The Greatest Story Ever Told – So Far: Why Are We Here? Lawrence M

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

The Greatest Story Ever Told – So Far: Why Are We Here? Lawrence M. Krauss, Simon and Schuster, Inc., New York, 2017, 336 pages, ISBN-13: 978-1476777610 I first learned of Professor Krauss when he published The Physics of Star Trek in 1996. I have read most of the books he has published since then. When Krauss was interviewed on Science Friday in March, I immediately pre-ordered my copy of this title. This book is thought provoking. Its three divisions share titles with chapters of another book often referred to as “The Greatest Story Ever Told”: Genesis, Exodus and Revelation. The prologue describes why Krauss chose this particular title and then uses the rest of the book to provide evidence for the secular version of The Greatest Story Ever Told. The book is actually a history of modern physics. Krauss follows the timeline through the discovery of the forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, the weak nuclear and strong nuclear forces, and the theories that unify the forces, and the tools to validate the theories. The history ends with the experiments at the Large Hadron Collider and Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory. The last chapter attempts to answer the title question from the secular and non-secular point of view. You will have to decide which you choose. The author artfully chooses a quotation to open each chapter. I particularly liked the opening for the chapter titled “More Questions than Answers”: “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion” – Proverbs 18:2. Review by Joseph D. Ferrara, Ph.D. Deputy Director, X-ray Research Laboratory, Rigaku .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Can We Make Traversable Wormholes in Spacetime?
[First published in Foundations of Physics Letters 10, 153 – 181 (1997). Typographical errors in the original have been corrected.] TWISTS OF FATE: CAN WE MAKE TRAVERSABLE WORMHOLES IN SPACETIME? James F. Woodward Departments of History and Physics California State University Fullerton, California 92634 The scientific reasons for trying to make traversable wormholes are briefly reviewed. Methods for making wormholes employing a Machian transient mass fluctuation are examined. Several problems one might encounter are mentioned. They, however, may just be engineering difficulties. The use of "quantum inequalities" to constrain the existence of negative mass-energy required in wormhole formation is briefly examined. It is argued that quantum inequalities do not prohibit the formation of artificial concentrations of negative mass-energy. Key Words: wormholes, exotic matter, Mach's principle, general relativity, time travel. I. INTRODUCTION "Tunnels Through Spacetime: Can We Build A Wormhole?" Such was the title of the cover story of the 23 March 1996 issue of New Scientist. In that story M. Chown reported on recent developments in wormhole physics, especially work that was stimulated by a NASA sponsored 1 conference held at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena on 16 to 17 May 1994 [Cramer, et al., 1995] and a proposal for the induction of wormholes based on strong magnetic fields [Maccone, 1995]. The tone of the article is serious throughout. Not so the proximate previous article on wormholes wherein I. Stewart [1994] related the efforts of Amanda Banda Gander, sales rep for Hawkthorne Wheelstein, Chartered Relativists, to sell Santa various exotic devices to facilitate his delivery schedule. This delightful piece culminates with the cumulative audience paradox -- gnomes piling up at the nativity -- and its resolution in terms of the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
[Show full text]
The Physics of Star Trek“ Course Syllabus
University of the Incarnate Word „The Physics of Star Trek“ Course Syllabus Instructor: Dr. Hubert Zitt, visiting professor from the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, location Zweibrücken, Germany E‐mail: hubert.zitt@fh‐kl.de or [email protected] Websites: www.fh‐kl.de/~zitt and www.startrekvorlesung.de Lecture times: Monday and Wednesday 1:30 pm – 2:45 pm, BSH 119 Office hours: Monday and Wednesday 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm, BSH 119 or by appointment Course Description: In the course ideas and technologies are addressed, which are shown in the science fiction TV‐show Star Trek. Some visions, which were shown in Star Trek, became already reality like the communicator of Captain Kirk which looks pretty similar to today’s cell phones. Other technologies could be reality in the future, for example fusion reactors or holographic communication. Star Trek also showed us different and interesting ways to interact with computers. All these topics will be shown in the course. Apart from that, the students will learn to figure out some calculations from the classical physics and the theory of relativity. The most of the calculation are taken from Star Trek, e.g. to figure out the velocity, the acceleration or the power consumption of the starship Enterprise. Course Outcomes: The students will be able to: get an idea of the communication possibilities of the future get an idea of possible solutions of today’s energy problems work with physical units and the metric system accomplish calculations from the classical physics (velocity, acceleration, energy etc.) understand easy calculations from the theory of relativity understand the idea of the quantum mechanics prepare and give a presentation about a topic from Star Trek Grade Distribution: Presentation 50 % Attendance 30 % Quizzes and homework 20 % Final letter grades will be determined at the end of the semester.
