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Summary: Fascinating and easy to understand.
Review: Great book. It is very detailed but without getting too hard to follow. This book does satisfy the curiosity of the average reader and it is very well put togheter and captivating. Overall:EXCELLENT
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Summary: a good book for contemplating the inifinte
Review: This is book definitely written for the layperson, but the author does no condescension when explaining complex details to the reader. No deep mathematics, no proofs, just a good book for the average person to enjoy and understand. The best book on the market for understanding the complications of the limitations of the space-time continuum of the world we live in.
Don't confuse "hyperspace" with "hypercube". "Hypercube" is a study in mathematics regarding four dimensions without time, while this book discusses as much in detail about "hyperspace", a study of dimensions up to ten. The book is actually on the higher study of physics, not mathematics, but of course, mathematics is a part of the book, if only on a limited basis.
Very interesting on the string theory, where dimensions of 10 and/or 26 are required. Also, all the competing theories are discussed, including the fact that Einstein himself was uncomfortable with studies beyond the fourth dimension. This is all discussed, very aptly, with a view to have the reader himself put on the physicist's shoes, so to speak, and comprehend creating some of theses theories, along with the rest of the academia bunch.
Diagrams and pictures are included to help the reader visualize some of this, even if it is in a limited way. Very helpful.
Einstein claimed that imagination was more than 90 percent of true scientific inquiry. I wouldn't agree with him entirely, especially in fields such as biology, but for physics study and a good review of the all the theories concerning higher dimensions, I would agree more with Einstein than not. I would even recommend this book to one comtemplating a future serious study in physics or math. I wouldn't be without it.
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Summary: Good introduction to superstring theory -
Review: This book was a good introduction to a topic I was curious about and many other general topics as well. Higher dimensions, matter-energy and space-time, relativity, black holes, wormholes, and time travel are all covered. This book was written to be understood by the layman but some of the explanations could have been more technical. This is still a great start for someone interested in these topics.
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Summary: An Excellent Survey of What Lies Beyond Quantum Mechanics
Review: This is an amazing book. Kaku, a physicist at Princeton, has written one of the best surveys of what modern scientists and mathematicians are struggling with - namely resolving the paradox of reconciling quantum mechanics with Einstein's theory of gravity to come to the Theory of Everything, which would explain our universe from its beginning to its eventual end. Kaku writes that in mathematics and theory, it is simpler and more elegant to come at such a theory when dealing with higher dimensions, and thereby introduces ideas such as superstring theory, which works strangely enough, in only 10 and 26 dimensions. Although Kaku deals with the fascinating ideas of parallel worlds, time travel and etc., he examines and approaches these ideas not with a feverish enthusiasm of a sci-fi hack, but with a sober scientific analysis; he quickly puts down many of these sci-fi ideas on scientific grounds while proposing a tantalizing possibility of existence of others.It's not these ideas themselves but Kaku's presentation of them that deserves merit. These ideas have been written about before by other writer/scientists, but never have all the ideas been so convincingly unified and energetically explained for all people. I have no background in science, and found this book fascinating to read for its ideas and passion. There are humorous biographical and autobiographical anecdotes. Many of the concepts are illustrated (albeit a bit poorly), and Kaku does an excellent job of giving us examples for visualization of a concept that he wants to get across. This is an excellent book that serves as an important introduction to one of the central inquiries of modern physics - finding a unified theory to explain the nature of the universe itself.
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Summary: Pop physics at its best
Review: Great "pop" physics. Easy to understand mathematical models and imagery help explain to the layman some of the more interesting theories of grand unification. Maybe just a bit dated now, but still very relevant, simply because it uses such casual language that even the most disinterested person might find the material intriguing.
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Summary: Great Book
Review: This was the first book I'd ever bought on Hyperspace, and it was great. The author is fun to read and explains things very clearly. Once you pick up this book you won't be able to put it down, I know I couldn't.
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Summary: Great Book!
Review: I just got it today but its great, lots of great ilistrations. If your thinking about geting it, get it.
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Summary: Our tiny world
Review: I loved how this book brought out multiple aspects of the atomic world and explained them in terms of our physical world. The book is somewhat technical, yet still not difficult for an amateur to understand. It gets into some uncertain terrain, much like STILL PITYING THE FOOL, which can be a lot fun if you're up for it.
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Summary: This book will expand your consciousness
Review: Michio Kako has a gift when it comes to explaining the unexplainable in layman's terms. He sort of beats you over the head with it sometimes, but I think it's necessary to understand the deep concepts here. It's fun to explain to someone who has not read the book that light is a "ripple in the 5th dimension." That's some really deep stuff! His book called "Visions" is also good, although it is a little bit out of date already. It's about the evolution of technology over the next fifty years.
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Summary: Lucid discussion of difficult concepts
Review: Hyperspace by Michio Kaku is a very lucidly written account of the multidimensional approach to a unified field theory, of the possibility of parallel universes, of superstring theory of particle physics, and of the future of intelligent life and the fate of the universe. That's quite a feat in 334 pages, but he does a superb job of putting these complex concepts across for the non-math/physics types like myself. I had some difficulty getting through his discussion of superstring theory, of which he is one of the primary architects, but the other aspects of the text were more comprehensible. His style is very conversational, and he often calls upon his own experiences as a student, as a human being, and as a peer with others in the field to illustrate some aspects of his topics. The illustrations, though few, are clear and helpful. The bibliographical entries are a little old for a book written in 1994, many from the late 70s and early 80s. I've read some of the entries in the past and enjoyed most of them. They will definitely give one a thorough background in the recent history of physics and cosmology. I've put several of them on my wish list for later purchase. Notes to the chapters are full of additional historical and explanatory data of interest and are worth taking the time to read.
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