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Summary: Classical and Quantum Reconciliation
Review: Brian Greene presents the string theory his book The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. Although mathematically attractive the string theory is too complicated to be right. It introduces higher dimensions that complicate the picture of reality and make it vulnerable to Occam's razor. Something really vibrates in the structure of nature but these are not strings. These are self-reproducing, multiscale, inward-outward oscillating 3D-spiral sources of interaction that self-organize (synchronize) to unfold as shown in Eugene Savov's book Theory of Interaction the Simplest Explanation of Everything. The theory of interaction simply derives the classical and quantum physics from the revealed 3D-spiral structure or the universe, described at the scales of observation. To see a great jump in the understanding of nature you should buy these two books.
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Summary: Any woman is more elegant than UNIVERSE
Review: For past 300- 400 years, that is, since times, Galilei and Kepler development of a science have resulted in scale changes. Despite of it we, perhaps, lag behind for 100 years because, that could know now. The fathers of physics Aristotle and Archimedes have put the bases of this science and are from us on two millenniums. We can admit, that the God has decided to talk with certain physicist. And the physicist naturally would ask God about reliability of our knowledge of life. The answer, perhaps, would be unequivocal at you is Evangeline and some physical theories. Their conformity to a nature is adequate! See: thevortextheory.com. The author did not try to show the scientists his competence; he simply has written a good statement of modern problems of physics for a wide range of the readers. If you are interested in physics in 15, 20, 40 and 70 years - read! And you will find a lot of interesting and instructive. vavivlad-rvc@mtu-net.ru
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Summary: A Great Intro to the "Holy Grail of Physics"
Review: I had picked this book up in its hardcover edition a few years ago, but haven't got around to reading it until recently and I'm sorry I didn't do so earlier. It is an excellent introduction to physics and an outstanding overview of "string theory" that is accessible to the layman (in as much as particle physics *can* be accessible without a real knowledge of mathematics.) The Elegant Universe is worth the purchase price, if only for chapters 2,3 and 4 which lay out, in terms understandable by anyone, the ideas behind Einstein's theory of special relativity, Einstein's theory of general relativity and quantum mechanics. I highly recommend it for this purpose alone. The rest of the book deals with the central connudrum of modern physics which is, unfortunately, although the theories of relativity (governing large systems) and quantum mechanics (governing minute systems) have been experimentally verified over the past century and are indeed true, they are *not compatible*. Greene does a good job of explaining why the theories are in conflict with one another. The rest of the book deals with string theory, which Greene and a lot of other string theorists claim can "bridge the gap" between relativity and quantum mechanics. Although Greene does a terrific job of explaining string theory through graspable metaphors, towards the end end of the book, my tiny brain had difficulty understanding some of the concepts. Yet, by far, Greene provides the most accessible description of this revolution in physics. Greene is quite obviously an ardent evangelist of string theory and his optimism concerning its possibilities lend a certain energy to the read, getting you through the difficult parts. You can tell that this is a man who loves and is excited by what he does for a living, and that excitement is contagious. Anyone with an interest in why the universe is the way it is will be well rewarded by this text.
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Summary: A very well-written book on super/string theory
Review: Superstring theory may provide the long-sought unification of physics for which Einstein sought in vain. Here is a look at the current state of the quest. Greene (a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia and Cornell) begins by pointing out the central problem of modern physics. Quantum mechanics and general relativity both work perfectly, and they cannot both be right. Relativity works for large, massive objects; quantum theory for tiny ones. Normally, the two realms can be kept separate. Yet increasingly, physics deals with phenomena such as black holes, where the conflicts are impossible to avoid. Out of the search for a more complete explanation came string theory. Its foundations were laid down some 30 years ago by Gabriele Venizano, who found that a two-century-old formula by Leonard Euler described subatomic particles more elegantly than existing theory. The relationships would make sense if elementary particles were not pointlike, but elongated and vibrating, like tiny musical stringsin one sense, a modern version of the ancient metaphor of the music of the spheres. It took a while for physicists to embrace string theory; for one thing, it seemed to predict things nobody had ever seen. And despite its formidable explanatory power, its mathematical expressions were often even more formidableGreene describes some of the equations as nearly impossible to understand, let alone solve. Still, it has the right look about it, and two waves of enthusiasm (one in the mid-1980s, the other ten years later) have convinced many physicists of the theory's probable validity. Greene deftly summarizes these findings, in areas from subatomic-particle theory to cosmology, with occasional forays into deeper waters such as the ten-dimensional structure of the universe, with several dimensions folded undetectably back into themselves. A final chapter forecasts that string theory will become the standard physical model in the next century. Entertaining and well-writtenpossibly the clearest popular treatment to date of this complex subject.
