History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

Average customer rating:

Not a handbook for 'rule of thumb' engineering
Where's the useful stuff?
A Misleading Description
Reference book for engineers
A very useful reference

Handbook of Heat Transfer
Warren M. Rohsenow , James P. Hartnett , and Young I. Cho
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0070535558

Book Description

This wholly revised edition of a classic handbook reference, written by some of the most eminent practitioners in the field, is designed to be your all-in-one source book on heat transfer issues and problem-solving. It includes the latest advances in the field, as well as covering subjects from microscale heat transfer to thermophysical properties of new refrigerants. An invaluable guide to this most crucial factor in virtually every industrial and environmental process.

Customer Reviews:

Not a handbook for 'rule of thumb' engineering.......2006-12-16

This book is a resource for understanding/solving complex heat transfer. There are no pages wasted on useless information, just vital information pertinent to the topic. The book is well laid out and well referenced. The chapter on heat pipes is a bit lacking. Overall an excellent heat transfer reference.

Where's the useful stuff?.......2005-08-28

You could spend the rest of your life reading this book! It would be useful for any professor or A student or other intellectual studying the material in depth. But for a practicing engineer who has little available time to ponder the specifics, it would take a "lot" of effort to find material that could be put to work in this text. If you are interested in deriving the equations you need yourself, or if you're analysing a unique design, then this is the book for you. But if you are busy with standardized systems and technology, find another reference.

A Misleading Description.......2004-12-16

I was expecting more tables and equations especially for natural convection external flow. There is also very little useful information about forced convection external flow. I also would have liked to see some sample calculations to demonstrate how to use this book better.

There is plenty of theory despite the product's description and most of it is probably unnecessary for a handbook. It's more like a big, expensive text for heat transfer than a handbook. A person would have to be an engineer, mathematician, or physicist to deal with the level of mathematics presented in this book.

There is a fair amount of information about internal flow for both forced and natural convection, but this book's value is quite limited. I am dissappointed with this book and would not purchase it again if I lost it.

Reference book for engineers.......2004-04-02

This is not an introductory book on heat transfer! Instead it is a thorough treatment on heat transfer in a stringent an extensive manner. This book places greater emphasis on correctness than "easy-to-understand-ness". However, if you do read it, you gain a lot compared to most introductory heat transfer books. If you are interested in forced convection heat transfer, this book gives well documented equations and charts for a great number of shapes, though mostly internal flow. This is a very serious book for serious engineers!

A very useful reference.......2001-06-29

I found very useful the way thermal conductivity was approached. I was used to solve simple problems by means of "Temperature response charts". Now it is possible to use formulas instead of graphs.

Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays

Average customer rating:

A great scientist explains his work and his life
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
EVENT HORIZON
Fascinating and Stimulating
Good, but not up to Hawking's standard

Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays
Stephen W. Hawking
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553095234
Release Date: 1993-09-01

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.

Atom-Photon Interactions: Basic Processes and Applications (Wiley Science Paperback Series)

Average customer rating:

Very useful

Atom-Photon Interactions: Basic Processes and Applications (Wiley Science Paperback Series)
Claude Cohen-Tannoudji , Jacques Dupont-Roc , and Gilbert Grynberg
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0471293369

Book Description

Atom-Photon Interactions: Basic Processes and Applications allows the reader to master various aspects of the physics of the interaction between light and matter. It is devoted to the study of the interactions between photons and atoms in atomic and molecular physics, quantum optics, and laser physics. The elementary processes in which photons are emitted, absorbed, scattered, or exchanged between atoms are treated in detail and described using diagrammatic representation. The book presents different theoretical approaches, including:
* Perturbative methods
* The resolvent method
* Use of the master equation
* The Langevin equation
* The optical Bloch equations
* The dressed-atom approach

Each method is presented in a self-contained manner so that it may be studied independently. Many applications of these approaches to simple and important physical phenomena are given to illustrate the potential and limitations of each method.

