conventional accounts by Stephen Hawking).
And also, it has some fascinating speculations on how the universal expansion itself might be the master arrow of time.
However, it IS an expensive book and since Zeh will be having his Fifth Edition out in June 2007, you might want to wait until it's out to purchase his thoughts on this significant and important area of research.
That said, whether you choose to purchase the June 2007 version or this one, you won't be disappointed.
THE place to look for the physics behind the arrow of time.......1999-12-11
A lot has been written about the arrow of time, a large amount of which leaves out the details (such as Huw Price's recent book). For those details, this is THE place to look. Those discussing the arrow of time, whether they agree or disagree with his conclusions, generally start with what has been written down here.
In this slim volume, Zeh gives a wonderfully concise and broad coverage to all physical aspects of the arrow of time. Furthermore, while his approach is rigorous, he makes a point of drawing out what the mathematical conclusions mean, and he does so quite lucidly. As a bonus he has a wonderful section on the quanticization of time. The only problem with this book is the rather high price tag, which will probably stop most of the casual readers interested in the topic from picking up a copy.
Average customer rating:
|
The Physics of Time Reversal
Robert G. Sachs
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0226733319 |
Book Description
The notion that fundamental equations governing the motions of physical systems are invariant under the time reversal transformation (T) has been an important, but often subliminal, element in the development of theoretical physics. It serves as a powerful and useful tool in analyzing the structure of matter at all scales, from gases and condensed matter to subnuclear physics and the quantum theory of fields. The assumption of invariance under T was called into question, however, by the 1964 discovery that a closely related assumption, that of CP invariance (where C is charge conjugation and P is space inversion), is violated in the decay of neutral K mesons.
In The Physics of Time Reversal, Robert G. Sachs comprehensively treats the role of the transformation T, both as a tool for analyzing the structure of matter and as a field of fundamental research relating to CP violation. For this purpose he reformulates the definitions of T, P, and C so as to avoid subliminal assumptions of invariance. He summarizes the standard phenomenology of CP violation in the K-meson system and addresses the question of the mysterious origin of CP violation. Using simple examples based on the standard quark model, Sachs summarizes and illustrates how these phenomenological methods can be extended to analysis of future experiments on heavy mesons. He notes that his reformulated approach to conventional quantum field theory leads to new questions about the meaning of the transformations in the context of recent theoretical developments such as non-Abelian gauge theories, and he suggests ways in which these questions may lead to new directions of research.
Book Description
This book is an attempt to get to the bottom of an acute and perennial tension between our best scientific pictures of the fundamental physical structure of the world and our everyday empirical experience of it. The trouble is about the direction of time. The situation (very briefly) is that it is a consequence of almost every one of those fundamental scientific pictures--and that it is at the same time radically at odds with our common sense--that whatever can happen can just as naturally happen backwards.
Albert provides an unprecedentedly clear, lively, and systematic new account--in the context of a Newtonian-Mechanical picture of the world--of the ultimate origins of the statistical regularities we see around us, of the temporal irreversibility of the Second Law of Thermodynamics, of the asymmetries in our epistemic access to the past and the future, and of our conviction that by acting now we can affect the future but not the past. Then, in the final section of the book, he generalizes the Newtonian picture to the quantum-mechanical case and (most interestingly) suggests a very deep potential connection between the problem of the direction of time and the quantum-mechanical measurement problem.
The book aims to be both an original contribution to the present scientific and philosophical understanding of these matters at the most advanced level, and something in the nature of an elementary textbook on the subject accessible to interested high-school students.
