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THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE: SUPERSTRINGS, HIDDEN DIMENSIONS AND THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE THEORY PDF, EPUB, EBOOK

He writes with a flair that is rare in the scientific world, and which should make the book very appealing to the lay reader. Indeed, following the publication of this book, he has become something of a media celebrity. Dance, in New York City. A performance of the work-in-progress formed part of the inaugural World Science Festival. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. New York Times. American Journal of Physics. Retrieved 10 March Retrieved Brian Greene. I read this book while taking a course for non-physics students called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. If you're reading this book unassisted, be aware that there are some very confusing sections that you'll need to read a few times. Sometimes his analogies are a bit too inane. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise that y I read this book while taking a course for non-physics students called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise that you ignore the sections on Calabi-Yau shapes entirely. These faults aside, The Elegant Universe is the only book about science that I have ever read from start to finish and enjoyed from start to finish. It'll blow your mind. Jun 28, Ana rated it really liked it Shelves: page-turner , me-likey-a-lot , a-little-historical , science , non-fiction. Physics books. Can I understand them properly? Am I still absolutely fascinated by them? String Theory. Do I understand it properly? Hell no. Am I fascinated by it? To the last detail. This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music little vibrations. I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possibi This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music little vibrations. I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possibility. Some have taken presentism to indicate that time travel is impossible for there is no future or past to travel to; however, recently some presentists have argued that although past and future objects do not exist, there can still be definite truths about past and future events, and that it is possible that a future truth about the time traveler deciding to return to the present date could explain the time traveler's actual presence in the present. In any case, the relativity of simultaneity in modern physics is generally understood to cast serious doubt on presentism and to favor the view known as four dimensionalism closely related to the idea of block time in which past, present and future events all coexist in a single spacetime. This is a great overview of string theory. Greene does good job of putting a number of theories into perspective. It can be a bit of a challenge keeping up with the science listening to the audiobook. The first few chapters are fascinating as Greene recounts the history of modern physics, its departure from classical, Newtonian understanding. Then, he moves into string theory, and I found the arguments and explanations harder to follow. As Greene wrote the book just a few years after the Second Superstring Revolution, it makes sense that the arguments aren't as well-developed as those describing theories and experiments perfected and refined over the past years or so. I really enjoyed the The first few chapters are fascinating as Greene recounts the history of modern physics, its departure from classical, Newtonian understanding. Overall, I really liked this book. It took me a while to get through because of the subtlety of the arguments and the density of the subject matter no pun intended , but it was extremely informative. The only thing missing for me from Greene and from Hawking and K. Cole is: why did the Big Bang happen when it did, and where did the materials constituting the singularity or the "Planck-size nugget" come from? My only problem with non-Christian, scientific accounts. The physicists never do offer a possible explanation of the origins of the origins. I recommend this book to anybody interested in astrophysics, to fans of Greene, and to anybody looking for a book geared towards general readers that is more updated than Hawking's A Brief History of Time but that still offers insight into points that Hawking discusses in his famous book. View 2 comments. The fact of the matter is that there are essentially two opposing theories upon which rests our knowledge of the universe: General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. That is, the world of the large and the world of the miniscule. But whenever we try to unify them, our calculations just fall short; or better, fall large! Oh wait! They claim that all fundamental particles are composed of tiny vibrating strings of energy whose movement gives rise to all those different particles that we know of. And in so doing, not only do these strings fit into Quantum theory, but they're also able to accurately predict the whys and wherefores of the big bulks of matter, like those of stars and galaxies! BUT, not only are there five different versions to the theory, but also, and because we are talking about excruciatingly small objects, it is impossible to test it! Not really a theory is it? It shamelessly enters the realm of Philosophy… Oh those naysayers! You go get them my fairy little oscillating strings, which so happen to explain black holes! But back to you old man, you never really cease to surprise me! Oh you shrewd mayster! With my heart in your stars, J I never really got the hang of String Theory. I find it awfully weird and almost nigh-unscientific. Not being a physicist, I try not to make judgments about it, since I clearly don't understand it one bit - at least on the math level! I also fervently found myself wishing for the Nth time that science books were not so firmly divided between "professional, terrifying math texts" and "written for people who never figured out the Theory I never really got the hang of String Theory. I also fervently found myself wishing for the Nth time that science books were not so firmly divided between "professional, terrifying math texts" and "written for people who never figured out the Theory of Relativity". As it is, unless you're Stephen Hawking, who pretty much has the right to do anything he liked, if you're trying to explain relativity to me, again, you will put me off. Mar 07, Daniel rated it it was amazing. Greene can explain complicated theories better than anyone. Especially when when we see an object travelling at high speed, they appear the age more slowly. But the same applies to the other side looking at us, making us age more slowly from their standpoint! This is perfectly fine unless they want to meet up, and one side accelerates to meet the other one. In this case the accelerating side will find they indeed Greene can explain complicated theories better than anyone. In this case the accelerating side will find they indeed had aged much more than the side being caught up. Had gravity bends space time itself, and we always travel at light speed; any other movement slows down time itself. Nobody really understands quantum physics, like a photon behaves like a particle when passing through one slit but when faced with double slit it interferes with itself and show wave interference patterns. Particles can appear and disappear spontaneously. Gravity stumps quantum physics because when quantum equations are applied to gravitons, infinite solutions appear. So string theory comes to the rescue. So strings are fundamental stuff of everything, the real Greek Atoms. They coil up in 3 big dimensions and many tiny dimensions. Unfortunately this is untestable and thus lots of maths and imagination are required. In the end, the M theory which is a master theories of all string sub-theories is proposed. I must say I am a but lost from that point onwards, because of lack of experimental support. To identify strings. It is tough to actual acknowledge that we may never be able to go much further in particle physics, but such is life. The best physics book I have ever read. I love this book! Feb 18, Marius rated it it was ok. Disclaimer: I am not a physicist. I have a MSc in environmental sciences which is 20 years out of date. Brian Greene describes elegantly special and general relativity as well as important aspects of quantum physics in the first third of his book. It is worth its money for these first few chapters. Unfortunately, his writing about the five string theories and their meta-theory called M-theory is almost unreadable and loses its focus very rapidly. Brian Greene seems to be so intimately and uncondit Disclaimer: I am not a physicist. Brian Greene seems to be so intimately and unconditionally in love with string theories that there remains no hope for an objective assessment of their ability to stand up as a collection of scientific theories. As far as I understand, none of the string theories makes falsifiable predictions or suggests doable experiments compatible with today's technology. Greene admits by his own writing that string theories have not delivered what they have been invented for, in spite of intense research for more than 15 years the book was written in the 90s' : - the seemingly arbitrary values of the standard model masses and force charges have not been explained - the number of possible implementations of the theories is so big that any specific real world observation can be explained by at least some of the myriad of possible solutions these thought models allow. In spite of these facts, the reader is invited to believe that string theories are the only way forward for physics in the 21st century. The main arguments I have retained are as follows: string theories are beautifully elegant. Hence, they must be true in some important and overarching way. And if the most clever mathematicians and physicists believe this, the not so gifted have no choice than to support their view. Well, I disagree. Greene, unfortunately, imagines himself to be a much better writer and expositor than he actually is. Far too much time is wasted on silly examples to explain his points; so much that the analogies not only break down but become absurd. These concepts are not very difficult. Greene fairly well crosses the line into talking down instead of explaining things. However, this book has some rather well laid out charts and diagrams and other visual aids. Importantly these come with a gracious de Dr. Importantly these come with a gracious degree of explanation. It almost makes up for the long-windedness. Greene's charts are elegant; Dr. Greene's writing is not. Read this sometime in the aughts. It was a down to earth presentation of a very esoteric theory. I like Greene's style of exposition and got a better for all intents and purposes layperson's understanding of the subject. Good stuff. May 03, Alex Zakharov rated it really liked it. Picked this one up in preparation for an event with Brian Greene. On the plus side - ideas from ST are now fi Picked this one up in preparation for an event with Brian Greene. On the plus side - ideas from ST are now firmly embedded into quantum field theories, condensed matter physics, and cosmology. Anyway, back to the book - regardless of where we are today, Greene gives a nice