[Show full text]
Max Warp Pdf, Epub, Ebook
MAX WARP PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Jonathan Morris,Paul McGann,Sheridan Smith | none | 29 Feb 2008 | Big Finish Productions Ltd | 9781844353057 | English | Maidenhead, United Kingdom Max Warp PDF Book While I think listeners who are knowledgeable abo As is often the case with these New Eighth Doctor Adventures, the casting for this story is excellent. Once a ship has entered this tunnel, the forces inside propel it at incredible speed. Try Now. I have never knowingly watched Top Gear but I still enjoyed it. Sign In Don't have an account? Stream the best stories. The entire experiment is described in the reference work Star Trek Fact Files. When the crew enters the Dauntless in the episode Hope and Fear for the first time and accidentally activates the propulsion system, the spaceship flies a flight of 15 light-years over a period of about 10 seconds. What's up with the "hamster and rodent" hypothesis. The shuttle allegedly found itself at all points in the universe at the same time during the flight. The way back to Earth is stated in a fake message, created by Arturis, with seven months aboard the Dauntless. May 30, Mel rated it it was ok Shelves: audio-book. For the most part I was impressed with the way this was all handled in the time allotted. These are wormhole-like tunnels through subspace. It's simple More Details Indeed, this dedication was discussed at length in at least one prominent interview about the book, in which the interviewer's questions and Morris' answers left readers with the impression that the book was in fact "set in the Douglas Adams universe" Librarian note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name Not deep but certainly one of the better Big Finish comedies.
[Show full text]
The Physics of Star Trek
The Physics of Star Trek Dr. Hubert Zitt I taught a class “The Physics of Star Trek” the 2008 fall semester at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas. At the end of the class I asked my students to write a short essay about their impressions. The essays follow: 1. Male, Age: 34 years When the semester started, one really did not know what to expect. The subject was very intriguing, but the mysteriousness of the professor was even more exciting. Was this professor going to come to class dressed in outfits from the show, or will he have unprecedented access to information that nobody else has? This class has taught us many things, in reference to the show and to life. One thing is certain; anybody who will take this class is going to walk away with a different view on technology. Growing up Star Trek was always on television, although not in the mainstream programming lineup, it was on none the less. One thought that exploring the details behind the written scripts is going to be wonderful. It was truly great, and to see how they provided the stepping stone to current technology that we use today was also remarkable. The single most important thing that was taken away from this class, to me, is that one television show can bring many different people together from all walks of life. There are professors from around the world working on demystifying the science, to science fiction fans waiting for the next movie or series to hit the air waves.