Customer Reviews:
This book is one of the best on the subject........2007-05-09
I couldn't stand to see this book with such poor user reviews. One can see the academic reviews are stellar. This is the best book on time that I have ever read. It is not pop-science, it is an academic work on the foundations of physics and time. As such, it is not an easy book to read, despite the fact that it is well-written and anyone should be able to follow it if their mind has not atrophied. It is not easy because it presents in almost full glory all the problems most physicists ignore with respect to questions concerning the role of time in modern physics. I gave this book four stars because I thought it was missing (2) things. One - epistemic motivation for the past hypothesis, Two - Convincing arguments that QCD time-reversal symmetry breaking doesn't really matter for the questions discussed. Anyone who thinks this is a poorly written book should survey the other literature on the topic for comparison. Dr. Albert has tackled a difficult subject with a degree of intellectual integrity and honesty uncommon in physics so don't complain if you have to think because that is the purpose of the book. I have read this book repeatedly and learn something new almost everytime I open the book. I thouroughly disagree with his attempted resolution of time-reversal invariance and entropy increase through the past hypothesis, in particular since the epistemic motivation for the past hypothesis admits necessarily of no non-circular verification. I still maintain he has done an excellent job in writing this book and the poor user reviews should not prevent anyone from reading it. Expect to read it slowly at least twice and to have to think and you will know more about time than most physics PhD's.
Don't take a chance with your time on this book.......2005-03-26
The title is aptly chosen. Time and chance. You'll loose out of both on this book. Try the book The Direction of Time. It is a much better written book. It is amazing that Alberts actually earned his degree in anything. The man simply cannot write worth a damn, try as hard as he does to convey what often are simple concepts.
Not THAT bad..........2004-03-10
I, and anyone who has read Albert's previous QM book, can readily agree with the other reviewers that his style is as queer as a four dollar bill, as off-putting as it is annoying. And yet, as I kept returning to Albert--this book in particular--all the while my outside reading on the subjects giving me a firmer rudimentary comprehension of the problems, I came to find that, slowly but surely, his work grew on me.
But as that's only my experience, I'll make sure prospective readers all understand just exactly what it is they're going to get themselves into with Albert:
1) Again, the style. He repeats phrases and words (e.g. "patently") often many times in the same sentence, which latter often read like Kant: a front clause and end clause that relate pretty obviously, but a whole middle ground that is prolix and confusing in providing the rationale for the relation. As I said, for me, the style grew on me, much as Kant's did, but it is challenging and perhaps needlessly difficult.
2) This is "patently" NOT a book for beginner's. On the other hand, it is patently not a book solely for experts either. I am no expert--not even close---and I would say I'm about one tier above begginer level, basically familiar with the relevant issues and concepts, but with no math and no formal training. The drawback of this is, of course, that issues presented much more clearly and gracefully elsewhere show up here as being complicated beyond belief. The "punchline" is (as Albert often says), that this IS complicated material, that it really isn't as simple as it's often presented, and Albert aims to give you the whole-hog, not an ice cream sundae version of it. With persistence and patience, you will get it, I swear. And just to re-iterate, you DO NOT need the math to get it, at least for this book. Most of the math is relegated to footnotes and for those who care about seeing demonstrations and proofs, which even without full understanding can be grasped from Albert's presentations of them.
3) He is repetitive, but I find this a good thing. Kant too was repetitive, but that actually helps me stay inside the frame and not get lost in the swift progress of the tour of these issues Albert is taking us through. You might hate it, so beware.
4) On the issues, Albert is fantastic, in my opinion. But when it comes to his own suggestions, and the last few chapters on QM, things get too obscure and presuppose too much on the reader's behalf (like having read his previous book). He tries, but he fails here. The good thing is, these last chapters are just icing. You'll get everything up to there, seriously, with patience and effort (although you may lose all patience, I don't deny).
I just say give it a shot. It's at least worth that much, and if you do "get it," you will be all the wiser. Good luck!
Fascinating Subject But Horribly Unintelligible Writing.......2002-06-04
Formally trained in academia as a physicist, David Albert made the switch over to philosophy to address foundational issues in physics, most notably those dealing with time and an outstanding problem in quantum mechanics known as the measurement problem. Although the endeavors of Albert are noble and worthwhile, I am afraid that he is lacking in competency as a writer to communicate his ideas in any sensible, intelligible fashion. As a former student of his, I can personally attest to how frustrating his writing and teaching style, kindly referred to by some as "unique," can be. Needlessly obtuse, ever obscure, Albert writes in such a manner that his prose can truly serve as a wonderful negative example of how not to write. Virtually every conceivable error in basic grammar and syntax is committed. Endlessly long sentences, riddled with comma splices and run on sentences, are grossly accompanied by a monstrous convolution of nestled subordinate clauses, which topple over one another and collapse any unifying logic.