Customer Reviews:

Very useful.......2000-06-26

Atom Photon Interactions is an excellent text for atomic and optical physics. I refer back to the review material---transition amplitudes, quantum electrodynamic fundamentals, etc--- over and over again. Naturally, these sections are very brief, and the book works best along side Cohen-Tannoudji's more elementary texts Quantum Mechanics and Photons and Atoms, or their equivalents.

The later chapters are rich in techniques and intuition applicable to atom-trapping, spectroscopy, laser theory, etc. Cohen-Tannoudji covers a lot of material, and manages to link it all to a few basic fundamental principles. The book is extremely well-organized, with bite-sized sections and appendices to each chapter. An excellent collection of exercises with solutions is included in the back. Unfortunately, the text does not prompt the reader to try working these problems at appropriate times (sadly, I didn't realize the exercises were there until I'd been using the book for some time). Like Photons and Atoms, this is primarily a book for theorists; its one weakness, I feel, is that the principles, however clear, never seem connected to the actual numbers that an experimentalist or system designer can relate to.

Average customer rating:

Interesting History of Science

Simple equation, enormous implications

Another masterpiece by Bodanis

Even more undrstanding

Havent read it yet

E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation
David Bodanis
Manufacturer: Berkley Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea

Passionate Minds: The Great Love Affair of the Enlightenment, Featuring the Scientist Emilie du Chatelet, the Poet Voltaire, Sword Fights, Book Burnings, Assorted Kings,

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ASIN: 0425181642
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Amazon.com

E=mc2. Just about everyone has at least heard of Albert Einstein's formulation of 1905, which came into the world as something of an afterthought. But far fewer can explain his insightful linkage of energy to mass. David Bodanis offers an easily grasped gloss on the equation. Mass, he writes, "is simply the ultimate type of condensed or concentrated energy," whereas energy "is what billows out as an alternate form of mass under the right circumstances."

Just what those circumstances are occupies much of Bodanis's book, which pays homage to Einstein and, just as important, to predecessors such as Maxwell, Faraday, and Lavoisier, who are not as well known as Einstein today. Balancing writerly energy and scholarly weight, Bodanis offers a primer in modern physics and cosmology, explaining that the universe today is an expression of mass that will, in some vastly distant future, one day slide back to the energy side of the equation, replacing the "dominion of matter" with "a great stillness"--a vision that is at once lovely and profoundly frightening.

Without sliding into easy psychobiography, Bodanis explores other circumstances as well; namely, Einstein's background and character, which combined with a sterling intelligence to afford him an idiosyncratic view of the way things work--a view that would change the world. --Gregory McNamee

Book Description

Already climbing the bestseller lists-and garnering rave reviews-this "little masterpiece"* sheds brilliant light on the equation that changed the world.

"This is not a physics book. It is a history of where the equation [E=mc2] came from and how it has changed the world. After a short chapter on the equation's birth, Bodanis presents its five symbolic ancestors in sequence, each with its own chapter and each with rich human stories of achievement and failure, encouragement and duplicity, love and rivalry, politics and revenge. Readers meet not only famous scientists at their best and worst but also such famous and infamous characters as Voltaire and Marat...Bodanis includes detailed, lively and fascinating back matter...His acknowledgements end, 'I loved writing this book.' It shows." (The Cleveland Plain Dealer)

"E=mc2, focusing on the 1905 theory of special relativity, is just what its subtitle says it is: a biography of the world's most famous equation, and it succeeds beautifully. For the first time, I really feel that I understand the meaning and implications of that equation, as Bodanis takes us through each symbol separately, including the = sign...there is a great 'aha!' awaiting the lay reader." (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

"'The equation that changed everything' is familiar to even the most physics-challenged, but it remains a fuzzy abstraction to most. Science writer Bodanis makes it a lot more clear." (Discover)

"Excellent...With wit and style, he explains every factor in the world's most famous and least understood equation....Every page is rich with surprising anecdotes about everything from Einstein's youth to the behind-the-scenes workings of the Roosevelt administration. Here's a prediction: E=mc2 is one of those odd, original, and handsomely written books that will prove more popular than even its publisher suspects." (Nashville Scene)

