A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes |
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Stephen W. Hawking
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Pages: 208 (Paperback)
ISBN: 0553346148
Pub: Bantam Dell Pub Group (P)
Pub date: 1993-01
Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 122371
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 big bang indeed (0/0 people found this helpful)
This book blew my brains out.
It's one thing to know a subject, but it's an altogether different thing to teach it and convey it to the layman.
Remarkably clear description of what is beyond all our understanding (0/0 people found this helpful)
There's something quite unique about this book - for all the hype it has as the book which stands out as a theoretical physicist trying to explain in layman terms what the universe is... it actuallly is!
In this, Hawking provides a bit of a history of our understanding of the universe and the Big Bang. Some of the content I expected but I was intrigued to read about the idea that before the Big Bang time didn't exist... it sounds rather fundamental to our lives really! I was also a little surprised to see how Hawking dealt with the view of creationists and in particular the way he tried to allow for the concept of a god being compatible with the notion of Big Bang.
While I found some of the book difficult to follow, overall I definitely felt I gained an albeit brief understanding into the views of the community of physicists to the origin of our universe.
There is a touch of arrogance to the writing, but then if you're one of the brightest people to have lived in our lifetime I guess that's justified!
Definitely recommended if you have the slightest interest in understanding what Big Bang is!
A book that leaves you in awe (0/1 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.
interesting .... (0/0 people found this helpful)
A very good book. Hawking wrote this book for the common reader with little or no knowledge of Physics. This make this book different and interesting. He gives the view of different scientists about the creation of this universe and the scientific explanation of the events in the history of time which made the universe look like as it is now. He also give the view of researchers about the predictions of how the Universe may come to an end it it really started the was we think it did.
Overall a really good book to read. Though there are still a lot of questions he left unanswered in the book but this only adds to the beauty of this book. It forces you to think and to make your own conclusions. I gave 4 stars to this book for two reasons. First it is written by a scientist and there are still some places in the book where he could not stop himself from explaining things in a pure scientific manner which give the book an air of a scientific research paper at times, which is not interesting for me at all, and will not be of any interest to anyone with limited knowledge of Physics. Second thing is that the book is a little old and research in the areas described in this book is now far ahead then the time this book was written. This makes this book a little old and some of the theories presented in the book are now proved wrong or improved by the later researchers.
However this does not really mean that the book is outdated and should not be read anymore. This is still a very good book and it bridges the gap between the hard core physics and the common people. Also I am not aware of any good book on the same topic which is written by a scientist for the common people and this makes it unique in this class.
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 =]
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