Adding to this confusion, Albert repeatedly makes distracting use of parentheses in numerous attempts to develop main ideas instead of correctly using parentheses to make brief, nonessential comments. This semantic nightmare, however, does not end here, as Albert, in page after page, then incorporates numerous, ridiculously long footnotes, which like his "parenthetical" comments are also used to develop main ideas and are so needlessly complicated as to loose any cohesive significance. The net effect of all of this is to drown whatever semblance of order or meaning Albert is attempting to convey under a cacophony of jangled ideas, which chaotically crash into one another instead of logically and succinctly flowing orderly and soundly from one notion to the other. The reader senses there is some overarching unifying thread, in which all the disparate ideas Albert greatly belabors in developing will come together. This intimation, then, pushes the reader on with a very taxed patience for that moment of a great enlightenment. The anticipation of that arrival, however, proves anticlimactic, as chapter after chapter ends as it begins: in a dissolution of fragmentary, Byzantine ideas and lost meanings. Indeed, there has not been such a level of impenetrable perplexity in literature since T. S. Eliot's The Waste Land.
The most intelligible portion of this book, ironically, is to be found-not in the book itself per se-but in the description of the book on the inside of the jacket cover. Essentially, this book serves to bring an awareness to what is a fascinating problem in physics: the attempt to reconcile the temporal invariance of physical laws with our perennial everyday sense of a unidirectional nature of time. In Newtonian dynamics, for example, the governing equations of motion equally apply to both the past and the future. There is nothing in Newton's equations (or indeed in other equations that describe other physical phenomena such as electromagnetism or quantum mechanics) that specifies a direction of time. The past, in otherworlds, is just as likely to be a so-called "arrow of time" as the future is. Yet we know that there is one direction to time. In particular, the Second Law of Thermodynamics shows that we live in a universe in which entropy is ever increasing. We age and never grow younger; dropped eggs, which then crack, never spontaneous reassemble; smoke fills a room and never flows toward a point; we recall the past and not the future; and we can affect the future but not the past. Despite these common, everyday understandings of the way the universe operates, physical law makes no such distinctions of the past and future. We are as likely to become younger as we are to age; broken eggs can suddenly reassemble; smoke can converge toward a point; we should be able to recall the future as well as the past; and we can affect the past as well as the future. This is the subject that Albert is attempting to present to his readers.
Moreover, Albert offers a solution to the above problem: the so-called Past-Hypothesis, which is at the heart of this book. The Past-Hypothesis posits that the universe began in a Big Bang, low-entropy state, in which the random nature of particle motion (later argued by Albert to be possibly quantum mechanical in origin) then guarantees that the universe will evolve toward ever growing entropy, thus specifying an "arrow" of time and accounting for the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Albert argues that the Past-Hypothesis is a basic facet of physical law, irreducible to nothing else or anything more basic. This view, however, is by no means universally accepted. There are many competing theories to this problem of time, including a very interesting one by Julian Barbour, who argues in The End of Time for a fascinating possibility that there is an underlying time-less structure to the universe.
Other than stating the problem well on the book jacket (which you can view and read here on Amazon.com), I am afraid that Time and Chance really has no other merit, which would make it a book worth purchasing. I truly hope that if Dr. Albert is reading this he will understand just how difficult it is to comprehend his book, in which the difficulty lies not in the subject matter but in his writing. There were many very bright and capable people in his class who often times simply had no idea (myself included) what it was he was trying to convey. The book is in dire need of heavy revision, and I hope that this is undertaken in the future. As it stands, the book is simply too poorly written to be worth the read other than if you are one of the unfortunate students enrolled in his Direction of Time course, in which case your grade depends on you desperately trying to elucidate and understand this book.