"You'll learn more in these 300 pages about folks like Faraday, Lavoisier, Davy and Rutherford than you will in many a science course...a clearly written, astonishingly understandable book that celebrates human achievement and provides some idea of the underlying scientific orderliness and logic that guides the stars and rules the universe." (Parade )

"Bodanis truly has a gift for bringing his subject matter to life." (Library Journal [starred review] )

"Entertaining...With anecdotes and illustrations, Bodanis effectively opens up E=mc2 to the widest audience." (Booklist )

"Accessible...he seeks, and deserves, many readers who know no physics. They'll learn a handful-more important, they'll enjoy it, and pick up a load of biographical and cultural curios along the way." (Publishers Weekly)

Customer Reviews:

Interesting History of Science.......2007-09-21

This is not a book for people who are looking to learn science. It is a book for people who want to learn about scientists. Bodanis includes lots of fascinating biographical snippets, some about people, such as Emilie du Châtelet, who are entirely overlooked in most textbook histories. His book is a great introduction for those who want to fill in some of the gaps in their knowledge about the people who created modern civilization.

Simple equation, enormous implications.......2007-09-13

A well written story about this famous equation, its history, and perhaps it's future. I STILL don't fully understand it all, but hey, the author tried.

Another masterpiece by Bodanis.......2007-07-20

David Bodanis as a way of writing that one can enjoy. I love all his work and this book was no disappointment. A masterful mix of history and physics that makes science come alive. I can recommend all Bodanis's books.

Even more undrstanding.......2007-04-14

This was a splendid documenation of the actions and thoughts of the individuals involved in the revelations of the most important discoveries in physics ever made. It was told in an exceptionally clear manner by the author. It was very obvious that his research was thorough. He also documented all his discoveries so that the reader could easily do more research.
Personally, I had a hard time putting it down even though I have read other books on the subject. It is the best technical writing I can remember.

Havent read it yet.......2007-03-22

Really havent read it yet, I just bought it for a class, but it looks boring.

Dark Cosmos: In Search of Our Universe's Missing Mass and Energy

Average customer rating:

An excellent read for the non-scientist
A Simplified View of the Way we Understand the World
very well written
really dark
Excellent Update on Cosmology

Dark Cosmos: In Search of Our Universe's Missing Mass and Energy
Dan Hooper
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 006113032X
Release Date: 2006-11-21

Book Description

The twentieth century was astonishing in all regards, shaking the foundations of practically every aspect of human life and thought, physics not least of all. Beginning with the publication of Albert Einstein's theory of relativity, through the wild revolution of quantum mechanics, and up until the physics of the modern day (including the astonishing revelation, in 1998, that the Universe is not only expanding, but doing so at an ever-quickening pace), much of what physicists have seen in our Universe suggests that much of our Universe is unseen—that we live in a dark cosmos.

Everyone knows that there are things no one can see—the air you're breathing, for example, or, to be more exotic, a black hole. But what everyone does not know is that what we can see—a book, a cat, or our planet—makes up only 5 percent of the Universe. The rest—fully 95 percent—is totally invisible to us; its presence discernible only by the weak effects it has on visible matter around it.

This invisible stuff comes in two varieties—dark matter and dark energy. One holds the Universe together, while the other tears it apart. What these forces really are has been a mystery for as long as anyone has suspected they were there, but the latest discoveries of experimental physics have brought us closer to that knowledge. Particle physicist Dan Hooper takes his readers, with wit, grace, and a keen knack for explaining the toughest ideas science has to offer, on a quest few would have ever expected: to discover what makes up our dark cosmos.

Customer Reviews:

An excellent read for the non-scientist.......2007-02-21

Dark Cosmos has an excellent narrative style and explains the concepts of dark matter in a very understandable fashion. It begins with the easier theories and then moves into string theory and other pretty advanced concepts. It's a great read even if there comes a point where it no longer makes sense to a non-physicist.

A Simplified View of the Way we Understand the World.......2007-02-05

This is the best book I've read on Dark Matter and Dark Energy. Not only does Dr. Hooper explain why these things are needed to explain how we think our Universe works, but as he writes you get some feeling of the awe and excitement that he feels about the subject. You get the feeling that he goes to work every day looking forward with great excitement to see what he might learn. And he is able to bring this excitement down to the printed page so that you too feel that we are on the brink of a big break through in our understanding of how the world works.