[Show full text]
LCP 14: the PHYSICS of STAR TREK April 22
LCP 14 STAR TREK LCP 14: THE PHYSICS OF STAR TREK April 22 Fig. 1 The Starship Enterprise This LCP is based largely on an article published in the special Christmas edition of 1981 of the British journal New Scientist : “The Physics of Star Trek” by Arthur Stinner and Ian Winchester. (See references) In addition, the following article is used: Stinner, A. and Metz, D. (2006). Thought Experiments, Einstein, and Physics Education. Physics in Canada , pp. 27-37. (Nov./Dec. 2006). (The article can be downloaded from the website of the author). ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~stinner/stinner/pdfs/2006-thoughtexperiments.pdf "But I canna change the laws of physics, Captain!" - Scotty, to Kirk. Captain James T. Kirk: “Evaluation, Mr. Spock”. Commander Spock: “It's life, Captain, but not life as we know it”. Captain Kirk is often heard saying such things as: "Let's come to a full stop", and "Let's turn around", when the Enterprise is at high speeds, say .5 c. What problems would you encounter in carrying out these commands? 1 LCP 14 STAR TREK Fig. The crew of the Spaceship Enterprise: Capt. Montgomery ,“Scotty”, Scott. Commander Leonard 'Bones' McCoy, M.D. , Commander Spock, and Captain Kirk. IL *** A brief history of the original Star Trek Series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_TOS We will study motion in the three regions of physics: 1. Speed of less than 10% the speed of light (Newtonian), 2. Speed greater than 10% but less than the speed of light (Einsteinian), and 3. Speed greater than the speed of light (superluminal, or tachyon-like).
[Show full text]
Medienwissenschaft / Hamburg: Berichte Und Papiere
Medienwissenschaft / Hamburg: Berichte und Papiere 32, 2003: STAR TREK Bibliographie. Redaktion und Copyright dieser Ausgabe: Nina Rogotzki und Hans J. Wulff. Letzte Änderung: 6. Oktober 2002. Star Trek: Arbeitsbibliographie Zusammengestellt von Nina Rogotzki und Hans J. Wulff Eine erste Fassung der folgenden Bibliographie haben wir in: Faszinierend! STAR TREK und die Wissenschaften. 2. (hrsg. v. Nina Rogotzki [...]. Kiel: Ludwig 2003, S. 222-240) vorgestellt. Cinefantastique, Okt. 1992, pp. 32-105. • Ausführliche Vorschau auf die sechste Staffel. Mit vielen Interviews. Moviestar, Sonderband 5 (1996): STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE. Science Fiction Studies 72 [=24,2], July 1997. STAR TREK: The Official Monthly Magazine 1ff (London), 1997ff. • German ed.: STAR TREK: Das offizielle Magazin 1ff (Stuttgart), 1998ff. Trek World (Augsburg). Alexander, David (1991) Gene Roddenberry: Writer, Producer, Philosopher, Humanist. In: The Humanist 51,2, March/April 1991, pp. 5-30, 38. Alexander, David (1994) STAR TREK Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry. New York: Penguin (A ROC Book). • German: Gene Roddenberry. Der Schöpfer von STAR TREK. Die autorisierte Biographie. München: Heyne 1997. Altman, Mark A. / Gross, Edward (1995) THE NEXT GENERATION: Der Blick hinter die Kulissen. Königswinter. Amesley, Cassandra Elinor (1989) STAR TREK as Cultural Text: Proprietary Audiences, Interpretive Grammars, and the Myth of the Resisting Reader. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Iowa. • Dissertation Abstracts International 51/02-A, 1989, p. 329. • The author explores the gap between cultural studies as a theory of cultural practices and cultural studies as a commitment to intervene in cultural practices. The author uses STAR TREK and its audience as a case study, analyzes fan narratives, and explores how fans interpret the show, its meaning, and group viewing conduct.
[Show full text]
The Physics of Star Trek'
Stephen F. Austin State University SFA ScholarWorks Faculty Publications Division of Multidisciplinary Programs 5-31-1996 Smith on Krauss, 'The Physics of Star Trek' Anne Collins Smith Stephen F Austin State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/multidisciplinary_facultypubs Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons, and the Television Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Repository Citation Smith, Anne Collins, "Smith on Krauss, 'The Physics of Star Trek'" (1996). Faculty Publications. 9. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/multidisciplinary_facultypubs/9 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Division of Multidisciplinary Programs at SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. H-PCAACA Smith on Krauss, 'The Physics of Star Trek' Review published on Friday, May 31, 1996 Lawrence M. Krauss. The Physics of Star Trek. New York: Basic Books, 1995. xvi + 188 pp. $20.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-465-00559-8. Reviewed by Anne Collins Smith (Austin Community College) Published on H-PCAACA (May, 1996) Science vs. Star Trek or the Science of ST? When I got my review copy of The Physics of Star Trek by Lawrence M. Krauss, I suddenly got cold feet. According to the jacket, Dr. Krauss holds an endowed chair in physics, is chairman of the physics department and is also a professor of astronomy at Case Western Reserve University. The list of his awards and achievements rivaled Captain Kirk's service record, and I wondered if I was in over my head.
[Show full text]
UM Lecture Will Discuss the Physics of Star Trek
University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present University Relations 4-29-1998 UM lecture will discuss the physics of Star Trek University of Montana--Missoula. Office of University Relations Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/newsreleases Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation University of Montana--Missoula. Office of University Relations, "UM lecture will discuss the physics of Star Trek" (1998). University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present. 15351. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/newsreleases/15351 This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University Relations at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Montana News Releases, 1928, 1956-present by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Montana UNIVERSITY RELATIONS • MISSOULA, MT 59812 • 406-243-2522 • FAX: 406-243-4520 April 29, 1998 Contact: Dave Friend, associate professor of physics and astronomy, (406) 243-5283, dbfriend@sel way. umt. edu. UM LECTURE WILL DISCUSS THE PHYSICS OF STAR TREK MISSOULA— For the crew of the starship Enterprise, destroying a Klingon spacecraft with photon torpedoes, engaging the warp drive to wing across the galaxy and beaming down to the surface of an unexplored planet are all in a day’s work. But could any of this stuff really happen? A University of Montana professor will try to answer that question with a lecture titled “The Physics of Star Trek” on Tuesday, May 5.
[Show full text]
279675 Daniel Helsing
The Literary Construction of the Universe Narratives of Truth, Transcendence, and Triumph in Contemporary Anglo-American Popularizations of Physics and Astronomy Helsing, Daniel 2019 Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Helsing, D. (2019). The Literary Construction of the Universe: Narratives of Truth, Transcendence, and Triumph in Contemporary Anglo-American Popularizations of Physics and Astronomy. Centre for Languages and Literature, Lund University. Total number of authors: 1 General rights Unless other specific re-use rights are stated the following general rights apply: Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal Read more about Creative commons licenses: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 The Literary Construction of the Universe “Science” is a historically variable, connotationally rich, and contested term. No single institution, individual, or group of individuals can claim definitional authority over its meaning.
[Show full text]
STAR TREK: Arbeitsbibliographie 2003
Repositorium für die Medienwissenschaft Nina Rogotzki; Hans Jürgen Wulff STAR TREK: Arbeitsbibliographie 2003 https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/12835 Veröffentlichungsversion / published version Buch / book Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Rogotzki, Nina; Wulff, Hans Jürgen: STAR TREK: Arbeitsbibliographie. Hamburg: Universität Hamburg, Institut für Germanistik 2003 (Medienwissenschaft: Berichte und Papiere 32). DOI: https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/12835. Erstmalig hier erschienen / Initial publication here: http://berichte.derwulff.de/0032_03.pdf Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Creative Commons - This document is made available under a creative commons - Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Keine Bearbeitungen 4.0/ Attribution - Non Commercial - No Derivatives 4.0/ License. For Lizenz zur Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu dieser Lizenz more information see: finden Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Medienwissenschaft / Hamburg: Berichte und Papiere 32, 2000: STAR TREK Bibliographie. ISSN 1615-7060. Copyright dieser Ausgabe: Nina Rogotzki, Hans J. Wulff. Letzte redaktionelle Änderung: 24. Februar 2012. Eine erste Fassung der folgenden Bibliographie haben wir in: Faszinierend! Star Trek und die Wissenschaften. 2. (hrsg. v. Nina Rogotzki [...]. Kiel: Ludwig 2003, S. 222-240) vorgestellt. URL der Hamburger Fassung: http://www1.uni-hamburg.de/Medien/berichte/arbeiten/0032_03.pdf. STAR TREK: Arbeitsbibliographie Zusammengestellt von Nina Rogotzki und Hans J. Wulff Cinefantastique, Okt. 1992, pp. 32-105. in cultural practices. The author uses Star ￢ Ausführliche Vorschau auf die sechste Staffel. Mit vie- Trek and its audience as a case study, analy- len Interviews. zes fan narratives, and explores how fans in- terpret the show, its meaning, and group Moviestar, Sonderband 5 (1996): STAR TREK: DEEP viewing conduct.
