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Summary: we have access to string theory thanks to the book
Review: Before this book, superstring theory was an inaccessible domain for me (grad student of physical chemistry), I searched online for a phenomenological version of it, went to seminars in the physics department, read books from the library etc. but I found that past the first paragraf or so speakers/writers jump to mathematrical equations that are by no means understandable by your everyday calculus or linear algebra or complex algebra etc.This book is well written, the examples are understandable and do give you a flavor of superstring theory, they explain the difficulties of conventional quantum field theory that superstring theory is able to resolve. There are no equations in the book. This is all great however I must say that at the end of the book, I got the feeling that I have no real understanding for the theory unless I take for granted what the writer claims to be true. Have to take it in on faith. Having said this, one should not expect to be able to argue superstring theory with the scientists in the area after reading a popular science book. I rate the book with 5 stars; it is an amazing achievement over what was available in the field before this book; it is no small feat to translate superstring theory from it native language, mathematics, to english.
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Summary: A black hole, an elementary particle?
Review: Written by an expert in string theory, the subject of this book is specifically the superstring theory. Starting with the historical facts about relativity and quantum mechanics, the book guides the reader through the basics of string theory, and then builds on to introduce more and more complex concepts, and concludes with the possible developments that may emerge in the future. Although this field of physics is mostly a mathematical construct, the author manages to guide the reader through the superstring theory by using non-technical terms and simple analogies, supported by a clear and precise writing style. Of course, you should not expect to be able to grasp the meaning of a 6-dimensional Calabi-Yau space after reading this book, but I guess it's the closest anyone can get without explicit mathematical formulas. Besides the Calabi-Yau space, you will also be introduced to the Planck time, Planck length, Planck mass and Planck energy, to curled and circular dimensions, to a new definition of the concept of distance (where R is indistiguinshable from 1/R), and to the M-Theory (which may be the "Theory of Everything"), among other things. As the necessary concepts are introduced, the applications of the superstring theory are explained: particle physics, spacetime, cosmology, etc. Since the author is himself a specialist in string theory, you will feel that he gets more and more enthusiastic as the book advances to cutting-edge subjects, such as the superstring explanation to a black hole (is a black hole a giant elementary particle?) or the role of superstrings in the Big Bang. Enthusiastic, but always clear and precise. An excellent book on a subject that is evolving as we speak: the kind of book that makes you think you understand, even though you know you cannot really understand... And since the theory is being built right now, you can wait for a few years and grab another book to get the latest news!
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Summary: Absolutely riveting
Review: By far one of the most absolutely riveting science books written for the layperson I have ever read -- tops even Brief History of Time. A totally comprehensive summary of Newtonian physics, relativity, and the forces, followed by an intriguing explanation of string theory and beyond. If you are a scientist you might be above it, but this is perfect for the layperson to get a grasp of the issues.
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Summary: An Introduction to SuperstringTheory/M Theory
Review: This book offers an enjoyable ride through a lovely landscape of Superstring theory/M theory. The author is an active researcher and a popular writer in this field who is also known for his presentation on PBS's NOVA about quantum cosmology. Since the postulation of special theory of relativity, Einstein and subsequent physicists have struggled to explain the four natural forces of the most basic components of matter; the electromagnetic force; the strong and weak nuclear forces; and the gravitational force by one unified field theory (a.k.a., theory of everything: Superstring/M Theory). This theory must unify the forces of the cosmos, and forces of microcosm thereby explaining the creation of heaven and earth. The author covers significant amount of material in simple clearly written non-technical and non-mathematical form. The book is described in four parts; first two parts introduces theory of relativity and quantum mechanics and the unholy marriage of the two that results in the complexity of understanding the forces of the cosmos and subatomic forces. The latter two parts describes Superstring theory that evolves into more focused M theory to explain all physical forces of nature. This theory suffers from lack of experimental evidence, but rests solely on mathematical calculations. Hence it was subjected to heavy criticism during early years of the theory by leading physicists. However it has emerged as a winner as the theory grew out of academic obscurity to leading contender in quantum cosmology. The book has interesting tales about the leaders of the field such as Ed Witten who is strongly favored as the true successor of Albert Einstein. The author's enthusiasm and excitement about his involvement in this field is evident abundantly, when he discovers that fabric of space tears and repairs itself. This book is lot more informative and enjoyable than Michio Kaku's Hyperspace (see my review of this book). At the end of the book, notes to each chapter, Glossary of scientific terms, and suggested books for further reading offers stepping stones to more enthusiastic readers for furthering their knowledge. The author has done an excellent job of writing this book, and I encourage you to buy it: But he could have considered writing a chapter on mathematical methodology and some basic approaches to calculations that probably would have made this book one of the top few in this field.
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Summary: Readable Science for the Layman
Review: I've a strong interest in current science, however, not being a mathematician or scientist I often find books, of this type, difficult to read and even harder to understand. Not so with "The Elegant Universe". String theory is a subject that doesn't lend itself to being easily understood but Brian Greene does an exemplary job of explaining most of it in understandable prose with a little humor added too. Includes information on relativity, the weak and strong forces and quantum mechanics.
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Summary: The science of wonder
Review: I have to credit Brian Greene. He did what I thought was the impossible: he got me interested in science. I've been a liberal arts-type since I can remember. The exact rules and laws of science always left me kind of cold, and so I found myself drawn to literature, poetry and music as the more complete descriptors of human experience.