As an example. At one point he is making some projections about what might be discovered in the future.

About one paragraph he says: 'This paragraph is wild speculation.'
About the next paragraph he says: 'This paragraph is ridiculously wild speculation.
From there he goes on to the third paragraph, about which he says: 'What is the word that means more ridiculous than ridiculous?'

The only real problem about this book is that next week, or next year, or maybe 25 years from now there will come a breakthrough that will answer all of these questions. As Einstein took Newton's equasions and extended them into the very small and the very large, we are looking for the next 'Einstein' to take his work and extend it to cover what the experimental physicists and cosmologists are discovering.

very well written.......2007-01-26

I am not a scientist. I have no training in modern cosmology or physics, and I read this book simply out of an interest in the subject. What struck me most, and what I least expected from a popular science book, was the prose. The subject itself is vastly intriguing, and Dr. Hooper does an excellent job of conveying this information. The only chapter that left me relatively baffled was the chapter on quantum physics, but (let's be honest) that's strange stuff and it is not the intent of this book to explain it. The thrust of this book is dark matter, and Dr. Hooper is an engaging and insightful authority. His book is full of information, but more importantly, it is a pleasure to read.

really dark.......2007-01-20

This book is introduction to cosmology for general reader rather than detailed information about dark matter and dark energy.
I like popular physics books. I have bought the book to learn about dark matter and dark energy, but after reading I have become more cloudy. These concepts are still in their infancy. Untested theories (supersymmetry , string and inflation) give support these undetected dark matter and inexplicable quantity of dark energy.
The author tells all of intriguing related topics to give some idea of the subject. I got much out of the theories of supersymmetry, inflation and the life cycles of stars.

Excellent Update on Cosmology.......2007-01-10

In a style that is both authoritative and accessible to most interested readers, the author glides through cosmological theories and observations with the primary focus of gaining insight into the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Throughout the book enough information is provided on the relevant history of cosmology and that of particle physics to make this fascinating story so gripping. Potentially difficult concepts are clearly explained using useful and familiar analogies. The prose is clear, friendly, engaging and quite captivating. In my view, this excellent book should be of interest to everyone, but science buffs will likely relish it the most.

Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another

Average customer rating:

Interesting; entertaining; necessarily disappointing
Still reading it... do not let the poilitical physics misguide you
Critical Mass
Almost great...
To be shunned...

Critical Mass: How One Thing Leads to Another
Philip Ball
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0374530416
Release Date: 2006-05-16

Book Description

Are there “natural laws” that govern the ways in which humans behave and organize themselves, just as there are physical laws that govern the motions of atoms and planets? Unlikely as it may seem, such laws now seem to be emerging from attempts to bring the tools and concepts of physics into the social sciences. These new discoveries are part of an old tradition. In the seventeenth century the philosopher Thomas Hobbes, dismayed by the impending civil war in England, decided that he would work out what kind of government was needed for a stable society. His solution sparked a new way of thinking about human behavior in looking for the “scientific” rules of society.

Adam Smith, Immanuel Kant, Auguste Comte, and John Stuart Mill pursued this idea from different political perspectives. But these philosophers lacked the tools that modern physics can now bring to bear on the matter. Philip Ball shows how, by using these tools, we can understand many aspects of mass human behavior. Once we recognize that we do not make most of our decisions in isolation but are affected by what others decide, we can start to discern a surprising and perhaps even disturbing predictability in our laws, institutions, and customs.

Lively and compelling, Critical Mass is the first book to bring these new ideas together and to show how they fit within the broader historical context of a rational search for better ways to live.

