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Summary: Very good but helpless in front the new unusual discoveries
Review: I liked the Elegant Universe and I enjoyed The Fabric of the Cosmos even more. Anyway this thought provoking book cannot answer the big puzzles that heap in my e-mail delivered from space exploration e-zines. It is hard to digest the mysterious intense stars formation in the early universe, the unanticipated location of the quasars in humble homes and the discovery of huge (about 80 times heavier than the sun) stars that orbit each other in just 3.7 days. These brain twisters can find surprisingly elegant clarification in the "firework universe", described by Eugene Savov in his book Theory of Interaction the Simplest Explanation of Everything. This book will make your day if you take some mental effort to understand how the texture of reality is laid bare in it.
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Summary: as bad as it gets
Review: If you enjoy this book, you probably never studied physical theory.
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Summary: Spacetime Physics For Everyone
Review: Brian Greene is a phenomenon; a leading string theorist at Columbia U., he's somehow found enough time, in a full schedule of research and teaching, to write two best-sellers and honcho a major PBS special about this formerly recondite, but now very well-known indeed, field of contemporary physics. What's his secret?First of all, he's writing about things that every intelligent and inquiring person wants to know more about: Time's Arrow - why is time such a one-way trip? Big Bang cosmology - how did the Universe get started? Grand Unification - what is the ultimate physical description of Nature? Secondly, he writes about these things in such a way that non-physicists can understand them. No equations, just a patient, careful, and clear explanation of some of the most fascinating, important, and new ideas in contemporary particle physics and cosmology. Greene talks up, not down, to his readers. There are a lot of books about popular physics on the market today, and many of them are quite good. What makes this book special is how Greene manages to get inside the reader's head, by explaining things in a way that makes sense, and by anticipating and answering so many of the questions that a reader might have about these ideas. I really wish that I had Prof. Greene as a teacher when I studied this stuff in school! One hint about reading this book - do pay attention to the notes, because they are an essential part of the book. Think of the book as the "lecture," and the notes as the "question and answer." I'm happy to add my praise to the chorus for this very good book. You can judge my sincerity from the fact that I originally borrowed it from the local public library, but after reading it all the way through, I then went out and bought a copy for myself!
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Summary: Superb Breadth
Review: I've read a LOT of books on cosmology, astrophyisics, quantum physics and so on. This book puts them all together. It doesn't have depth in any one field, but its beauty is tying what appear to be disparate fields together. I've heard that this is recommended for novice readers. I don't think that's true. You need enough knowledge of the terminology in order to appreciate his weaving of the facts together. It's a GREAT book for those of us who can't get enough of this stuff!
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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: A good continuation to
Review: I went in Mexico on holiday with 4 books and I returned only with this and the travel guide.
I had good days at the beach watching the ocean and reading about universe.
This book is enough good to let you feel near scientific research everywhere you are.
It only need a good surgeon to become perfect:eliminating Mulder and Scully , and above all Lisa and Bart it could be a damn good book.
And Brian,if I am so lucky that I can join you through this cyberspace, can you explain me (ok not gratis I already reserve your next book...) if matter accelerating near light speed improve its mass but not its volume than anything at a peculiar speed become a black hole?
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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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