intro into the historiography and basic tenets of ST, and provides a nice expose on the challenges that any TOE would have to grapple with sooner or later. Rest are notes to self. Feynman sum-over-history interpretation is rarely covered, so that was cool. Unification attempts. Must explain all 4 fundamental forces at quantum level. Quantum Field Theory s do it for 3. Enter ST. But Strings are 1- dimensional , and end up quantizing size with a minimum non-zero value, and so quantum foam is masked. QM and GTR play nicely together. Quite nifty with particles, antiparticles and spin symmetries. And boy, ST gets a lot of mileage out of minimum size and mirror symmetry — seems like whenever there is an issue, just transform it into a different geometric space where it is easier to solve. And if math blows up, dig up that minimum size constraint and avoid that pesky singularity. Not to be complacent he even throws in a bonus 6th one - 11D supergravity! Now let's launch ST into outer space and see what sticks. Black Hole as elementary particle? No problem, ST got you covered via Calabi-Yau equivalence. Hawking radiation and black hole entropy? ST jumps in with black hole thermodynamics. Is information lost? Feb 18, Mohamed al-Jamri rated it liked it. This is the first book by Brian Greene that I read. The first chapters were amazing and engaging, however later chapters about string theory were very hard for me to understand and I actually didn't finish the whole book, because I could not understand what I was reading. The author uses many metaphors to make his ideas simpler. He starts with a very easy to understand telling of history of scientific discoveries reaching to the theory of general relativity and quantum physics and the unification This is the first book by Brian Greene that I read. He starts with a very easy to understand telling of history of scientific discoveries reaching to the theory of general relativity and quantum physics and the unification efforts. He maintains that string theory could be the one that finally unifies them and explain the number of particles we have and their specific masses and properties. My understanding of special and general relativity theories was greatly enhanced after reading it here as well as that of quantum physics. However when he got the details of string theory I was completely lost and gave up on it. View all 10 comments. Jul 19, Zaid rated it it was amazing Shelves: favourites , non-fiction. Brian Greene had put all his efforts to write this book as much simple as he can and he succeeded to do so. The way he describes the technical terms in this book with such a great simplicity is really very appreciating. Several examples are also taken into account to profoundly explain some of the subtle concepts in this book. It is hard to tell whether I believe in String Theory or not. There are ample Brian Greene had put all his efforts to write this book as much simple as he can and he succeeded to do so. There are ample evidences that proves this theory to be correct. I learn many new things in this book and even made a notebook to prepare notes regarding the theory. I believe that time is not far enough when our physicist can finally prove whether The String Theory is really an Ultimate Theory of Universe or not. I have copious notes where I disagreed with the author. While I understand he is probably the leading public proponent of string theory, I felt that his oversimplification lead to some really problematic axioms and it was upon these shaky foundations that he tried to map out string theory. I'm afraid I think that the Theory of Everything or Grand Unified Theory will be articulated in a much more coherent way if one sets aside the supposition that is string theory. This may also be an oversimpl I have copious notes where I disagreed with the author. This may also be an oversimplification, but the theory strikes me as designed to be mathematically expedient, so while most theories are tested to find out if the equations work, this theory has the equations designed to work in the framework before it is even tested. Not my definition of true scientific work. Jan 04, Omar Abdelaziz rated it really liked it. Readers also enjoyed. About Brian Greene. Brian Greene. Brian Greene is an American theoretical physicist and one of the best-known string theorists. He has been a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University since He has become known to a wider audience through his books for the general public and a related PBS television special. Books by Brian Greene. Articles featuring this book. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3. Software Images icon An illustration of two photographs. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. The elegant universe : superstrings, hidden dimensions, and the quest for the ultimate theory Item Preview. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene

The elegant universe : superstrings, hidden dimensions, and the quest for the ultimate theory Item Preview. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! Includes bibliographical references pages and index Physicist Brian Greene relates the scientific story behind the research on string theory, which reveals a vision of the universe with new dimensions hidden within the fabric of space, black holes transmuting into elementary particles, rips and punctures in the space-time continuum, and gigantic universes interchangeable with minuscule ones pt. The edge of knowledge -- Tied up with string -- pt. The dilemma of space, time, and the quanta -- Space, time, and the eye of the beholder -- Of warps and ripples -- Microscopic weirdness -- The need for a new theory : general relativity vs. The cosmic symphony -- Nothing but music : the essentials of superstring theory -- The "super" in superstrings -- More dimensions than meet the eye -- The smoking gun : experimental signatures -- pt. Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics: unification of Albert Einstein 's theory of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Greene suggests that string theory is the solution to these two conflicting approaches. Greene frequently uses analogies and thought experiments to provide a means for the layman to come to terms with the theory which has the potential to create a unified theory of physics. Writing about this area of physics, as Greene does, without assuming that the reader has any mathematical background is the hardest challenge of popular science writing. But Greene goes beyond Kaku's book, exploring the ideas and recent developments with a depth and clarity I wouldn't have thought possible. Like Simon Singh in Fermat's Enigma , he has a rare ability to explain even the most evanescent ideas in a way that gives at least the illusion of understanding, enough of a mental toehold to get on with the climb. Since he is an expert in the subject, Greene's description of the current state of understanding of string theory is reliable. I am not aware of any errors in his depiction of the subject. He writes with a flair that is rare in the scientific world, and which should make the book very appealing to the lay reader. Indeed, following the publication of this book, he has become something of a media celebrity. Around chapter five, Greene begins discussing string theories in depth. At first, I could follow. Clearly mathematics is the main source behind string theories and physics , making real-world descriptions difficult. Green makes a heroic effort at avoiding direct mention of the maths except in the Notes section at the back of the book. He includes drawings and word-picture analogies using vivid visuals such as walnuts and donuts and trampolines and beach balls and floating astronauts moving about in space , to illustrate the theoretical conclusions derived from the mathematical view of the universe. We hoped, in line with the strategy discussed earlier, that this mass would agree identically with a similar calculation done on the Calabi-Yau shape emerging from the space-tearing flop transition. The latter was the relatively easy calculation and we had completed it weeks before; the answer turned out to be 3, in the particular units we were using. Since we were now doing the purported mirror calculation numerically on a computer, we expected to get something extremely close to but not exactly 3, something like 3. Confirmation of space-tearing flop transitions by a mirror mathematical version of normal physics mathematics, which proved part of the physics of string theory. Got it? But what does such a wrapped-brane configuration look like? This is not obvious and becomes clear only from a detailed study of the equations governing the branes. Similarly, the smaller the volume of the sphere, the smaller the mass of the three-brane that wraps it. As this sphere collapses, then, the three-brane that wraps around the sphere, which is perceived as a black hole, appears to become ever lighter. When the three- dimensional sphere has collapsed to a pinched point, the corresponding black hole—brace yourself—is massless. None of this is visible to the naked eye, gentle reader, and some of it not to the naked brain in any kind of brane. My bosons are weak, gentle reader, weak, by my gauge. The forces of my framework have been mechanically perturbed into a mass universe of simplified confusion. There is a Notes section which supposedly is in English, not that I could tell - a native English speaker - and an Index. However, maybe too many donuts whether torus or spherical and not enough broccoli in my life has annihilated the necessary electrons I needed to shine like an energetic photon. I am clearly reduced in mental energy to the lower spectrums, like ancient photonic microwaves spread out in a vast void of background noise, barely distinguished. But you might not know that general relativity which explains the behaviour of massive objects in the universe and quantum physics which describe particle behaviour in great detail , are two ways of explaining physical phenomena that do not mesh well and cannot explain the origin of the gravitational force, the fourth element of the Standard Model of Physics, the other three being the strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and electromagnetic force. String Theory is truly a mind-boggling and reality-bending collection of scientific theories attempting to bridge the gap between relativity, quantum physics, and gravitation. I understand his mother found the book impossible to understand and gave up, which prompted him to write a second, easier-to-understand version called The Fabric of the Cosmos Antiparticle - A particle of antimatter. Big Bang - The widely accepted theory concerning the origin of the universe. The big bang theory posits that the universe evolved approximately 10 to 15 billion years ago from the explosion of an incredibly dense, hot substance that was contained at one point. The universe has been expanding since the first fraction of a second after the big bang occurred. Big Crunch - The term referring to what some physicists believe will happen when the expanding universe stops and implodes. When the big crunch occurs, according to the theory, all space and matter will collapse together. Black Hole - A region of space formed when a giant star collapses and all of its mass compresses to a single point, forming a gravitational