Customer Reviews:

Interesting; entertaining; necessarily disappointing.......2007-05-15

CM is well-written, thoughtful throughout, and often quite interesting. PB does a very able job of describing a broad range of social science scholarship, some of it mainstream, some of it fringe, all of it having to do with the application of concepts and methods drawn mainly from the physical sciences to the study of various human phenomena. Throughout, the author presents his material with assurance. However, it seems to me that it is only when he discusses the behavior of the likes of pedestrians or car drivers that he writes from a position of certainty (or reasonable certainty at least). At the end of the day, it is one thing to model traffic flow and quite another to model just about any other type of large-scale social behavior. Applying hard scientific notions to the former seems reasonable enough, and often enough yields reasonable predictions of future 'behavior'. Applying them to the latter, however, seems vanishingly less reasonable, the more complex the behavior under consideration -- and the more players (subject to variable motivations) who contribute to it. Moreover, as the many (very interesting) cases PB discusses show, over and over, the more complex the phenomenon/behavior under consideration, the less rigorously have hard scientific concepts been applied to its analysis. One cannot escape the feeling that so much of the "science" that PB invokes (or, in fairness, that he quotes others as invoking), is only speciously applied to social science problems, serving merely to provide compelling metaphors (the behavior of persons resembling that of particles in thermodynamic systems, etc.). It is certainly interesting that Bell Curves, Power Laws, phase changes, and so forth recur (or at least seem to recur), often unexpectedly, in different contexts. Interesting facts piled on interesting facts, however, do not add up to science -- a science of description perhaps (if such be science), but hardly one of prediction.

There is much of interest in CM, and I very much enjoyed reading it. In the end, though, the book felt like so much sand through my fingers. Far from establishing the legitimacy or the utility of a 'physics' of society, CM left me wondering whether the social sciences have really progressed at all since the time of Hobbes and Locke, Hume and Smith, etc., etc. Having finished CM, I am far more interested in reading the great works of political philosophy than I am in further studying current trends in the science of society. I thank PB for giving me some insight into the latter, and for providing an incisive and compelling overview of the former.

Still reading it... do not let the poilitical physics misguide you.......2007-04-07

My Profile 43 yo Mechanical Engineer.. beginner enterpreneur

First I am only in chapter 6, so I will revisit this review and edit accordingly.

As an admirer of the style of Dr. Ball's way of making chemistry accesible to everyone (specially me).. I was just curious by the comments and the approach of this new book, so when I saw the price was right I bought my used copy..just started some days ago and wow!! talk about a tour d force! I went back to my collegue years to remeber the classical political theorist and Hobbes.. just when I thought it was going to be a lecture in political theory, we are taken ino the realms of thermodymamics and statistical physics as models to be used for political physics..but I have not reach that part already, what I think its that this book is a must as a way to teach thermodynamics!!!

So I must admitt I am kind of slow to learn, but if the principles and scopes of thermo were explained as in Critical Mass, then universities would at least be true to the root of word universal.. and that in those times men of science were holistics in their endevours and connected everything in their theories.. if that was good or not let us judge by history.. but at least we were not surrounded by specialist in their ivory towers.. getting back at the book, if thermodynamics is a dry subject be prepared to be enlighten, wow! I even dusted out my "Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory , and Statistical Thermodynamics" by Sears-Salinger ad began to see the light on the chapters on phase transitions.. in a way, I felt like if the fear of having to hear the axioms and descriptions was shedded off by Dr. Balls's explanations.. do not believe me? see if it happens too.

Again, Im in chapter 6, so there is a lot to see, but only for the thermodymaics insight the book is worth its weight in gold

Critical Mass.......2007-03-08

The book starts a little slowly, but the introductory chapters are needed to set the foundation for the rest of the book. It is well written and provides much provocative food for thought.

A good read and well worth the effort.

Almost great..........2006-11-11

Philip Ball has constructed a very interesting and entertaining survey of parallels between results in physics (like the hysteresis curve of magnetic materials) and results regarding human activity (like the relationship between crime and the severity of the criminal justice system). He finds many relationships that look like phase transitions with critical points, and several phenomena with implicit power law relationships, among other parallels.

What I could have done without are Dr. Ball's frequent qualifying statements regarding the moral and ethical implications of the theories, and his statements about the shortcomings of economics. (The latter appears to be a current focus of his, judging from a recent editorial he wrote for the Financial Times where he made a case for throwing out any theory based on the fully rational agent, "homo economicus" and/or market equilibria, and starting from scratch. Not surprisingly, his editorial spurred many letters to the editor.) In terms of the former, I think Dr. Ball is conflicted when the theory conflicts with his sense of fairness. Many times, he injects qualifying statements where he does not like the human implications of a theory. He even inserts an entire chapter at the end cautioning that government policy should not be based on the (to him) less palatable implications of the theories. He is obviously a believer in significant governmental interference in the free market.

In summary, I really enjoyed the book, but I think it would have been better without the distracting qualifying statements.

To be shunned..........2006-11-09

I am an academic economist who frequently collaborates with scientists and find that interdisciplinary collaboration is often fruitful and that there are clear synergies from letting scholars from different fields interact. I therefore purchased this book with the expectation of being exposed to useful ideas. I was sadly disappointed. The book starts with stating the need for behavioral physics. I smiled a little at this, since economists have been doing this for 150 years, but I guessed that you can't know everything. Then the author started writing about economics. Oh boy! Either the author is truly ignorant of economic research the last 50 years or this guy is to scientific writing what Ann Coulter is to punditry. I doubt that there is a single economic concept that the author has understood. A fundamental concept such as Pareto optimality is botched. Apparently there is evidence that prices fall when demand grows which would be news to most economists (including Adam Smith who is supposed to have expressed this interesting idea.) The author states that economists look for theories that enables prediction of market movements whereas real traders know that this is not possible. Any economist will tell you that the truth is the other way around. In fact, economists know that unless there is asymmetric information among traders it is not possible to consistently outperform the market. Real traders make a living trying to do so. And the statement that microeconomic models ignore interactions between agents is just laughable. In fact economics is a holistic science in the sense that it is explicitly acknowledged that actions are interconnected. This is what general equilibrium analysis is all about. (I don't recall the publication date of Cournot's market model but it was a long time ago.) I could come up with more examples of nonsense but if you want a laugh, just borrow the book at the library. I am concerned with the disingenousness of the writing style. There is no end to the number of statements like "Some economists believe," "mosts economists will" and "many think that." Since I don't recognize any of this I can only assume that he made these things up. The other approach is to cherry pick bad ideas from the past and present them as current practice. (Kontradieff cycles!!!)

In my interactions with scientists I have often despired about the calvalier attitude they have to economics. They seem to think that having a Ph.D. in e.g. physics means that they are super-smart (which they often are) so something as trivial as economics must be dead simple to them. This leads them to say the dumbest things like claiming that energy should be the unit of account when measuring value. It seems to me that having a brain that understands quantum mechanics and relativity makes you supremely unable to understand elemenetary aspect of behavioral science. (Although you may be able to predict behaviour in queues and other not very interesting patterns.) The contrast with biology is interesting. The flow of useful ideas between biologists and economists has been very beneficial to both sciences and promise to be more so in the future.

The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature

Average customer rating:

Good overview for the popular audience of quantum physics
Cosmic Code
Great outline of quantum theory
Good...
The best book on a complex, abstract subject

The Cosmic Code: Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature
Heinz R. Pagels
Manufacturer: Bantam
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553246259
Release Date: 1984-04-01

Customer Reviews:

Good overview for the popular audience of quantum physics.......2007-07-19

A very good overview, written for the popular audience, of quantum physics, originally written in 1982, by physicist Heinz Pagels. The first part of the book deals with the history of the subject. The second part, the (then) newer stuff, including complex subjects like Bell's Theorem. Unfortunately, since Pagels died in a mountaineering accident in 1988, there hasn't been an update of the book (because of the speed of the scientific discovery, even the best science books can get quickly outdated). That's why the newer stuff in physics, mainly string theory, is not covered here. Still, a very good book.

Cosmic Code.......2007-03-12

This book was mentioned in a previous book I have read (The Biology of Belief - Lipton). This book easily explains a tough subject like quantum physics. I found it strange that someone like myself (mostly read spiritual books) would enjoy a scientific discussion of the very small. I could not put the book down. If you enjoy reading spiritual books, you will enjoy this book.