But last Fall, I couldn't sleep one night and ended up staying up until dawn watching THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE. It was amazing and captivating. It got me excited in a way "science" hadn't since I was a kid, fascinated with the imaginative possibilities of space travel.
I was hooked and had to get the book. The tv program proved to be a great distillation of the book, but if you saw the program and your interest was piqued by the magical dance of superstrings and the mind-bending extra dimensional possibilities, you'll enjoy the full feast of Greene's book even more. THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE is an enormous feat. It marries the rigor of scientific enquiry with the elegant, at times poetic, presentation of literature. Greene is such an able and down-to-earth explainer of complicated mathematical concepts that he makes even the most dyed-in-the-wool math hater think about signing up for some evening classes at the local college.
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Summary: Great Book to understand Einsteinian, Quantum,String Physics
Review: .
Summary:
A great book! Prof. Greene does a great job at communicating the weighty physics on Einsteinian - quantum - string theories. He uses apt examples with very few numbers and no formulas to convey the concepts of modern physics. This is no minor, or ephemeral feat! Greene also makes the topic more interesting with insights into the "competitive", and / or "enigmatic" situations that develop as physicists compete to break the puzzle of the theory of "M" (all 5 string theories). Of course, he makes it interesting and fun by presenting it as a scientific race and competition. Review: Not an easy read, but Greene makes it as easy as possible. I found it very enjoyable, but would not recommend it to someone who wants some easy reading! Negative:
I have a minor point (not really a complaint) about the information as conveyed. Greene did not spend much time of potential scientific disparities that remain in the field. For example, recent discoveries demonstrate that Hubble's "Red Shift" is quantized, requiring a very different view of the Big Bang and the current structure and dynamics of the universe. This is becoming more relevant with new findings coming forth in this area. A second point, more very late-breaking information has been coming forward suggesting that the speed of light may not be stable and finite, but in fact slowing down. Whether this is true or not, it would have been nice to see some of this late-breaking touched upon. But, that might have taken another 200 pages, I suppose. Acknowledgment (and hopefully discussion of) of these items would allay my fears that a scientist is trying to argue "facts" when only competing theories exist. I really hate it when scientists try to make their pet theories into "facts" by presenting indirect and uncertain data and unproven theories as definitive studies.
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Summary: I hate to do this
Review: Brian Greene is not only better-looking than I am, he's clearly more intelligent by a factor of at least 10 to the 178th power. By now he also clearly has more money, probably drives a better car, and has earned the respect of his peers, as I have not. I freely grant that any failure on my part to comprehend the essences of string theory is due solely to the inherent complexity of the subject and to my own inherent inabilities. With one exception. As a writer, Greene does one thing I personally can't abide, and which repeatedly landed with a thud between the page and my comprehension: he uses comic, cutesy, non-scientific analogies to illuminate his points. This may work for most people -- just look at the glowing reviews -- but it does not work for me. I found that as I rode the thread of the science/math/physics at any given point, going along happily over the difficult spots with an eye towards grokking the gestalt, I was repeatedly and abruptly pulled out of my immersion in that world by examples using mortgage loans, shopping, something about children needing money to be thrown to them from a balcony by their parents before they could get outta the basement, and other vaguely nutty examples. Obviously analogy is necessary for any explanation of such deep and complex topics, but I would strongly have preferred ones that remained within the scientific/mathematical/physical framework, so I would not be jolted out of it and lose any momentum of understanding I'd built up over the preceding pages. While obviously different in scope and aim, I found Kaku's HYPERSPACE and Thorne's BLACK HOLES AND TIME WARPS to be better written-books on the endlessly fascinating subject of the All That Is.
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Summary: Highly Recommended! TEN STARS! ***** *****
Review: This great book on superstring theory is an extraordinary undertaking to make ideas clear to a huge audience, ideas which would be hidden in darkness otherwise though they are of supreme importance for understanding the structure of the world. It's also of supreme importance for scientists to explain the essence of their work to the people in the world around them, everywhere on the planet. I believe that this wonderful book will be enriching for readers interested in sciences all around the globe. It's not necessary to be a magician to foresee that this book will soon become an international bestseller! The great wit of this sophisticated author who is also an important scientist who wants to present a marvellous picture of his field of science provides us with one of the best non-fictional books published in recent years. Let's hope that more books of this kind will follow, because this is obviously the best way for the reader to get scientific information, entertainment, and great graphics all roled into one. If you are open minded and looking for those books begging for its pages to be turned...look no further. I just read a copy of Edgar Fouche's 'Alien Rapture,' which also blew me away. Fouche was a Top Secret Black Program 'insider', whose credibility has been verified over and over. Another fun book is Brad Steiger's 'Werewolf.' I also really liked Dan Brown's 'Angels and Demons.' Want to be shocked, check out Dr. Paul Hill's 'Unconventional Flying Objects' which NASA tried to ban.
I highly recommend 'The Elegant Universe!" 10 STARS!
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Summary: Readable Science for the Layman
Review: I've a strong interest in current science, however, not being a mathematician or scientist I often find books, of this type, difficult to read and even harder to understand. Not so with "The Elegant Universe". String theory is a subject that doesn't lend itself to being easily understood but Brian Greene does an exemplary job of explaining most of it in understandable prose with a little humor added too. Includes information on relativity, the weak and strong forces and quantum mechanics.
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