field so overpowering that it traps anything that comes close to it, including light. Boson - A pattern of string vibration with an amount of spin measurable in whole numbers. A boson is most often a messenger particle. Bosonic String Theory - The first version of string theory. This version was later revised and replaced by supersymmetrical string theory. Many thousands of such possible configurations exist, but string theory has yet to verify the correct one. Electromagnetism determines all types of electromagnetic radiation, including light, X-rays, and radio waves. Electroweak Theory - A relativistic quantum field theory that describes the weak force and the electromagnetic force within a single framework. Elegance - To Greene, string theory defines elegance because it is extremely simple, but it may explain every event in the universe. Elementary particles are now categorized by quarks and leptons, and their antimatter counterparts. Equivalence Principle - The basic tenet of general relativity. The equivalence principle states that accelerated motion is indistinguishable from gravity. It generalizes the theory of relativity by showing that all observers, regardless of their state of motion, can say that they are at rest, provided they take the presence of a gravitational field into account. Flop Transitions - Also called topography-changing transitions. Flop transitions are the act of Calabi-Yau space ripping and repairing itself. Force Carrier Particle - A particle that transmits one of the four fundamental forces. Fundamental Force - There are four fundamental forces : electromagnetism, strong force, weak force, and gravity. Through this curvature, space and time communicate the gravitational force. Graviton - Physicists believe that graviton—which has not yet been proven to exist—is the particle carrier of the gravitational force. Gravity - The weakest and most mysterious of the four fundamental forces. Gravity acts over an infinite range, and gravitation describes the force of attraction between objects containing either mass or energy. M-Theory - The theory under which all five previous versions of string theory fall. Mirror Symmetry - A precept of string theory that demonstrates how two different Calabi-Yau shapes have identical physics. Particle Accelerator - A machine that speeds up the movement of particles and then either shoots them out at a fixed target or makes them collide. Particle accelerators allow physicists to study the movement of particles in extreme conditions. Perturbation Theory - A formal framework for making approximate calculations. Perturbation theory is a linchpin of string theory in its current form. The approximate solution will be refined later as more details fall into place. Photon - The smallest bundle of light. Photons are the messenger particles of the electromagnetic force. Photoelectric Effect - The action of electrons shooting from a metallic surface when light is shone onto that surface. Planck Energy - The energy required to probe Planck-length-scale distances. Planck Length - Planck length—approximately 10—33 centimeters—is the scale at which quantum fluctuations occur. Planck length is also the size of a typical string. Planck Mass - Planck mass is roughly equal to the mass of a grain of dust, or ten billion billion times the mass of a proton. Planck Tension - About 10 to the 39th power tons. Planck tension is equal to the tension of a typical string. Quanta - According to the laws of quantum mechanics, the smallest physical unit that something can be broken into. Photons are the quanta of the electromagnetic field. Quantum Field Theory - Also known as relativistic quantum field theory. Quantum field theory describes particles in terms of fields, as well as how particles can be created or annihilated, and how they scatter. Quantum Foam - Also known as spacetime foam. Quantum foam is the violent turbulence of spatial fabric at an ultramicroscopic scale. Its existence is one of the chief reasons that quantum mechanics is incompatible with general relativity. Quantum Mechanics - The framework of laws that describe matter on atomic and subatomic scales. The uncertainty principle is a pillar of quantum mechanics. Quarks - A family of elementary particles matter or antimatter that make up protons and neutrons. There are many types of quarks: up, charm, top, down, strange, and bottom. Quarks are acted upon by the strong force. The theory of relativity states that even if an observer is moving, the speed of light never changes. Spin - The theory that all particles have an intrinsic amount of spin in either whole- or half-integer denominations. Standard Model - A quantum model that explains three of the fundamental forces—electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force—but does not take gravity into consideration. String - Miniscule one-dimensional vibrating strands of energy. String theories posit that these filaments are the basis of all elementary particles. The length of a string is 10—33 cm; strings have no width. Strong Force - So called because it is the strongest of the four fundamental forces. It holds quarks together and keeps protons and neutrons in the nuclei of atoms. Superstring Theory - A theory that describes resonant strings as the most elementary units in nature. Supersymmetry - A principle of symmetry relating the properties of particles with a whole-number quantity of spin bosons to those with half a whole number of spin fermions. Supersymmetry posits that all elementary matter particles have corresponding superpartner force carrier particles. No one has yet observed these theoretical superpartners, which are thought to be even larger than their counterparts. Tachyon - A particle that has a negative mass when squared. The existence of a tachyon usually indicates a problem with a theory. It proclaims that you can never know both the position and the velocity of a particle simultaneously. To isolate one, you must somehow blur the other. Unified Field Theory - A theory describing all four fundamental forces and all of matter within a single framework. Weak Force - One of the four fundamental forces. Weak force operates over a short range. I read this book while taking a course for non-physics students called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. If you're reading this book unassisted, be aware that there are some very confusing sections that you'll need to read a few times. Sometimes his analogies are a bit too inane. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise that y I read this book while taking a course for non-physics students called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise that you ignore the sections on Calabi-Yau shapes entirely. These faults aside, The Elegant Universe is the only book about science that I have ever read from start to finish and enjoyed from start to finish. It'll blow your mind. Jun 28, Ana rated it really liked it Shelves: page-turner , me-likey-a-lot , a-little-historical , science , non-fiction. Physics books. Can I understand them properly? Am I still absolutely fascinated by them? String Theory. Do I understand it properly? Hell no. Am I fascinated by it? To the last detail. This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music little vibrations. I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possibi This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music little vibrations. I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possibility. Some have taken presentism to indicate that time travel is impossible for there is no future or past to travel to; however, recently some presentists have argued that although past and future objects do not exist, there can still be definite truths about past and future events, and that it is possible that a future truth about the time traveler deciding to return to the present date could explain the time traveler's actual presence in the present. In any case, the relativity of simultaneity in modern physics is generally understood to cast serious doubt on presentism and to favor the view known as four dimensionalism closely related to the idea of block time in which past, present and future events all coexist in a single spacetime. This is a great overview of string theory. Greene does good job of putting a number of theories into perspective. It can be a bit of a challenge keeping up with the science listening to the audiobook. The first few chapters are fascinating as Greene recounts the history of modern physics, its departure from classical, Newtonian understanding. Then, he moves into string theory, and I found the arguments and explanations harder to follow. As Greene wrote the book just a few years after the Second Superstring Revolution, it makes sense that the arguments aren't as well- developed as those describing theories and experiments perfected and refined over the past years or so. I really enjoyed the The first few chapters are fascinating as Greene recounts the history of modern physics, its departure from classical, Newtonian understanding. Overall, I really liked this book. It took me a while to get through because of the subtlety of the arguments and the density of the subject matter no pun intended , but it was extremely informative. The only thing missing for me from Greene and from Hawking and K. Cole is: why did the Big Bang happen when it did, and where did the materials constituting the singularity or the "Planck-size nugget" come from? My only problem with non-Christian, scientific accounts. The physicists never do offer a possible explanation of the origins of the origins. I recommend this book to anybody interested in astrophysics, to fans of Greene, and to anybody looking for a book geared towards general readers that is more updated than Hawking's A Brief History of Time but that still offers insight into points that Hawking discusses in his famous book. View 2 comments. The fact of the matter is that there are essentially two opposing theories upon which rests our knowledge of the universe: General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. That is, the world of the large and the world of the miniscule. But whenever we try to unify them, our calculations just fall short; or better, fall large! Oh wait! They claim that all fundamental particles are composed of tiny vibrating strings of energy whose movement gives rise to all those different particles that we know of. And in so doing, not only do these strings fit into Quantum theory, but they're also able to accurately predict the whys and wherefores of the big bulks of matter, like those of stars and galaxies! BUT, not only are there five different versions to the theory, but also, and because we are talking about excruciatingly small objects, it is impossible to test it! Not really a theory is it? It shamelessly enters the realm of Philosophy… Oh those naysayers! You go get them my fairy little oscillating strings, which so happen to explain black holes! But back to you old man, you never really cease to surprise me! Oh you shrewd mayster! With my heart in your stars, J I never really got the hang of String Theory. I find it awfully weird and almost nigh-unscientific. Not being a physicist, I try not to make judgments about it, since I clearly don't understand it one bit - at least on the math level! I also fervently found myself wishing for the Nth time that science