Great outline of quantum theory.......2006-01-03

Wonderfully and lucidly written. Lays out most of the basics of quantum theory in an accessible way.

Good..........2005-07-05

Excellent transaction...would do business with again. Book a little more worn than stated.

The best book on a complex, abstract subject.......2003-10-02

This is the best Quantum Physics book even written for the lay man. Infact, it might even be the best popular science book ever written. I have been a fan of this book for over 15 years and I feel that it is "must read" for every student involved or pursuing any branch of pure science (not necessarily physics).

Book Description

This book combines physics, history, and philosophy in a radical new approach to introducing the philosophy of physics. Accessible to readers with little background in physics or philosophy, this book allows the reader to wrestle with the metaphysical and conceptual problems that drove innovation in physics, from nineteenth-century electromagnetic field theory through relativity and quantum mechanics. Among the topics treated are locality, causality, and scientific explanation; relativity, energy, mass, and the reality of fields; and quantum metaphysics. The book's engaging, non-technical style makes it ideal for those who want to go beyond the equations and discover what physics reveals about reality.

Customer Reviews:

Great introduction.......2006-02-13

In college, foundational questions in physics are often swept under the rug, typically by rushed professors who neither have the time nor the inclination to answer questions like: 'What, exactly, is an electric field?' 'Is a Poynting vector a real thing or merely a mathematical construct that aids our ability to visualize or make calculations?' 'How do we make sense of quantum non-locality?' Having been shut down in class on several occasions, most students just turn in their problem sets and learn what's necessary to do well on exams. Well, these questions still remain, and this book does a fantastic job in both identifying and addressing at an introductory level how they may be ultimately resolved. The mass-energy equivalence and the specious conclusions even physicists derive from it was an eye-opener, to say the least. Physics professors should put this book on their suggested reading lists to address the questions of the more inquisitive. I wholeheartedly recommend this book for people just starting out in the philosophy of physics, and even for physics majors who, during a summer soul-searching session, desire to think about things on a deeper level.

A must read.......2004-02-09

This is just an excellent book. With questions that all early physics students ask and are usually shunned for asking them. Is the electric field a real entity? What is the difference between a real quantity and a math tool that gives us the right answer. Spactiotemperal locality is covered very well, the mix of physics and philosophy is superb. The last chapter on quantum mechanics could be expanded and perhaps the author can do a seperate book on that topic. This book is a must for all students of physics and philosophy.

Average customer rating:

The essential reference work on gamma spectrometry

Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry
Gordon Gilmore , and John D. Hemingway
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471951501

Book Description

Gamma-ray spectrometry is a key technique in the study of the decay of radioactive materials. Used by scientists from a wide range of disciplines, problems can be encountered by the inexperienced user because there is a deceptive simplicity in gamma-ray measurements which can hide significant pitfalls. To resolve this situation, the authors of Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry have drawn on many years of teaching experience to produce this uniquely practical volume, giving comprehensive coverage of the whole gamma-ray detection and spectrum analysis processes. Discussions of the origin of gamma-rays and the issue of quality assurance in gamma-ray spectrometry are also included. Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry is written with the user in mind and has the following benefits:

Mathematics are kept to a minimum throughout.
No previous knowledge of nuclear matters or instrumentation is assumed.
Detectors and their associated electronic systems are discussed.
Fault-finding guide ensures that any problems can be sorted out with the minimum of fuss.

Practical Gamma-Ray Spectrometry will enable all those involved with radioactivity measurements to get the most from their equipment. It will also be of great value to teachers and students in departments where radioactivity is studied, such as physics, chemistry, environmental biology, archaeometry and radiochemistry.

Customer Reviews:

The essential reference work on gamma spectrometry.......2004-06-04

Gilmore and Hemingway provide the spectrometer user with the wealth of their years experience in assaying gamma samples. Everything from how to set up a germanium crystal spectrometer, how to calibrate, how to count, and how to document for universal acceptance. This is one-stop shopping for gamma spectrometry...including a comprehensive references list at the end of every chapter that provides the reader with their money's worth from this volume.

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