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Summary: What should we do with the observer?
Review: The Fabric of the Cosmos is a thought provoking and rewarding book on a complex subject. The observer who considers the phenomena in different reference frames troubles me in the current understanding of the universe. The fabric of the reference frame and the origin of the observer are uncertain. The appearance of life and thinking creatures is mysterious. It is very likely that the observer complicates the picture of reality as he develops it in his mind. You will find observer independent, based only on the discovered properties of existence, qualitatively new texture of reality that also includes the phenomenon of consciousness in the book Theory of Interaction the Simplest Explanation of Everything by Eugene Savov.
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Summary: I have questions
Review: not about the physics Greene discusses in the book, I thought it did an ok job discussing fairly obscure concepts in a clear way. If you are new to physics this is a decent introduction.my questions are about the physics of the book Why is this book 3/4 sized? Increase the length and width dimensions of the book and the other 8 spacial dimensions will shrink, including its thickness. Also by stretching the length and width of the book, you will correspondingly enlargee the size of its minute illustrations. Just a thought Why is this book $24 and it has no good graphics in it? I could print black and white pictures with higher resolution usingmy old okidata printer on my commodore 64. I feel ripped off. This book was written by a physisict who is a remarkably clear communicator, this is evident in the elegant universe both the book and the movie. Why then is this book so boring to read? I think the editor of the book got himself quantum-entangled with some other projects on his desk. Finally, what exactly is the need for new books that contains 90% old material and only a few new nuggets. I would have preferred a new edition of The Elegant Universe with an extra 50 page appendix. This is scientific progress? The only upward -progression this book has brought is in Green's bank account. A severly dissappointed former fan
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Summary: Very readable and enjoyable introduction
Review: I just had a few brief comments on this book. As there are already 371 reviews of this book I won't try to rehash the important details of the science behind string theory here, except to say that despite some remaining problems and issues that still need to be worked out, string theory seems the best way to me to unify all the intranuclear forces, electromagnetism, and gravitation. I'm not a physicist myself and don't claim that level of comprehension of the issues (being a neurobiologist, actually), but I'm excited by what's been achieved so far and think the final answers will likely come from something at least akin to string theory. One interesting thing about string theory is that in contrast to other theoretical revolutions in physics such as Newton's theory of universal gravitation, quantum theory, and Einstein's special and general theories of relativity, which burst upon the physics scene and were accepted pretty much from the start, string theory had a quite inauspicious beginning and had to overcome numerous hurdles and problems before it finally became accepted. I had one final comment, which was that I checked out at least a half-dozen other books intended for the general reader on string theory to try to find the best one before settling on Greene's book. It was a difficult choice since several of the other books looked very attractive also, and I'll probably go on to read some of them too at this point. But I thought Greene's was the best and so I bought his first. Also, I think his book had the best presentation of, not only of string theory, but membrane theory as well. Membrane theory is an important extension to string theory which explains how the vibrating strings interact with the various spatial dimensions. So overall, a very interesting and approachable introduction to these important, recent developments in theoretical physics.
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Summary: Brian Greene's New Opus Explains Complexity Very Clearly
Review: Brian Greene's New Opus Explains Complexity Very Clearly In his latest book, "The Fabric of the Cosmos", Brian Greene once again proves that he is the grand master of explaining complex concepts such as string theory to the mathematically-challenged layman with amazing clarity. "The relativity of space and time is a startling conclusion. I have known about it for more than twenty-five years, but even so, whenever I quietly sit and think it through, I am amazed." This admission gives Greene a refreshing, almost child-like image that is at once very engaging, honest and wise. It was just one of many epiphanies that this reader came to expect in nearly every one of Greene's 16 chapters. Greene progresses through the obligatory repetition of the ideas of the greats and near-greats: Newton, Mach, Maxwell, Yang, Mills, Einstein and Heisenberg. He adeptly navigates back and forth from Einstein's spacetime to the 11-dimensional spacetime posited by superstring theory, of which Greene is one of the world's foremost proponents. M theory, the latest flavor of a "theory of everything," is introduced. A recurring theme in this new book is Greene's demonstrations that many of these world views are simply different aspects of the same cosmos and there is often no real contradiction. General relativity, special relativity, quantum mechanics, superstring theory and M theory are complementary in nature and need not negate the validity of any other theory. It's rather like the blind men's description of the elephant they encounter by touch. The author reiterates certain concepts many times, using slightly different analogies. This constant reiteration process is a most effective way for Greene to explain rather complex and esoteric concepts without using much mathematics. One such reiteration is his citation of Richard Feynman's summarizing his opinion of the two most important concepts that are central to understanding the universe. Feynman said, "The world is made of atoms." and "Symmetry underlies the laws of the universe." We are told that "...everything we've ever encountered is a tangible remnant of an earlier, more symmetric cosmic epoch....Time itself is intimately entwined with symmetry." An important consequence that follows from this principle is the forward direction of "the arrow of time." Causality itself depends completely on this unidirectional arrow, but this unidirectionality is only a special case for this universe at this point in time. This direction is a consequence of special conditions existing at and just after the big bang. If A causes B, A must occur before B, although Greene tells us that the basic laws of the cosmos allow several different directions for the arrow. Greene points out the overwhelming importance of the concept of symmetry to all theories of physics and he revisits symmetry throughout the book. The symmetry of Blake's tiger may be fearful but the symmetry found throughout the cosmos is most welcome, since its presence can be proof of the correctness of an observation or theory. Many of the phenomena that Greene describes smack of science fiction at first glance. Teleportation, time machines and a view of the universe as a hologram are now accepted, everyday realities to the physicist. A Schrödinger's cat that can be both dead and alive simultaneously. A pair of entangled photons that can be separated by millions of miles and be shown to "act in concert" or "communicate" simultaneously. Einstein's protests notwithstanding, these "spooky" things are reality. This enormously talented writer makes it almost easy for the reader to comprehend many previously incomprehensible phenomena. Comparing "The Elegant Universe" to "The Fabric of the Cosmos," Greene has clearly outdone himself.