books were not so firmly divided between "professional, terrifying math texts" and "written for people who never figured out the Theory I never really got the hang of String Theory. I also fervently found myself wishing for the Nth time that science books were not so firmly divided between "professional, terrifying math texts" and "written for people who never figured out the Theory of Relativity". As it is, unless you're Stephen Hawking, who pretty much has the right to do anything he liked, if you're trying to explain relativity to me, again, you will put me off. Mar 07, Daniel rated it it was amazing. Greene can explain complicated theories better than anyone. Especially when when we see an object travelling at high speed, they appear the age more slowly. But the same applies to the other side looking at us, making us age more slowly from their standpoint! This is perfectly fine unless they want to meet up, and one side accelerates to meet the other one. In this case the accelerating side will find they indeed Greene can explain complicated theories better than anyone. In this case the accelerating side will find they indeed had aged much more than the side being caught up. Had gravity bends space time itself, and we always travel at light speed; any other movement slows down time itself. Nobody really understands quantum physics, like a photon behaves like a particle when passing through one slit but when faced with double slit it interferes with itself and show wave interference patterns. See what's new with book lending at the Internet Archive. Better World Books. Uploaded by ttscribe Search icon An illustration of a magnifying glass. User icon An illustration of a person's head and chest. Sign up Log in. Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book. Books Video icon An illustration of two cells of a film strip. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3. Software Images icon An illustration of two photographs. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. The international bestseller that inspired a major Nova special and sparked a new understanding of the universe, now with a new preface and epilogue. Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away layers of mystery to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions, where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter—from the small The international bestseller that inspired a major Nova special and sparked a new understanding of the universe, now with a new preface and epilogue. Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away layers of mystery to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions, where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter—from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas—is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy. The Elegant Universe makes some of the most sophisticated concepts ever contemplated accessible and thoroughly entertaining, bringing us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works. Get A Copy. Paperback , pages. Published October 11th by W. More Details Original Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Elegant Universe , please sign up. Is this written so that a non-science-geek can understand it? Leo Navis It is described very easily, actually. You will have to concentrate of course, but the examples are easy to understand. He takes another route, if you …more It is described very easily, actually. He takes another route, if you want. He doesn't try to teach you math but to show you through easy every-day-examples the concepts behind Einstein, Standardmodell and String-Theory. Is this good? Abdurrahman Hassouna How can i get it? S : I'm from Morocco …more How can i get it? S : I'm from Morocco less. See all 7 questions about The Elegant Universe…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Smolin's The Trouble with Physics , which I read much more recently, suggests that string theory is in big trouble, and right now I am more tempted to side with Smolin. There's this old Nasrudin story, where he's somehow ended up as judge in a court case. The D. Then the defense lawyer gets up and makes his pitch, and Nasrudin is equally impressed. The court recorder clears his throat and leans over towards Nasrudin. Nasrudin shakes his head. Am I just agreeing with Smolin because I heard him most recently? But trying to correct for that, I still think that there is a reason why Smolin seems more convincing and memorable, and why very little of what Greene says has stuck. String theory has become so divorced from experimental reality that it rarely if ever gives you that feeling you get from good science, of suddenly grasping a real physical phenomenon that you have known about for a while, but not understood. I guess the example that makes me least happy is supersymmetry, according to which every particle has a supersymmetric partner. Compare this with the discovery of the periodic table in the late 19th century, or the development of the Standard Theory in the 60s and 70s. There, insightful people gradually realized that objects atoms in the first case, subatomic particles in the second were related in a complicated pattern. Most of the time the pattern fit, but there were a few holes, and they were later able to find the things new elements, new particles that filled in the holes! I was astonished to read that there is not one single particle which has a known supersymmetric partner - so far, it's all hypothesis, and perhaps none of these "selectrons", "photinos" etc actually exist. I'm not saying that this means supersymmetry is wrong; I'm just saying it means I don't find it exciting. Maybe next year they will get the LHC working, discover a whole slew of supersymmetric partners even one would be a lot , and put string theory on a proper experimental footing. If that happens, I'm sure I'll go back to reading books on this subject; I won't be able to stop myself. But until then, well, it may be beautiful math, but I feel no emotional connection to it. I'd love to hear from people who disagree, and can explain to me just what it is I'm missing out on. He'd come mainly to play chess, but when I found out that he was involved in looking for supersymmetric particles I took the opportunity to ask how it was going. Well: assuming he's to be trusted, and he sounded pretty knowledgeable on the subject, we should know pretty soon. The LHC is now up to high enough energies. They're collecting data. If supersymmetric particles exist, there is every reason to suppose that we'll have clear evidence of them within a year or two. I wondered what would happen if they didn't find any supersymmetric particles? Would the theoreticians just retreat into saying that they needed a more powerful collider? Not so, said my informant; if the particles can't be found at the current range of energies, the predictions were wrong. Sounds like we're finally getting a straight up-or-down vote. String theory, you can run but you can't hide! We had yet another particle physicist over, whose PhD topic had been something to do with searching for a supersymmetric quark. I asked her if it really was the case that we'd soon know if supersymmetric particles existed. Alas, it turns out that, although the energies they're now reaching in the LHC are indeed sufficient to find supersymmetric particle according to the mainstream versions of string theory, there are other versions which predict higher energies - energies which are outside the LHC's range. If they retreat to one of the other versions, then most of the rationale disappears. But people have a lot riding on string theory. She just shrugged her shoulders. Consulting Google Scholar, my impression is that the book is highly respected: I see citations. Eight years later, no supersymmetric particles have been observed. But no doubt string theorists have an explanation for this inconvenient fact. Second, and perhaps even more importantly, there's the dog that didn't bark in the night. Many physicists were also expecting to find supersymmetric particles, but none have been detected. This greatly weakens the plausibility of string theory and shifts attention to competing theories for unifying quantum mechanics and gravity, of which by far the most attractive is Loop Quantum Gravity. It's a pity that all research funding isn't allocated in such a responsible manner. For reasons that are not important to us here, these hypothetical particles are called superpartners. Well, there it is again. It hasn't found them. View all comments. Do I understand string theory? Not sure. Do I understand M theory? A little bit but don't ask for any algebraic reasoning. Do I know exactly what a Calabi-Yau is? Not really but I think they look a little like the hair balls from my cat. This is the second time I've equated quantum physics and all its detours to a hair-ball. That's because I can study a hair ball and still have no idea what it is for and why they exist. String Theory and the elusive TOE is in the same category. I could go on my Do I understand string theory? I could go on my entire life not knowing about them but now that I do, I need to know why. Newton, Einstein, Feynman, Hawking, and my cat can't all be right. Or can they? That is essentially the dilemma of string theory and the book. Greene does a great job of putting everything in layman's term but there is a point which he must exceed the intellectual ionosphere and soar into the incalculable. I really like this type of book. The challenge is the fun. But rest assured when the scientists get their act together and write an Idiot's guide to The Unified Theory Of Everything, I'll be the first in line. Hair balls and string theories have something else in common. Once you tore one apart, you can never get your hands clean. View all 5 comments. I left Christianity a few years ago and swore off religion altogether; however, after reading this book, string theory has become tantamount to religion in my life. Brian Greene writes beautifully about particles, planets, and the origins of our universe as we know it today. It is a heavy book- I don't recommend it for anyone who wants a quick, easy read. It took me almost two months to get through, but I learned a tremendous amount and came away in complete awe of the world and the forces at wo I left Christianity a few years ago and swore off religion altogether; however, after reading this book, string theory has become tantamount to religion in my life. It took me almost two months to get through, but I learned a tremendous amount and came away in complete awe of the world and the forces at work in it today. Since Green wrote his book string theory has come under intense scrutiny; despite this, I would still support this book on the basis that it is gorgeously written, based in fact many of the experiments and proofs were done by Greene himself , and incredibly informative. A vertible Bible of where we came from, where we're going and the incredibly complex way things function in this glorious universe of ours. View 1 comment. If you're into stuff like this, you can read the full review. Mathematics, My Daddy says is simply a game or a toy for the mind. I enjoy playing with math though I truly know now that it is not Universal Knowledge. Mathematics is like some sports. It brings Me fun and excitement. As you all can see, all the so called