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: This book is very well written. It presents a brief history of modern physics and then shows how string theory and M theory solve several problems of modern physics all without going into mathematics. This book does what its author intends, presents technical and sometimes confusing concepts in an easy to understand way. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in current research being done to combine the ideas of relativity with those of quantum mechanics.
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Summary: An excellent overview of theoretical physics
Review: I have been interested in science all the way through school, and I found this book extremely helpful and interesting. Greene touches on things that the typcial high school physics class never even comes close to. This book is a must for anyone who is remotely interested on cutting-edge theoretical physics. The book is organized in a very logical progression. First, Greene touches upon special relativity, then quantum mechanics, and general relativity. The next few chapters go on to provide an overview of string theory, which is one of the prominent scietific theories on the horizon. The book closes with a look ahead to some of the possible future directions of science. Greene's style is thorough, engaging, and easy to understand. Before reading this book I read The Universe in a Nutshell by Stephen Hawking, which, compared to this book, I found slightly confusing and more difficult to comprehend. The Elegant Universe does not take advanced knowlege of mathematics to understand, and for those of us who are not rocket scientists, it is an excellent resource.
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Summary: An excellent book
Review: Short and sweet, if you are interested in the 'state' of the universe, things like superstrings, etc read this book. One of the best 'low math' books I have read in while (and I read a lot of them). A very easy read. Not too much technical detail, though. If you need more, you will need another book.
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Summary: A Rare Gift
Review: Thank you, Brian Greene. There are lots of articles and books about string theory--the rapidly evolving family of theories that attempt to explain everything we know about the universe. Most of these popularizations make sense, as far as they go. But it was only when I came across Brian Greene's _The Elegant Universe_ that I began to grasp the full context and meaning of string theory. Greene's book is a gift. With remarkable patience, he leads the reader through the development of relativity and quantum theory as the necessary precursors to string theory. With equal patience and mastery, he presents the discovery and development of string theory in all its exotic depth. I think it's remarkable that Greene, a professor of physics at Columbia University and a major contributor to string theory, would have taken the time and made the effort to present this complex and challenging field to the public with so much care and clarity. The next time I come across an article about supersymmetry, 11-dimensional space, curled-up dimensions, Calabi-Yau space, or M-theory, I'll finally have a clear idea of what's being talked about, or at least know where to turn for a crystal-clear explanation. With hundreds of mathematicians, physicists and cosmologists ardently trying to explain the universe through string theory, it appears that the most profound breakthroughs of the 21st century will be, as Greene puts it, "tied up with string." _The Elegant Universe_ provides the key to understanding what's to come...
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Summary: The best book I've ever read
Review: As a man who doesn't understand physics, I was surprised to see that I actually understand the ideas and theories presented throughout the book, with the most clear and simple examples that everyone can understand and imagine. The fear from physics mathematics is replaced by amazement of the beauty and ideas, that physics in general and Superstring theory in particular, possesses.
The book will make all the non-physicist readers to wish they were physicists, researching the topics mentioned in the book.
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Summary: Mind-bending
Review: Who would thought, after all the theories of Big Bangs and special relativity and quantum mechanics, that it would turn out the whole universe was held together by strings? Of course, it's not the sort of string that you could buy at the hardware store, but it is the basis for a developing theory of "everything." The Elegant Universe is a great book but not always an easy book to read. This is through no fault of Greene - an adept writer who is also a scientist making contributions to string theory - but the result of the heady material that is being discussed. When dealing with areas of science where the "normal" rules don't apply (such as black holes or the Big Bang) or discussing eleven dimensional space, we are dealing with concepts beyond what we see in our everyday lives and are often hard to picture. Even after two readings of this book, there is still a lot that I don't fully grasp and know there is another reading of this book sometime in my future. Although Greene is writing for the layperson, he is writing for an educated one; this is not the book to start with if you are unfamiliar with science but find the subject intriguing. You're better off with Stephen Hawking's Brief History of Time or Universe in a Nutshell. Timothy Ferris's The Whole Shebang is a bit more detailed, but not quite as complex as Greene's book. So even if you find this a difficult book, it is nonetheless a great one and worth your time if you are interested in the subject.
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