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Title: The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
ISBN: 0375727205
Author:
Brian Greene
Publicate Date: 2005-02-08
Publish: 2005-02-08
List Price: $16.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $7.50
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.90
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.53
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Simply Fascinating
I am not a physicist, though I can honestly say that physics is perhaps one of the most intriguing and exciting aspects of the human quest for knowledge. I have been an ardent amateur student of astrophysics and theoretical physics since high school and there is no better author on the subject than Brian Greene. He is one of those rare brilliant scientists that is also a natural born teacher and gifted writer. I have seen Brian Greene give presentations, lead specials on Nova and other science programs, and have read his spectacular book on string theory, The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory.
I believe that "The Fabric of the Cosmos" is currently the pinnacle of his work in enlightening the general public on the true nature of the universe. In this book, Greene takes us on a fascinating journey through the history of physics from Sir Isaac Newton to the very present. He confidently highlights the major breakthroughs in physics over the past several centuries, which lead up to our current understanding of how the universe works. That being said, Greene also shows that there are many unresolved issues and that while string theory looks extremely promising, it is as of yet an incomplete theory. Greene's explanations on the physics of time are both fascinating and startling and will challenge your conceptions of what the human experience truly is.
Greene does an excellent job of using real world examples and clear metaphors to explain the tough mathematics in more simple terms. For those interested in the actual formulas, Greene provides ample notes and detailed explanations in the back quarter of the book. The pages are also peppered with graphics and diagrams that ease in visualizing the physics at work. Trust me when I say this book is accessible to anyone interested in the topic.
"The Fabric of the Cosmos" has challenged my perceptions of the universe and has inspired me to look at my life and my experiences in a new and unique way. It has also reaffirmed my belief that humanity has the intellectual capabilities to achieve its greatest dreams. I recommend this as a physics book of the highest order.
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2: A great introduction to modern physics!
Not being a mathematical whiz, I found this book fairly easy to understand. Brian Greene did a wonderful job not only explaining modern physics, but also how science got to where it is. I really enjoyed the pop culture examples to explain concepts and he did a great job of not filling the book with technical jargon that can loose people quickly. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a better understanding of physics and natural science.
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3: Get this one if you have not read The Elegant Universe...
The negative reviews say that there's not much that's new in this book (over and above what was in The Elegant Universe.) As I have not read The Elegant Universe, I find this book most wonderful: in the first 100 pages alone, you learn all you wanted to know about relativity and quantum theories, written lucidly.
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4: Very interesting, highly recommended
As an amateur interested in astronomy and astrophysics I enjoyed listening to Brian Green's the Fabric of the Cosmos very much, learned a lot and thought about fundamental questions about the universe in a different way. The questions below and many others are explored in a very interesting way. The explanations flow smoothly in a logical manner. Questions are raised in a way to get the listener thinking. This audio CD is relevant to both amateurs and professionals on the topic. As an amateur I was not able to understand everything on the CD yet. I am sure that as I listen to the CD several more times I will understand a lot more. These topics are sometimes explained in a boring way in high school physics and college astrophysics courses and therefore can kill interest in the topic. By contrast, this CD introduces them in a very curiosity raising manner. It uses a philosophical and yet at the same time a scientifc approach that is upto date. I have also watched DVDs on similar topics before. So before listening to this CD I was skeptical about whether a CD about the universe lacking the visual elements of a DVD could be interesting or not. My answer now is definitely yes ; the auditory explanations create very interesting mental images in the listener's mind.
Examples to some of the questions, among others, explored in the CD are : What is time ? What is space ? How are they related ? What is reality and how do we perceive it ? Does time always have to flow towards the future or can the direction of flow sometimes reverse ? Does time flow at the same rate in different parts of the universe or not ? How was the universe created ? How is it likely to end ? Is the big bang theory of the creation of the universe valid ? What has banged, how and how long ago? Could the universe actually be a giant brain ? How many dimensions are there in the universe ? Can we perceive all the dimensions or not ? What are matter and energy ? How are they related ? What are black holes ? What could be happening inside black holes ? How does Einstein's theory of general relativity explain the universe ? According to that theory, why is the velocity of light always constant ? What is light made of ? What are photons ? How does light travel in space ? What are the limitations in Isaac Newton's explanation of the universe ? Are objects that are billions of light years apart in the universe completely unrelated or can they affect one another despite those awesome distances ? How do we perceive movement ? Movement occurs with respect to what ? What are frames of reference ? Could we perceive movement in space if there were no other objects at all in the universe ? How did atomic theory start ? What are the smallest particles of matter ? What are quarks ? Are electrons matter or energy ? What is quantum theory ? How does it reconcile with the theory of general relativity ? What is the uncertainty principle ? Why can't the velocity and position of an object be simultaneously determined with absolute certainty ? What is gravity ? Are all forces in the universe such as gravity, electromagnetism etc. actually different manifestations of the same force or not ? What is string theory and how does it explain the universe ? Is a unified theory that explains everything possible ? How is the structure of the atom related to the structure of the universe ? What are the historical developments of various theories that attempt to explain the universe ? What are the contributions of Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and many other scientists and philosophers to the development of our understanding of matter, energy, space, time, the universe and the texture of reality ? As of today how much do we understand the universe ? What questions remain unanswered ? What are the likely developments in these theories in the future ? How do the various theories contradict and / or reconcile with one another ?
We may think that the answers to questions such as what is space ? what is gravity ? what is time ? what is reality ? what is movement ? are simple and that we already know the answers from our high school physics courses. So we may reason that there is no need for deep philosophical contemplation about them. However, this CD challenges this type of thinking and makes us aware that what we maybe taking for granted as known facts may not be ultimate answers at all. For example, if you think that space is equivalent to emptiness, to nothingness and if you think that time can flow only in one direction, that is towards what we call the future, think again. This CD challenges these concepts.
Thousands of years ago humankind thought that the Earth was carried on the backs of giant elephants or turtles. A few centuries ago humankind was debating whether the Earth was flat or round, if the Earth orbited the sun or the reverse. Humankind's vision of the universe was limited to the solar system and fixed stars. The only elements were air, soil, fire and water. With the contributions of many scientists including Galileo our understanding of the universe significantly developed to date. However, this CD demonstrates that despite these giant steps, and despite the sophistication of our current theories, we still have a long way to go before we can say that we fully understand the universe. This CD demonstrates that we do not yet have certain and final answers, but we have many questions that are being further explored. Fortunately, we have significant knowledge, that accumulates in the right direction towards the discovery of the " truth ".
So if these matters arouse your curiosity I strongly recommend that you listen to the CD titled " The Fabric of the the Cosmos " by Brian Green.
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5: An Expose of Reality
Brian Greene exposes the gaps in our understanding of what we consider to be reality. I found it amusing how we have mastered the technique of patching-up these gaps in order to maintain some sanity of order in our lives. Are we truly scientists or just shamans in disguise?
Well done!
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