greatest mathematicians and scientists and physicists humans' scholars humans gave so much high regards to have immediately realized that all those books and all those studies and all those "humans once thought of as knowledge" became child's play if not garbage right upon My Daddy revealed this Universal Truth and Knowledge. Literally speaking, humans are among the most primitive civilizations in The Universe and yet we humans are very arrogant, sinful and blasphemous because we, humans do not know any better. To think I put all that effort to understand a discredited theory View all 21 comments. Mar 26, Daniel Clausen rated it it was amazing Shelves: books-of For most of my life, physics and the general sciences have seemed beyond me. At the same time, I've been lucky enough in high school and university to have instructors who are willing to let me "give science a try" in a not threatening way. This book is one such attempt to allow ordinary people to give science a try. In this book, you'll get a crash course in physics as an evolving subject, from the theory of gravity, to special relativity, to general relativity, to quantum mechanics, to string For most of my life, physics and the general sciences have seemed beyond me. In this book, you'll get a crash course in physics as an evolving subject, from the theory of gravity, to special relativity, to general relativity, to quantum mechanics, to string theory, you'll be taken on a fantastic journey into the heart of science. A word of warning, though, one of my geeky friends told me that "String Theory" is now a passing fad. That might put you off the book. I still felt like there was a lot of value in reading this book simply as a mental challenge. The book was challenging to read, even if it is supposed to be dumbed down physics. Shelves: to-re-read , , science , physics. I close the covers of The Elegant Universe with powerfully mixed feelings. On the one hand, Brian Greene gives us a lucidly-written layman's-terms explanation for high-concept modern physics, providing an excellent survey of 20th century science and painting a vivid picture of a promising strategy for reconciling the discrepancies in the otherwise dominant theories. On the other hand, about half-way through the text, it devolves into what feels like a navel-gazing vanity project that fails to connect that promising strategy with the target audience i. To be clear: the first third of the book is a remarkable accomplishment. Brian Greene is a cogent writer with a wonderful pedagogical streak that is able to produce a clear image of some otherwise hard-to-decipher concepts in modern physics. Because of The Elegant Universe , I feel like I now have a fairly good understanding of the core concepts underlying Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, and quantum mechanics e. Greene is also able to give a decent explanation regarding how these theories break down when you try to "merge" them e. This first third of the book is very accessible, very enjoyable, and very informative. Engaging, fascinating, and extremely powerful. Somewhere during that potent pages, Greene remarks something to the effect of : You cannot be said to fully understand something until you can explain both its system and significance to a complete stranger. Not a quote, but I'm sure you know what I'm getting at And with that statement does Dr. Greene undermine the remaining two-thirds of the book. EXAMPLE: after 2 or 3 chapters about string theory where Greene is introducing it and discussing how it might reconcile relativity and quantum mechanics, he starts to segue into reconciling aspects of string theory with itself — looping back like its own subject strings on itself in a perverse recursion full of mathematical adjustments and jargon. EXAMPLE: in the midst of discussing how this New Science, and where you expect it to loop back on the promised explanations for the Old Science, Greene veers off into a series of anecdotes about "this one time at Harvard By the time I realized what was happening, my attitude was already tainted. Perhaps I could have extracted more of the science if my cynicism hadn't kicked in so virulently and so early on in the reading. Perhaps spending more time with the end-notes will prove fruitful. There are some end-notes and citations for further reading, and he does attempt to dedicate some space in the main text to the idea — but his "dumbing down" of the Calabi-Yau manifolds to the "ant in the garden hose" analogy just doesn't really address it with sufficient vigor. Not after the incredible work he did in the earlier chapters re explaining relativity and quantum mechanics. If that's even really what he might have meant. To be fair, Greene leaves plenty of room throughout the text to permit himself and his colleagues studying superstring theory to be "wrong". It reminds me of when Robert Wright hedges his bets in The Moral Animal , saying that the evolutionary psychology approach as championed by himself, Richard Dawkins, E. Wilson, Robert Trivers, and others is a strong one that explains a whole lot but you better be careful before you go painting too broad of a stroke with those kinds of theories Greene seems to do similar hedging, admitting that aspects of superstring theory seem tenuous esp. But then there's Greene's enthusiasm — which can easily electrify the reader but also just as easily undermine all of that careful hedging. View all 3 comments. There is a great quote to the effect that "if you can't explain a subject in non-technical terms so that a lay person can understand it than you haven't really mastered the subject yourself. For such a complicated and often "non intuitive" subject, Greene does an excellent job of laying o 4. For such a complicated and often "non intuitive" subject, Greene does an excellent job of laying out in understandable terms: 1 the evolution of special relativity into general relativity; 2 the basics of quantum dynamics; 3 the fundamental conflict between general relativity and quantum dynamics; and 4 the amazing development of string theory and 5 the prospects for string theory to be able to resolve the conflcit between general relativity and quantum mechanics and come up with a Unified Theory of Everything the fabled TOE. Now even with Greene's fantastic explanations, once we got beyond the basics of string theory and onto such concepts as 10 "spatial" dimensions, mirror symmetry and Calabi-Yau manifolds, there were times when the subject matter was just difficult to grasp on an intuitive level. However, Greene was quick to point out that the reader i. It also made me interested in learning more. Oct 06, Elyse Walters rated it really liked it. My local book club picked this book for our non-fiction month. I've been a part of this group- the largest-best Bay Area Book club!!!! In the 5 years I been part of this group, I can't remember a more challenging book to fully understand. The superstring theory is 'taught' by Brian Green' for those of us with maybe a basic Physics level one course. I can't imagine understanding anything, without having had at least some High School or College physics. This book is not for everyone, yet it's Top N My local book club picked this book for our non-fiction month. This book is not for everyone, yet it's Top Notch If you have a strong desire to read about The fundamental laws of the universe, how they are structured, then by all means, give this book a shot. I took soooo many notes, and I've still a dozen questions, yet the author does do an excellent job in explaining the new advances of the cosmos that have come to light during this last decade. The author explained over and over So the lay person may understand that we must merge general relativity and quantum mechanics--and make use of string theory. It's the 'teaching' of the ways string theory appears which begins to get more challenging to comprehend. I've done my best Yet hoping others in my book club might be able to fill in some holes which went way over my head. View all 8 comments. Frankly, the entire idea of rolled up dimensions—of a universe containing perhaps ten, twelve, eighteen dimensions, of which we are only capable of perceiving four—is suitably mind-blowing and humbling at the same time; and although Greene's low-culture themed analogies that frequently pop-up to help elucidate the complex concepts he is trying to convey may irritate at times, he does a bang-up job in making it understandable without blotting the outlines in thick physiquese or mathematics. I believe that several physicists have now concluded that Lisi's theory doesn't hold up, but I'm intrigued by the rumblings I've encountered by others who consider string theory to be a corridor that is proving of a confining narrowness, one that has consumed a disproportionate amount of the energy from some of the top minds in this field in pursuit of a theory that more and more appears irreconcilably inelegant and complex for the unifying end that it is meant to achieve. I have some potentially stunning books on the shelf awaiting my attention—in particular, Lisa Randall's Warped Passages , Michio Kaku's Hyperspace , Michael Fayer's Absolutely Small , and Lee Smolin's The Trouble With Physics —all of which I have unfortunately neglected for some time now, but are ripe with the promise of immense rewards to the mind when their contents are finally consumed. Personally, one of the most stimulating moments in the The Elegant Universe was Greene's articulation of how we, as humans, are travelling through time at the speed of light ; thus tickling my brain with the thought that light —immune to the mundane effects of forward-marching time—is a bridge towards an omnipotent godhead. If light is moving at the speed of light through space—not time—is it possible that its entire permutation from Big Bang through to Cosmic Deflation would be accessible in a single given moment of time, i. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass becomes infinite—would the same exponential assault waylay ever-present light as it approaches the speed of time? Would fulgent awareness become infinitely sluggish or limited as it neared this clock-marked barrier? From the—for lack of a better word— point of view of Lightspeed, would there exist differing quantum pathways that wend throughout the four perceivable dimensions, and from a high enough level, will they appear identical at select points of chronological evolution? Thanks Brian, for zapping me like you did into further confused wonder. View all 4 comments. This book blew my mind countless times as I read through it, so much so that I could usually only read pages in one sitting. Books like this let you visit that world for a while and this author does a fantastic job explaining general and advanced physics, Ein This book blew my mind countless times as I read through it, so much so that I could usually only read pages in one sitting. Books like this let you visit that world for a while and this author does a fantastic job explaining general and advanced physics, Einstein, etc with many real world examples. Trust me, your mind will be doing flip flops when he talks about time bending, space travel, etc. After he builds the foundation, he sets the stage to cover string theory which many believe will be the next great leap in figuring out why the universe exists and where is it going. Awesome read to keep your mind sharp. View all 7 comments. It is a beautifully written book! However, it is not for beginners. I think some classes in physics or cosmology, or a long-time subscription to a magazine like New Scientist or Science News would be a necessary educational background before reading this book. As far as I can tell, the book is a five-star read in clarity and expert knowledge. From Wikipedia, I learned Greene is a genuine scientist. He attended Harvard and got his Ph. Greene joined the physics faculty at Cornell in and was appointed to a full professorship in He joined the staff of Columbia University as a full professor. Greene does an amazing job of condensing a hundred years of cosmological science and physics into a few chapters. Greene leads readers, gently, into how scientific experiments on quantum particles, especially photons and electrons, led to discoveries about the structures of atoms. These explorations have added hints about further mysteries yet to know surrounding the beginning and current state of the universe. Around chapter five, Greene begins discussing string theories in depth. At first, I could follow. Clearly mathematics is the main source behind string theories and physics , making real-world descriptions difficult. Green makes a heroic effort at avoiding direct mention of the maths except in the Notes section at the back of the book. He includes drawings and word-picture analogies using vivid visuals such as walnuts and donuts and trampolines and beach balls and floating astronauts moving about in space , to illustrate the theoretical conclusions derived from the mathematical view of the universe. We hoped, in line with the strategy discussed earlier, that this mass would agree identically with a similar calculation done on the Calabi-Yau shape emerging from the space-tearing flop transition. The latter was the relatively easy calculation and we had completed it weeks before; the answer turned out to be 3, in the particular units we were using. Since we were now doing the purported mirror calculation numerically on a computer, we expected to get something extremely close to but not exactly 3, something like 3. Confirmation of space-tearing flop transitions by a mirror mathematical version of normal physics mathematics, which proved part of the physics of string theory. Got it? But what does such a wrapped-brane configuration look like? This is not obvious and becomes clear only from a detailed study of the equations governing the branes. Similarly, the smaller the volume of the sphere, the smaller the mass of the three-brane that wraps it. As this sphere collapses, then, the three-brane that wraps around the sphere, which is perceived as a black hole, appears to become ever lighter. When the three-dimensional sphere has collapsed to a pinched point, the corresponding black hole—brace yourself—is massless. None of this is visible to the naked eye, gentle reader, and some of it not to the naked brain in any kind of brane. My bosons are weak, gentle reader, weak, by my gauge. The forces of my framework have been mechanically perturbed into a mass universe of simplified confusion. There is a Notes section which supposedly is in English, not that I could tell - a native English speaker - and an Index. However, maybe too many donuts whether torus or spherical and not enough broccoli in my life has annihilated the necessary electrons I needed to shine like an energetic photon. I am clearly reduced in mental energy to the lower spectrums, like ancient photonic microwaves spread out in a vast void of background noise, barely distinguished. But you might not know that general relativity which explains the behaviour of massive objects in the universe and quantum physics which describe particle behaviour in great detail , are two ways of explaining physical phenomena that do not mesh well and cannot explain the origin of the gravitational force, the fourth element of the Standard Model of Physics, the other three being the strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and electromagnetic force. String Theory is truly a mind-boggling and reality-bending collection of scientific theories attempting to bridge the gap between relativity, quantum physics, and gravitation. I understand his mother found the book impossible to understand and gave up, which prompted him to write a second, easier-to-understand version called The Fabric of the Cosmos Antiparticle - A particle of antimatter. Big Bang - The widely accepted theory concerning the origin of the universe. The big bang theory posits that the universe evolved approximately 10 to 15 billion years ago from the explosion of an incredibly dense, hot substance that was contained at one point. The universe has been expanding since the first fraction of a second after the big bang occurred. Big Crunch - The term referring to what some physicists believe will happen when the expanding universe stops and implodes. When the big crunch occurs, according to the theory, all space and matter will collapse together. Black Hole - A region of space formed when a giant star collapses and all of its mass compresses to a single point, forming a gravitational field so overpowering that it traps anything that comes close to it, including light. Boson - A pattern of string vibration with an amount of spin measurable in whole numbers. A boson is most often a messenger particle.

I am not aware of any errors in his depiction of the subject. He writes with a flair that is rare in the scientific world, and which should make the book very appealing to the lay reader. Indeed, following the publication of this book, he has become something of a media celebrity. Dance, in New York City. A performance of the work-in-progress formed part of the inaugural World Science Festival. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. New York Times. American Journal of Physics. Retrieved 10 March Retrieved Brian Greene. World Science Festival. Hidden categories: CS1 Spanish-language sources es. Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. At the same time, I've been lucky enough in high school and university to have instructors who are willing to let me "give science a try" in a not threatening way. This book is one such attempt to allow ordinary people to give science a try. In this book, you'll get a crash course in physics as an evolving subject, from the theory of gravity, to special relativity, to general relativity, to quantum mechanics, to string For most of my life, physics and the general sciences have seemed beyond me. In this book, you'll get a crash course in physics as an evolving subject, from the theory of gravity, to special relativity, to general relativity, to quantum mechanics, to string theory, you'll be taken on a fantastic journey into the heart of science. A word of warning, though, one of my geeky friends told me that "String Theory" is now a passing fad. That might put you off the book. I still felt like there was a lot of value in reading this book simply as a mental challenge. The book was challenging to read, even if it is supposed to be dumbed down physics. Shelves: to-re-read , , science , physics. I close the covers of The Elegant Universe with powerfully mixed feelings. On the one hand, Brian Greene gives us a lucidly-written layman's-terms explanation for high-concept modern physics, providing an excellent survey of 20th century science and painting a vivid picture of a promising strategy for reconciling the discrepancies in the otherwise dominant theories. On the other hand, about half-way through the text, it devolves into what feels like a navel-gazing vanity project that fails to connect that promising strategy with the target audience i. To be clear: the first third of the book is a remarkable accomplishment. Brian Greene is a cogent writer with a wonderful pedagogical streak that is able to produce a clear image of some otherwise hard-to-decipher concepts in modern physics. Because of The Elegant Universe , I feel like I now have a fairly good understanding of the core concepts underlying Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, and quantum mechanics e. Greene is also able to give a decent explanation regarding how these theories break down when you try to "merge" them e. This first third of the book is very accessible, very enjoyable, and very informative. Engaging, fascinating, and extremely powerful. Somewhere during that potent pages, Greene remarks something to the effect of : You cannot be said to fully understand something until you can explain both its system and significance to a complete stranger. Not a quote, but I'm sure you know what I'm getting at And with that statement does Dr. Greene undermine the remaining two-thirds of the book. EXAMPLE: after 2 or 3 chapters about string theory where Greene is introducing it and discussing how it might reconcile relativity and quantum mechanics, he starts to segue into reconciling aspects of string theory with itself — looping back like its own subject strings on itself in a perverse recursion full of mathematical adjustments and jargon. EXAMPLE: in the midst of discussing how this New Science, and where you expect it to loop back on the promised explanations for the Old Science, Greene veers off into a series of anecdotes about "this one time at Harvard By the time I realized what was happening, my attitude was already tainted. Perhaps I could have extracted more of the science if my cynicism hadn't kicked in so virulently and so early on in the reading. Perhaps spending more time with the end-notes will prove fruitful. There are some end-notes and citations for further reading, and he does attempt to dedicate some space in the main text to the idea — but his "dumbing down" of the Calabi-Yau manifolds to the "ant in the garden hose" analogy just doesn't really address it with sufficient vigor. Not after the incredible work he did in the earlier chapters re explaining relativity and quantum mechanics. If that's even really what he might have meant. To be fair, Greene leaves plenty of room throughout the text to permit himself and his colleagues studying superstring theory to be "wrong". It reminds me of when Robert Wright hedges his bets in The Moral Animal , saying that the evolutionary psychology approach as championed by himself, Richard Dawkins, E. Wilson, Robert Trivers, and others is a strong one that explains a whole lot but you better be careful before you go painting too broad of a stroke with those kinds of theories Greene seems to do similar hedging, admitting that aspects of superstring theory seem tenuous esp. But then there's Greene's enthusiasm — which can easily electrify the reader but also just as easily undermine all of that careful hedging. View all 3 comments. There is a great quote to the effect that "if you can't explain a subject in non-technical terms so that a lay person can understand it than you haven't really mastered the subject yourself. For such a complicated and often "non intuitive" subject, Greene does an excellent job of laying o 4. For such a complicated and often "non intuitive" subject, Greene does an excellent job of laying out in understandable terms: 1 the evolution of special relativity into general relativity; 2 the basics of quantum dynamics; 3 the fundamental conflict between general relativity and quantum dynamics; and 4 the amazing development of string theory and 5 