Definitely not for the layperson.......2001-10-12
I was interested in this book because of its glowing review in Science magazine. While this may be an excellent book, I certainly couldn't tell after the first 45 pages. Major portions of the text consists of illegible footnotes. In spite of its folksy style, the author is obscure and impenetrable. It makes me wonder why, if he really has something to say, he can't explain it in a sensible fashion. While there might be people who get something from this book, a casual reader should expect some very tough going.
Average customer rating:
|
Imaging of Complex Media with Acoustic and Seismic Waves (Topics in Applied Physics)
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Astronomy
| Astronomy
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Acoustics & Sound
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Atomic & Nuclear Physics
| Nuclear Physics
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Imaging Systems
| Computer Technology
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Optics
| Electrical & Electronics
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Astronomy
| Astronomy
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Acoustics & Sound
| Physics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Medicine
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Sciences
| New & Used Textbooks
| Stores
| Books
Optics & Waves
| Physics
| Sciences
| New & Used Textbooks
| Stores
| Books
All Amazon Upgrade
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Engineering
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Professional & Technical
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Amazon Upgrade
| Stores
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Medicine
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 3540416676 |
Book Description
Acoustic and elastic wave propagation is being investigated in media such as the ocean, the earth, biological tissues and solid materials. In these different areas, many specific imaging techniques have been developed which differ in the wavelength of the sound, its polarisation and the instrumentation used. In this interdisciplinary book, leading experts in underwater acoustics, seismology, acoustic medical imaging and non-destructive testing present basic concepts as well as the recent advances in imaging. The different subjects tackled show significant similarities. This volume gives an up-to-date-overview of the field and is intended for scientists and graduates alike. Also available online in LINK:http://link.springer.de/series/tap/Access to table of contents and abstracts is free. Subscribers have access to the full text in PDF format when asking for a password.
Average customer rating:
|
Reciprocity, Spatial Mapping and Time Reversal in Electromagnetics (Developments in Electromagnetic Theory and Applications)
C. Altman , and
K. Suchy
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Mathematics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematical Physics
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Electromagnetism
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Electricity
| Electromagnetism
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Electromagnetic Theory
| Electrical & Electronics
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Mathematical Physics
| Physics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0792313399 |
Average customer rating:
|
Tests of Time Reversal Invariance in Neutron Physics
N. R. Roberson , and
C. R. Gould
Manufacturer: World Scientific Pub Co Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Nuclear Physics
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Particle Physics
| Nuclear Physics
| Physics
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Physics
| Professional Science
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 9971504634 |
Books:
- Understanding Molecular Simulation (Computational Science Series, Vol 1)
- University Physics with Modern Physics, 11th Edition
- Viscous Fluid Flow (Mcgraw Hill Series in Mechanical Engineering)
- Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
- World of Warcraft Dungeon Companion
- Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment: How to Improve Productivity, Quality, and Employee Satisfaction
- A Guide to Physics Problems: Part 2: Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics, and Quantum Mechanics (The Language of Science)
- A World Without Time: The Forgotten Legacy Of Godel And Einstein
- Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers,The (Voices That Matter)
- Advanced Digital Logic Design Using VHDL, State Machines, and Synthesis for FPGA's
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Analysis of Financial Time Series, 2nd Edition
- The Missing Link in Cognition: Origins of Self-Reflective Consciousness
- The Bookshop, The Gate of Angels, The Blue Flower
- The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle East
- The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography
- The Sound and the Fury
- The Winter Wilderness Companion: Traditional and Native American Skills for the Undiscovered Season
- Employed for Life: An Insider's Secrets For Guaranteed Employment In Our Permanently Changed Workpla
- Take This Job and Love It: How to Change Your Work Without Changing Your Job
- Real estate financing : creative and conventional ;: A guide to locating sources of financing for re
Has Science Found God? The Latest Results in the Search for Purpose in the Universe
The Unconscious Quantum: Metaphysics in Modern Physics and Cosmology
God: The Failed Hypothesis. How Science Shows That God Does Not Exist
The Comprehensible Cosmos: Where Do the Laws of Physics Come From?
The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics
