A Brief History of Time: 10th Anniversary Ed |
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Stephen Hawking
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Pages: 224 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0553380168
Pub: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group
Pub date: 1998-01-01
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 91932
Editorial Review:
Stephen Hawking, one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists in history, wrote the modern classic A Brief History of Time to help non-scientists understand fundamental questions of physics and our existence: where did the universe come from? How and why did it begin? Will it come to an end, and if so, how? Hawking attempts to deal with these questions (and where we might look for answers) using a minimum of technical jargon. Among the topics gracefully covered are gravity, black holes, the Big Bang, the nature of time and physicists' search for a grand unifying theory. This is deep science; the concepts are so vast (or so tiny) that they cause mental vertigo while reading, and one can't help but marvel at Hawking's ability to synthesize this difficult subject for people not used to thinking about things like alternate dimensions. The journey is certainly worth taking for as Hawking says, the reward of understanding the universe may be a glimpse of "the mind of God". --Therese Littleton, Amazon.com
Reader Reviews:
A book that leaves you in awe (0/0 people found this helpful)
A book that sold millions of copies and one wonders how many people read it and of those, how many actually understood it all. I have a scientific education (chemistry), but I frankly admit I did not get it all. It is difficult to explain what is in the book, but is in essence about where we came from and what we are heading to with regard to the universe, time, space and matter. The book is very well written, with a sense of humor and trying to explain the nearly inexplicable to the layman; I could follow large chunks of the text, but sometimes it is just too difficult to comprehend. This made me think: is Stephen Hawking's disadvantage (being locked up in his own body) also his disadvantage? He probably has more time than most people to turn into himself and contemplate on such extremely complex items as black holes, wormholes and the (in)finity of the universe. A book that leaves you in awe.
Awesome (1/1 people found this helpful)
I would highly reccomend this book, it is an absolute must for anybody interested in space or physics. The way Stephen puts relatively hard theories into simple understanding reading for the not so well abled physicians is amazing! As well as combining his words with well illustrated diagrams makes it an easier read. I am only in my first year of studying physics at A-level but i feel like I know alot more about the Universe and Sub-atomical particles which has really boosted my confidence.
I really do reccomend this book to any keen physician of any age and intellegence level. Happy Readings =]
Spectacular (1/1 people found this helpful)
In my history of reading various 'popular' physics books, I don't think I have ever understood one quite like I do Stephen Hawking. The world is populated with far too many books that, while they produce concepts, and, indeed, offer deep explanations, don't really make any sense to me. This was different. I feel entirely confident that I could explain any of the concepts introduced, which is something I can't say for anything else I've ever read.
However, I think, having read other reviews, that it is a book that is not to be read unless you are prepared to think about it and make links. You complain about how he doesn't tell you why you can't travel faster than light when he uses it as evidence in chapter five, or you can go to chapter two and read the explanation that he was so kind as to put in there.
If you are prepared to think about the book, read it, it's worth it.
a pleasure to read (0/0 people found this helpful)
Many years after its initial release, this book is still a great pleasure to read. Written in a conversational tone, much of it is probably readily understandable to most readers. However, some parts of it, especially toward the end, aren't exactly simple by any means. Any curious reader, even if not particularly interested in physics or astronomy, will find this little book to be a gem. An extra treat is a few pages at the end describing prominent events from the lives of Einstein, Galileo, and Newton. Highly recommended read. Author of Adjust Your Brain: A Practical Theory for Maximizing Mental Health.
Fate of Space and Time: Blackholes to Big Crunch (0/0 people found this helpful)
This is one of the early books written for those who prefer words to equations to understand cosmology of blackholes. The author attempts to answer basic questions such as; was there a beginning of time? Is there an end to the universe? What are similarities of blackholes, singularity, and Big Crunch? Is the universe infinite? Or does it have boundaries? What are the effects of the critical value of the universe's density on its rate of expansion? What is the role of God in the creation of the universe and how it can be evaluated by the anthropic principle? Did God creat laws of quantum mechanics and theory of relativity and let it evolve itself without leaving an option for him to intervene? How did he choose an initial state or configuration of the universe? What were the boundary conditions at the beginning of time? The author reviews the literature that includes Newton's laws of gravitational force, Einstein's theory of relativity, and quantum mechanics. Problems arise when one combines these theories to understand the four natural forces; the electromagnetic force; the strong and weak nuclear forces; and the gravitational force by one unified field theory (Quantum theory of gravity, and Superstring Theory). This theory must unify the forces of the cosmos and forces of microcosm so that it can explain the grand plan of God in the creation of heaven and earth. The author describes quite a few interesting anecdotes in academic research: The first experimental evidence in support of Einstein's theory of relativity contained errors that were as great as the effect they were trying to measure. In 1920s it was supposed that there were only three men who understood theory of relativity and now thousands of graduate students and many millions are familiar with this theory: Many readers should be encouraged at this. When the author presented his theory that black hole radiates like a hot body, many repudiated his assertion and later accepted it. Max Born, a Nobel Laureate in 1928 told a group that physics research will end in six months, when Dirac published equations for an electron, in the anticipation that the whole of physics problems are solved. This should remind all of us how far the science and mankind has progressed despite this prediction. Newton, one of the greatest scientists of this planet also had a streak of meanness in him. Einstein's honesty as a scientist could be found when he admitted that his universal constant to account for a static universe is a mistake, but he was also less willing to accept quantum mechanics; this is known by his well known comment that "God does not play dice." Hawking having a bet with Kip Thorne over the existence of black holes in Cygnus X-1 for Penthouse magazine to Private Eye magazine shows the fun side of academic rivalry. This is one of the very few books I have read that discusses God's role at the level of quantum mechanics. The reader should feel lucky to have such a book for his/her personal library.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> Popular Science -> Authors A-Z -> H-I -> Hawking, Stephen
Books -> Subjects -> Science & Nature -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Scientific, Technical & Medical -> Physics
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Age (feature_two_browse-bin)
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Paperback
Books -> Refinements -> Condition (condition-type)