the prospects for string theory to be able to resolve the conflcit between general relativity and quantum mechanics and come up with a Unified Theory of Everything the fabled TOE. Now even with Greene's fantastic explanations, once we got beyond the basics of string theory and onto such concepts as 10 "spatial" dimensions, mirror symmetry and Calabi-Yau manifolds, there were times when the subject matter was just difficult to grasp on an intuitive level. However, Greene was quick to point out that the reader i. It also made me interested in learning more. Oct 06, Elyse Walters rated it really liked it. My local book club picked this book for our non-fiction month. I've been a part of this group- the largest-best Bay Area Book club!!!! In the 5 years I been part of this group, I can't remember a more challenging book to fully understand. The superstring theory is 'taught' by Brian Green' for those of us with maybe a basic Physics level one course. I can't imagine understanding anything, without having had at least some High School or College physics. This book is not for everyone, yet it's Top N My local book club picked this book for our non-fiction month. This book is not for everyone, yet it's Top Notch If you have a strong desire to read about The fundamental laws of the universe, how they are structured, then by all means, give this book a shot. I took soooo many notes, and I've still a dozen questions, yet the author does do an excellent job in explaining the new advances of the cosmos that have come to light during this last decade. The author explained over and over So the lay person may understand that we must merge general relativity and quantum mechanics--and make use of string theory. It's the 'teaching' of the ways string theory appears which begins to get more challenging to comprehend. I've done my best Yet hoping others in my book club might be able to fill in some holes which went way over my head. View all 8 comments. Frankly, the entire idea of rolled up dimensions—of a universe containing perhaps ten, twelve, eighteen dimensions, of which we are only capable of perceiving four—is suitably mind-blowing and humbling at the same time; and although Greene's low-culture themed analogies that frequently pop-up to help elucidate the complex concepts he is trying to convey may irritate at times, he does a bang-up job in making it understandable without blotting the outlines in thick physiquese or mathematics. I believe that several physicists have now concluded that Lisi's theory doesn't hold up, but I'm intrigued by the rumblings I've encountered by others who consider string theory to be a corridor that is proving of a confining narrowness, one that has consumed a disproportionate amount of the energy from some of the top minds in this field in pursuit of a theory that more and more appears irreconcilably inelegant and complex for the unifying end that it is meant to achieve. I have some potentially stunning books on the shelf awaiting my attention—in particular, Lisa Randall's Warped Passages , Michio Kaku's Hyperspace , Michael Fayer's Absolutely Small , and Lee Smolin's The Trouble With Physics —all of which I have unfortunately neglected for some time now, but are ripe with the promise of immense rewards to the mind when their contents are finally consumed. Personally, one of the most stimulating moments in the The Elegant Universe was Greene's articulation of how we, as humans, are travelling through time at the speed of light ; thus tickling my brain with the thought that light —immune to the mundane effects of forward-marching time—is a bridge towards an omnipotent godhead. If light is moving at the speed of light through space—not time—is it possible that its entire permutation from Big Bang through to Cosmic Deflation would be accessible in a single given moment of time, i. As an object approaches the speed of light, its mass becomes infinite—would the same exponential assault waylay ever-present light as it approaches the speed of time? Would fulgent awareness become infinitely sluggish or limited as it neared this clock-marked barrier? From the— for lack of a better word— point of view of Lightspeed, would there exist differing quantum pathways that wend throughout the four perceivable dimensions, and from a high enough level, will they appear identical at select points of chronological evolution? Thanks Brian, for zapping me like you did into further confused wonder. View all 4 comments. This book blew my mind countless times as I read through it, so much so that I could usually only read pages in one sitting. Books like this let you visit that world for a while and this author does a fantastic job explaining general and advanced physics, Ein This book blew my mind countless times as I read through it, so much so that I could usually only read pages in one sitting. Books like this let you visit that world for a while and this author does a fantastic job explaining general and advanced physics, Einstein, etc with many real world examples. Trust me, your mind will be doing flip flops when he talks about time bending, space travel, etc. After he builds the foundation, he sets the stage to cover string theory which many believe will be the next great leap in figuring out why the universe exists and where is it going. Awesome read to keep your mind sharp. View all 7 comments. It is a beautifully written book! However, it is not for beginners. I think some classes in physics or cosmology, or a long-time subscription to a magazine like New Scientist or Science News would be a necessary educational background before reading this book. As far as I can tell, the book is a five-star read in clarity and expert knowledge. From Wikipedia, I learned Greene is a genuine scientist. He attended Harvard and got his Ph. Greene joined the physics faculty at Cornell in and was appointed to a full professorship in He joined the staff of Columbia University as a full professor. Greene does an amazing job of condensing a hundred years of cosmological science and physics into a few chapters. Greene leads readers, gently, into how scientific experiments on quantum particles, especially photons and electrons, led to discoveries about the structures of atoms. These explorations have added hints about further mysteries yet to know surrounding the beginning and current state of the universe. Around chapter five, Greene begins discussing string theories in depth. At first, I could follow. Clearly mathematics is the main source behind string theories and physics , making real-world descriptions difficult. Green makes a heroic effort at avoiding direct mention of the maths except in the Notes section at the back of the book. He includes drawings and word-picture analogies using vivid visuals such as walnuts and donuts and trampolines and beach balls and floating astronauts moving about in space , to illustrate the theoretical conclusions derived from the mathematical view of the universe. We hoped, in line with the strategy discussed earlier, that this mass would agree identically with a similar calculation done on the Calabi- Yau shape emerging from the space-tearing flop transition. The latter was the relatively easy calculation and we had completed it weeks before; the answer turned out to be 3, in the particular units we were using. Since we were now doing the purported mirror calculation numerically on a computer, we expected to get something extremely close to but not exactly 3, something like 3. Confirmation of space-tearing flop transitions by a mirror mathematical version of normal physics mathematics, which proved part of the physics of string theory. Got it? But what does such a wrapped-brane configuration look like? This is not obvious and becomes clear only from a detailed study of the equations governing the branes. Similarly, the smaller the volume of the sphere, the smaller the mass of the three-brane that wraps it. As this sphere collapses, then, the three-brane that wraps around the sphere, which is perceived as a black hole, appears to become ever lighter. When the three-dimensional sphere has collapsed to a pinched point, the corresponding black hole—brace yourself—is massless. None of this is visible to the naked eye, gentle reader, and some of it not to the naked brain in any kind of brane. My bosons are weak, gentle reader, weak, by my gauge. The forces of my framework have been mechanically perturbed into a mass universe of simplified confusion. There is a Notes section which supposedly is in English, not that I could tell - a native English speaker - and an Index. However, maybe too many donuts whether torus or spherical and not enough broccoli in my life has annihilated the necessary electrons I needed to shine like an energetic photon. I am clearly reduced in mental energy to the lower spectrums, like ancient photonic microwaves spread out in a vast void of background noise, barely distinguished. But you might not know that general relativity which explains the behaviour of massive objects in the universe and quantum physics which describe particle behaviour in great detail , are two ways of explaining physical phenomena that do not mesh well and cannot explain the origin of the gravitational force, the fourth element of the Standard Model of Physics, the other three being the strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, and electromagnetic force. String Theory is truly a mind-boggling and reality-bending collection of scientific theories attempting to bridge the gap between relativity, quantum physics, and gravitation. I understand his mother found the book impossible to understand and gave up, which prompted him to write a second, easier-to-understand version called The Fabric of the Cosmos Antiparticle - A particle of antimatter. Big Bang - The widely accepted theory concerning the origin of the universe. The big bang theory posits that the universe evolved approximately 10 to 15 billion years ago from the explosion of an incredibly dense, hot substance that was contained at one point. The universe has been expanding since the first fraction of a second after the big bang occurred. Big Crunch - The term referring to what some physicists believe will happen when the expanding universe stops and implodes. When the big crunch occurs, according to the theory, all space and matter will collapse together. Black Hole - A region of space formed when a giant star collapses and all of its mass compresses to a single point, forming a gravitational field so overpowering that it traps anything that comes close to it, including light. Boson - A pattern of string vibration with an amount of spin measurable in whole numbers. A boson is most often a messenger particle. Bosonic String Theory - The first version of string theory. This version was later revised and replaced by supersymmetrical string theory. Many thousands of such possible configurations exist, but string theory has yet to verify the correct one. Electromagnetism determines all types of electromagnetic radiation, including light, X-rays, and radio waves. Electroweak Theory - A relativistic quantum field theory that describes the weak force and the electromagnetic force within a single framework. Elegance - To Greene, string theory defines elegance because it is extremely simple, but it may explain every event in the universe. Elementary particles are now categorized by quarks and leptons, and their antimatter counterparts. Equivalence Principle - The basic tenet of general relativity. The equivalence principle states that accelerated motion is indistinguishable from gravity. It generalizes the theory of relativity by showing that all observers, regardless of their state of motion, can say that they are at rest, provided they take the presence of a gravitational field into account. Flop Transitions - Also called topography-changing transitions. Flop transitions are the act of Calabi-Yau space ripping and repairing itself. Force Carrier Particle - A particle that transmits one of the four fundamental forces. Fundamental Force - There are four fundamental forces : electromagnetism, strong force, weak force, and gravity. Through this curvature, space and time communicate the gravitational force. Graviton - Physicists believe that graviton—which has not yet been proven to exist—is the particle carrier of the gravitational force. Gravity - The weakest and most mysterious of the four fundamental forces. Gravity acts over an infinite range, and gravitation describes the force of attraction between objects containing either mass or energy. M-Theory - The theory under which all five previous versions of string theory fall. Mirror Symmetry - A precept of string theory that demonstrates how two different Calabi-Yau shapes have identical physics. Particle Accelerator - A machine that speeds up the movement of particles and then either shoots them out at a fixed target or makes them collide. Particle accelerators allow physicists to study the movement of particles in extreme conditions. Perturbation Theory - A formal framework for making approximate calculations. Perturbation theory is a linchpin of string theory in its current form. The approximate solution will be refined later as more details fall into place. Photon - The smallest bundle of light. Photons are the messenger particles of the electromagnetic force. Photoelectric Effect - The action of electrons shooting from a metallic surface when light is shone onto that surface. Planck Energy - The energy required to probe Planck-length-scale distances. Planck Length - Planck length—approximately 10—33 centimeters—is the scale at which quantum fluctuations occur. Planck length is also the size of a typical string. Planck Mass - Planck mass is roughly equal to the mass of a grain of dust, or ten billion billion times the mass of a proton. Planck Tension - About 10 to the 39th power tons. Planck tension is equal to the tension of a typical string. Quanta - According to the laws of quantum mechanics, the smallest physical unit that something can be broken into. Photons are the quanta of the electromagnetic field. Quantum Field Theory - Also known as relativistic quantum field theory. Quantum field theory describes particles in terms of fields, as well as how particles can be created or annihilated, and how they scatter. Quantum Foam - Also known as spacetime foam. Quantum foam is the violent turbulence of spatial fabric at an ultramicroscopic scale. Its existence is one of the chief reasons that quantum mechanics is incompatible with general relativity. Quantum Mechanics - The framework of laws that describe matter on atomic and subatomic scales. The uncertainty principle is a pillar of quantum mechanics. Quarks - A family of elementary particles matter or antimatter that make up protons and neutrons. There are many types of quarks: up, charm, top, down, strange, and bottom. Quarks are acted upon by the strong force. The theory of relativity states that even if an observer is moving, the speed of light never changes. Spin - The theory that all particles have an intrinsic amount of spin in either whole- or half-integer denominations. Standard Model - A quantum model that explains three of the fundamental forces—electromagnetism, the strong force, and the weak force—but does not take gravity into consideration. String - Miniscule one-dimensional vibrating strands of energy. String theories posit that these filaments are the basis of all elementary particles. The length of a string is 10—33 cm; strings have no width. Strong Force - So called because it is the strongest of the four fundamental forces. It holds quarks together and keeps protons and neutrons in the nuclei of atoms. Superstring Theory - A theory that describes resonant strings as the most elementary units in nature. Supersymmetry - A principle of symmetry relating the properties of particles with a whole-number quantity of spin bosons to those with half a whole number of spin fermions. Supersymmetry posits that all elementary matter particles have corresponding superpartner force carrier particles. No one has yet observed these theoretical superpartners, which are thought to be even larger than their counterparts. Tachyon - A particle that has a negative mass when squared. The existence of a tachyon usually indicates a problem with a theory. It proclaims that you can never know both the position and the velocity of a particle simultaneously. To isolate one, you must somehow blur the other. Unified Field Theory - A theory describing all four fundamental forces and all of matter within a single framework. Weak Force - One of the four fundamental forces. Weak force operates over a short range. I read this book while taking a course for non-physics students called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. If you're reading this book unassisted, be aware that there are some very confusing sections that you'll need to read a few times. Sometimes his analogies are a bit too inane. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise that y I read this book while taking a course for non-physics students called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise that you ignore the sections on Calabi-Yau shapes entirely. These faults aside, The Elegant Universe is the only book about science that I have ever read from start to finish and enjoyed from start to finish. It'll blow your mind. Jun 28, Ana rated it really liked it Shelves: page-turner , me-likey-a-lot , a-little-historical , science , non-fiction. Physics books. Can I understand them properly? Am I still absolutely fascinated by them? String Theory. Do I understand it properly? Hell no. Am I fascinated by it? To the last detail. This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music little vibrations. I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possibi This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music little vibrations. I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possibility. Some have taken presentism to indicate that time travel is impossible for there is no future or past to travel to; however, recently some presentists have argued that although past and future objects do not exist, there can still be definite truths about past and future events, and that it is possible that a future truth about the time traveler deciding to return to the present date could explain the time traveler's actual presence in the present. In any case, the relativity of simultaneity in modern physics is generally understood to cast serious doubt on presentism and to favor the view known as four dimensionalism closely related to the idea of block time in which past, present and future events all coexist in a single spacetime. This is a great overview of string theory. Greene does good job of putting a number of theories into perspective. It can be a bit of a challenge keeping up with the science listening to the audiobook. The first few chapters are fascinating as Greene recounts the history of modern physics, its departure from classical, Newtonian understanding. Then, he moves into string theory, and I found the arguments and explanations harder to follow. As Greene wrote the book just a few years after the Second Superstring Revolution, it makes sense that the arguments aren't as well- developed as those describing theories and experiments perfected and refined over the past years or so. I really enjoyed the The first few chapters are fascinating as Greene recounts the history of modern physics, its departure from classical, Newtonian understanding. Overall, I really liked this book. It took me a while to get through because of the subtlety of the arguments and the density of the subject matter no pun intended , but it was extremely informative. The only thing missing for me from Greene and from Hawking and K. Cole is: why did the Big Bang happen when it did, and where did the materials constituting the singularity or the "Planck-size nugget" come from? My only problem with non-Christian, scientific accounts. The physicists never do offer a possible explanation of the origins of the origins. I recommend this book to anybody interested in astrophysics, to fans of Greene, and to anybody looking for a book geared towards general readers that is more updated than Hawking's A Brief History of Time but that still offers insight into points that Hawking discusses in his famous book. View 2 comments. The fact of the matter is that there are essentially two opposing theories upon which rests our knowledge of the universe: General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. That is, the world of the large and the world of the miniscule. But whenever we try to unify them, our calculations just fall short; or better, fall large! Oh wait! They claim that all fundamental particles are composed of tiny vibrating strings of energy whose movement gives rise to all those different particles that we know of. And in so doing, not only do these strings fit into Quantum theory, but they're also able to accurately predict the whys and wherefores of the big bulks of matter, like those of stars and galaxies! BUT, not only are there five different versions to the theory, but also, and because we are talking about excruciatingly small objects, it is impossible to test it! Not really a theory is it? It shamelessly enters the realm of Philosophy… Oh those naysayers! You go get them my fairy little oscillating strings, which so happen to explain black holes! But back to you old man, you never really cease to surprise me! Oh you shrewd mayster! With my heart in your stars, J I never really got the hang of String Theory. I find it awfully weird and almost nigh-unscientific. Not being a physicist, I try not to make judgments about it, since I clearly don't understand it one bit - at least on the math level! I also fervently found myself wishing for the Nth time that science books were not so firmly divided between "professional, terrifying math texts" and "written for people who never figured out the Theory I never really got the hang of String Theory. I also fervently found myself wishing for the Nth time that science books were not so firmly divided between "professional, terrifying math texts" and "written for people who never figured out the Theory of Relativity". As it is, unless you're Stephen Hawking, who pretty much has the right to do anything he liked, if you're trying to explain relativity to me, again, you will put me off. Mar 07, Daniel rated it it was amazing. Greene can explain complicated theories better than anyone. Especially when when we see an object travelling at high speed, they appear the age more slowly. But the same applies to the other side looking at us, making us age more slowly from their standpoint!

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