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Summary: A Clear and Provocative Voice
Review: Any rascal who attempts to delve into the world of pure mathematics, turn and expound on the discoveries found to the likes of me -- and succeed in me "getting it" deserves his accolades. Brian Greene does a remarkable thing in both The Elegant Universe and The Fabric of the Cosmos -- he manages to engage his reader with discovery and inquiry that teases us into our own imaginings. Of course there are similarities -- only so far as too remind us where we were and where we are -- but treat yourself. Read past the first two chapters. Theories built on years with a piece of chalk and a blackboard that expand our understanding of the nature of reality? This guy is gold!
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Summary: Will look at the world differently.
Review: After having read Brian Greene's "Elegant Universe", I found his "Fabric of the Cosmos" book quite a bit easier reading, since I am a lay person who has been interested in the subject for many years. His discussions of a "probability wave" gives thought to how our "free will" might possibly function. I will surely look at the world around us with an ever-increasing awe for the mysteries contained within. Great book!
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Summary: Not done yet...
Review: ...but i have a quesiton and some comments. First, i've really been struggling with the "Persistent Illusion of Past, Present and Future" section (pages 132-139). I simply cannot grasp why when "Chewie" stands and walks away from Earth, his conception of "now" rotates into the past. Can anyone explain it? As for comments, the graphics are downright microscopic and the book does cover lots of the same ground as Elegant. Also, in his description of the "two-slit" experiment he completely neglected to say what makes it so weird: the fact that the particle interacts with itself and follows all possible paths in the universe on its way to the photo screen. I hope he gets back to that...
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Summary: No Wrinkles Here
Review: The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality by Brian Greene is a wonderful addition to anyone's cosmological library. Not light reading, The Fabric of the Cosmos stirs the imagination and is worth the effort it takes to read it. Brian Greene is not new to trying to make modern science understandable to the lay reader. His prior effort, The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory spent several weeks on the New York Times best seller list. While the Elegant Universe was readable to someone without much training in science, it took some study and reflection to try and grasp some of Greene's explanations. The Fabric of the Cosmos is similar to The Elegant Universe in that regard. You won't be able to cruise through it like a Grisham novel. There are some interesting discussions in The Fabric of the Cosmos. Why, for example, does time apparently run in only one direction (Chapter 6)? Or, what went bang when the big bang banged (Chapter 10)? He devotes all of Chapter 15 to the discussion of time travel and the use of teleporters as they relate to modern physics. It is this willingness on Greene's part ot reach out to the common reader in ways that are interesting to us and makes his books so valuable. In many ways, he reminds me a great deal of the late Carl Sagan. Sagan had the ability to reach out to those of us who are untrained in science but still have the thirst to know about the greater universe surrounding us. If you're looking for a good, sturdy read, then this is the book for you.
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Summary: Oh My God What A Good Book!!!
Review: It is a page turner. I am a physicist and got a PhD from MIT in plasma physics, quantum theory, and nuclear engineering. I think I understand most of the physics and what the author is trying to do. It is just an outstanding book. It is not a book about time travel or science fiction. It is a book about the theory of the cosmos and basic physics theory - explained for the lay person. There are a group of brilliant young scientists such as Brian Greene at some of the leading US universities today such as Harvard, Princeton, MIT, and Columbia (to name a few) that have been quickly promoted to full professors at a young age and who have decided to share their knowledge with the general public by writing these and similar books or publishing articles in general science magazines such as Scientific American. Gone are the mumbo jumbo mixture of opaque mathematical equations and references to other complicated theories and equations of the "Physical Review" style and instead we have simple stories, black and white illustrations, and analogies that clearly transmit the essence of the science. Read the first chapter "Roads to Reality" - which is 22 pages long - and a layman will have one of the best summaries that describes the development of physics over the past 300 years. Does he miss things, yes definitely. But he presents the evolution of classical mechanics, electromagnetic theory, relativity theory, quantum mechanics and now the convergence of quantum and relativity to be reconciled in string theory. This is done all in a short concise form that is easy to understand and makes for a fascinating read. He discusses the situation 110 years ago when Michelson thought that modern science was essentially explained. Oh what a rude shock to discover 10 years later that he was completely wrong and it was more like 5% was known. He goes on in the other chapters to lay out many different concepts and examples. Science progresses hand in hand with theory and experimental observations. We still do not have the machines, telescopes, detectors, and other equipment to see all that we would like to see, but the book gives a wonderful lay introduction to the field and where we are today. Brian Greene is not presenting a new discovery or telling us a lot that we cannot read elsewhere if we look. But he pulls together a lot of interesting and important scientific stuff from very small stings to the evolution of forward time and the universe in one easy to read and page turning book. The book is moderately long - 500 plus pages - and contains many small black and white illustrations and graphs. Looking at the book in the bookstore, it took me 10 seconds to decide to buy the book and I was not disappointed. If you are interested in "time travel" there is an excellent book by the Princeton Professor J. Richard Gott - "Time Travel in Einstein's Universe". Jack in Toronto
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Summary: Fabric Delivers Inspiration and Information
Review: The Fabric of the Cosmos creates a great debate-how can we live in a world that seems real to us that does not reflect the true nature of reality. We take time for granted as some kind of matrix that life just systematically unfolds in, but why? I am not a scientist interested in the equations behind these discoveries, but a avid fan of science and the inspiration to be found in scientific inquiry. For a amature like me, Fabric of the Cosmos delivers information, ideas and inspiration in abundance.
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