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Summary: A fine addition to your coffee table
Review: In the tradition of Steven Hawking, Professor Greene brings us this fine addition to the blossoming field of coffee-table science. Get a nice warm fuzzy without ever having to so much as learn calculus. Physics goes Hollywood.
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Summary: EXCELLENTLY WORDED COMPROMISE ON CONTRIDICTIONS OF WHICH WE
Review: RATES ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT FIRSTS WHICH JUST BEGIN TO NIDGE OUR AWARENESS OF A NEWNESS-THING. OH, TO BE A YOUTH AND SEE THIS KNOWLEDGE OF SUPERSTRINGS AND ALL THE OTHER 21 CENTURY MATURING QUESTS FOR KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICALITY!
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Summary: uneven
Review: The book's audience is unclear. The elementary parts are too elementary, and the more recent material is just barely comprehensible, even to someone with a master's in nuclear engineering. Some nice examples, but nothing so original.
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Summary: Great Book!
Review: It is nice to see a book that explains cutting-edge physics to the general public. There are now three great books "The Elegant Universe", "The Bible According to Einstein" and "Hyperspace" available to enlighten readers about the universe.
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Summary: Best explanation of string theory
Review: Finally there is a book that actually creates a readable account of string theory. Though parts of it were over my head, on the whole just about any layman can understand it. Great book!
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Summary: The theoretical equivalent of cold fusion
Review: This book is written at such a level and with such clarity that almost anyone can get an appreciation for string theory. The book contains one of the best explanations for layman of special and general relativity and quantum mechanics that I have ever encountered. Even though the author is a proponent of string theory, he has presented it in such an evenhanded manner that anyone with a modicum of scientific wisdom can see that it is one of the biggest scientific boondoggles in history. Contrary to the claim of elegance in the title of the book, string theory is an arbitrary mathematical construct with parameters, topologies, and dimensions tacked on at every turn. When things start to fragment, Edward Witten, the string Wizard of Oz tacks on yet another dimension, rechristens the whole thing M-theory and claims that strings are really more like ribbons. This is much like the military who deal with their biggest screwups by hauling out the ribbons. Richard Feynman would have gotten a big chuckle out of string theory. He didn't take himself too seriously and never claimed that quantum mechanics was anything but a mathemathematical model corresponding to our experimental observation of the universe. String theorists don't care about experiment. They have managed to create a theory that they can almost prove is beyond our capacity to test. String theory isn't even really a theory. It is an idea for a theory that has proven almost impervious to theoretical analysis. Despite two decades of work, almost no progress has been made on the idea. It has lived largely because only a few physicists have had the necessary skills to understand the mathematics involved. The rest are acolytes taking it on faith. I found it hard to reconcile how frankly the author discusses this mirage with his obvious enthusiasm for it. The problem is simply that there is nothing much else for gifted mathematical physicists like himself to work on. He is as happy as a pig in shit. It is hard to criticize what you do not understand. This book will give you the necessary understanding to laugh out loud at the buffoons of string theory as they race around chasing their tails. Feynman knew he was playing mathematical games, but he always kept one eye on the yardstick of experimental fact. String theorists cannot be accused of building a castle in the air. They haven't even managed to get the plans down on paper, much less shown that the thing could ever be built. Let us hope that this excellent book is the beginning of the end of string theory.
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Summary: Scientific evidence that the mystical is real!
Review: The explanations I've been looking for since I first heard of string theory! Other books promise; this one delivers. If you've ever had the thought, "What if there were an entire Universe in a molecule?", you've got your evidence now. Brian Greene describes, without a single equation, how string theory envisions a world in which there is (prepare for a weird concept) a minimum length. Smaller than that, things are--mathematically--actually larger! In other words, hiding in worlds described by the Planck Length (exponentially smaller than quarks), there could be entire universes hidden within every bit of matter. Indeed, our own universe could actually be within a submicroscopic particle in someone else's universe. Throw in 6 extra dimensions, and the possible reconciliation of every major problem in physics, and it all adds up to one very entertaining, easy-to-read popular science book. This is one you'll be starting dinner conversation about for the next few years.
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Summary: Finally, a lucid, fun explanation of string theory!
Review: String theory opens up the possibility that there are at least 6 extra, hidden dimensions wrapped up by almost infinitely tiny strings, an almost mystically complex solution to the fundamental incompatibility of quantum mechanics and relativity. Brian Greene, a physicist with a light touch, brings string theory down to earth in a book substantially easier to read than A Brief History of Time. If, as seems likely, string theory becomes a dominant theme (and a dominant metaphor) of the 21st century, The Elegant Universe may well be the book which opens it to the general public.
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Summary: Detailed but biased instroduction to string theory
Review: Toe central problem of physics today revolves around this conundrum: Gravity is governed by Einstein's relativity theory, which requires that space-time is smooth. Gravity has been experimentally verified. Atomic forces are govered by quantum mechanics, which requires that space-time is bumpy, foamy, and irregular. These atomic forces have been experimentally verified. How can space time be smooth for gravity, and yet be bumpy for quantum machanics? Enter string theory. This book is a terrific introduction not only to string theory, but to relativity and quantum mechanics as well. The first half of the book reviews the history and development of these theories, since they are a fundamental component of string theory. In particular, Greene's treatment of relativity uses some outstanding analogies to explain time dilation and gravitational warping. I thought I understood the basics of relativity; this book still taught me a few things. Analogies are this author's strength. He uses them at every step to avoid the need to complex mathematical formulae. There are no formulae in this book (some will think that a minus, but I view it as a plus.) Using analogies, he's able to provide a comprehensible view of what 10-dimensional spacetime would be like, and how expanding one of the other dimensions might affect life in the Universe. These 5 pages alone are probably worth the price of the book. If you want a glimpse of one of the cutting-edge areas of particle physics research without needing to study math for 10 years, this book can give it to you.
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Summary: needed more about the elegant universe
Review: This books is over-rated, but still better than most books on the subjects he covers. I gave it two stars to get your attention. It is actually a 3 or 4 star book. I was dissappointed because the title suggested I'd read more about the mysteries of the beginning of the universe and some of the philosophical issues pertaining to the nature of existance and ultimate reality. While the author did give me some good mindfood at the end of the book, the coverage was too brief and far too restrained. I think he was aware of his peers reading it and was being too conservative. I skimmed a lot. I kept an eye out for places where he quit trying to teach me details and made some interesting comments. I'll give him credit--there were plenty of facinating paragraphs---but they were hidden in page after page of boring stuff. Lets face it, this is arcane stuff! But the implications are interesting, at least to me. I think the book should have been about half the length. I personally don't think it is possible to understand things like relativity without working some problems. When I took physics, I had to work a few problems to think about the stuff deeply enough to "get it." I don't think many readers are looking to work that much--most of us want a stimulating read. And as the author mentions, many believe that no one really understands quantum mechanics. Also, I did not like the analogies as much as some other readers. I recommend this book to really really smart readers or to readers who know how to skim without losing interest. Some of the insights were worth looking for.
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