[Show full text]
STLV Interviews with Jacqueline Kim and Mike Johnson of IDW
Women at Warp Episode 120: STLV Interviews with Jacqueline Kim and Mike Johnson of IDW SUE: Hi and welcome to Women At Warp: A Roddenberry Star Trek podcast. Join us as our crew of four women Star Trek fans boldly go on our biweekly mission to explore our favorite franchise. My name is Sue, and thanks for tuning in. You're gonna be surprised, but with me this week are Jarrah JARRAH: Hellooo SUE: And Grace. GRACE: *mock confusion* How did I get here? SUE: And we're coming at you with some more Star Trek Las Vegas content. But before that, we have a little bit of housekeeping to do. First, our show is entirely supported by our patrons on Patreon. If you'd like to become a patron you can do so for as little as one dollar per month and get awesome rewards from thanks on social media, to silly watch along commentaries, to our newest spore jump category where you get podcast episodes about non-trek topics. To join us at any level please Visit www.patreon.com/womenatwarp. You can also support us by leaving a rating or review on Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. So what else is happening? Right now, we are a few days ahead of Dragon Con as this episode is released and, as I mentioned in the last episode, if you want to find me there check my schedule on the Women At Warp blog. There are 20 panels I have to do, so don't try and stop me in a hallway.
[Show full text]
Physics of the Future : How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100 Michio Kaku.—1St Ed.Font> P
Copyright © 2011 by Michio Kaku All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. www.doubleday.com DOUBLEDAY and the DD colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. this page constitutes an extension of this copyright page. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Kaku, Michio. Physics of the future : how science will shape human destiny and our daily lives by the year 2100 Michio Kaku.—1st ed.font> p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. 1. Science—Social aspects—Forecasting. 2. Science—History—21st century. I. Title. Q175.5.K257 2011 303.4830112—dc22 2010026569 eISBN: 978-0-385-53081-1 v3.1 To my loving wife, Shizue, and my daughters, Michelle and Alyson Cover Title Page Copyright Dedication ACKNOWLEDGMENTS INTRODUCTION: Predicting the Next 100 Years FUTURE OF THE COMPUTER: Mind over Matter FUTURE OF AI: Rise of the Machines FUTURE OF MEDICINE: Perfection and Beyond NANOTECHNOLOGY: Everything from Nothing? FUTURE OF ENERGY: Energy from the Stars FUTURE OF SPACE TRAVEL: To the Stars FUTURE OF WEALTH: Winners and Losers FUTURE OF HUMANITY: Planetary Civilization A DAY IN THE LIFE IN 2100 NOTES RECOMMENDED READING INDEX ILLUSTRATION CREDITS About the Author Other Books by This Author I would like to thank those individuals who have worked tirelessly to make this book a success. First, I would like to thank my editors, Roger Scholl, who guided so many of my previous books and came up with the idea for a challenging book like this, and also Edward Kastenmeier, who has patiently made countless suggestions and revisions to this book that have greatly strengthened and enhanced its presentation.
[Show full text]