Rating: 
Summary: Amazing concepts of space and time !!!
Review: An excellent introduction to concepts of space and time in modern physics, including non-Euclidean geometry - the geometry of the curved spaces. Minimal background in mathematics is requested and multiple diagrams help a better understanding of the most difficult passages. The book is so interesting that I finished it in 5 days !!!
Rating: 
Summary: Geometry: It's Not Just Lines, Angles, and Circles Anymore
Review: Don't let the title frighten you. Clear, concise, and not overly daunting....this tome can be read and understood by anyone--even if you haven't had calculus yet. This is a great introduction to non-Euclidean geometry and a nice summary of the history of mathematics. At the very least, it made me read Flatland again. :o)
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Summary: an extra dimension
Review: I haven't completely read this book, but I've read several like it. I want to point out some things that other reviewers haven't touched on. There is no index to the Dover edition. Maybe the original one had an index. That automatically knocks off one star in any book rating I give. It has some pretty sturdy exercises at the end of each chapter. There are no answers in the book. That's OK though. One can get some additional sense of the subject by looking at the questions. There is a very good annotated bibliography at the end of the book. It is not tied into page numbers, but I get the feeling the order of the list and their reference in the book are in the same order. There's good and bad news about the list. He makes many of these books sound very appealing, but many are long out of print. Rucker's book was produced around 1975. There are times when I wish the author would have pressed a little harder one some seemingly simple points. Maybe by giving an alternative view. For example, early on in the book he talks about a flatlander being inside a balloon as he expands the balloon from the inside. Suddenly the flatlander is on the outside. Maybe it's me, but how that happens is not clear. I've found other such passages. However, a studious reader will find the topics interesting. The price is certainly right.
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Summary: Weird in all the right ways
Review: I really enjoy Rudy Rucker's nonfiction, and some of his fiction too (_White Light_ is great). He's very good at presenting mind-blowingly cool ideas in accessible expository prose, and he knows _just_ when to throw in the bombs. This particular book is published by Dover, and it's not one of their usual reprints; it was _originally_ published by Dover. (In 1977, but the geometry of spacetime hasn't changed much since then.) It's an exploration of just what the title says: the geometry of the four-dimensional spacetime that the theory of relativity says is Really Out There. Well, this is a good book on the subject, but you can get others (although one of the best -- Cornelius Lanczos's delightful _Space Through the Ages_ -- has long been out of print). What's coolest about this one is that Rudy Rucker wrote it. Which means you get those little bombs thrown in at all the right places. Of course Rucker gives you what any competent mathematician will give you -- a sound introductory presentation of the mathematics of 4D spacetime and relativity theory, which are weird enough if you haven't encountered them before (and maybe even if you have) -- but he doesn't stop there. You also get an argument that the apparent passage of time is an illusion, and a little speculation about how this might tie in with the Many-Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics. And even that isn't all: you get a suggestion that it's possible to _develop a spacetime consciousness_ via some sort of meditation techniques or mystical insight, together with an entry in the annotated bibliography referring you (cautiously) to Robert A. Monroe's _Journeys Out of the Body_, whose experiments Rucker himself has tried. It's like Raymond Smullyan on acid, if you know what I mean. But honest, it really does make sense. And it really will knock your mind loose from your brain even without the use of chemical aids. This is the sort of thing Rucker does best. He does it in _Infinity and the Mind_, too (with which this volume has a little bit of overlap, but you won't care). Check out that book as well, along with _White Light_. Mathematical hippie mysticism just doesn't get any better.
Rating:
Summary: Thought provoking introduction to "modern" geometry
Review: I remember being given this book as a thirteen year old and finding the ideas stimulating and interesting. Later as an undergraduate in mathematics and physics I was able to dip into it again, and then again as a graduate student.
At least some (and later all!) of the ideas in the book, four dimensions and 'embedded' universes, non-Euclidean geometry and the 'bent', relativistic nature of space-time are presented with creative analogies and clever diagrams. I'd recommend this book to any clever teenager interested in being stretched and introduced to some of the important and exciting ideas of modern geometry and space-time.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Intro to Special Relativity and Non-Euclidean Geometry
Review: In his own introduction the author, Mr. R. Rucker, states, "My goal has been to present an intuitive picture of the curved space-time we call home. There are a number of excellent introductions to the separate topics treated here, but there has been no prior weaving of them into a sustained visual account. I looked for a book like this for many years- and finding none, I wrote it." His dedication has been rewarded, as the text is one of the finer introductory books on the curvature of space time and special relativity. The 'book like this' as the author calls it, walks the reader through several visual explanations that allow a solid mathematical and graphical explanation of modern physics. This isn't always a simple explanation, but there is a certain reward to struggling with the concepts before understanding them. In particular, Chapter 4 on time as a higher dimension makes the entire book worth reading, with many fascinating examples and a host of thought-provoking examples, such as "Schrodinger's Cat." This is a very interesting book which would be of use to anyone who wishes to push just a little bit further than the typical popular physics text. For those who wish to push even further to solidify their knowledge, there are even questions at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Intro to Special Relativity and Non-Euclidean Geometry
Review: In his own introduction the author, Mr. R. Rucker, states, "My goal has been to present an intuitive picture of the curved space-time we call home. There are a number of excellent introductions to the separate topics treated here, but there has been no prior weaving of them into a sustained visual account. I looked for a book like this for many years- and finding none, I wrote it." His dedication has been rewarded, as the text is one of the finer introductory books on the curvature of space time and special relativity. The 'book like this' as the author calls it, walks the reader through several visual explanations that allow a solid mathematical and graphical explanation of modern physics. This isn't always a simple explanation, but there is a certain reward to struggling with the concepts before understanding them. In particular, Chapter 4 on time as a higher dimension makes the entire book worth reading, with many fascinating examples and a host of thought-provoking examples, such as "Schrodinger's Cat." This is a very interesting book which would be of use to anyone who wishes to push just a little bit further than the typical popular physics text. For those who wish to push even further to solidify their knowledge, there are even questions at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: Simply incredible
Review: Professor Rucker has written a book that reads so simply and so beautifully that you can literally read a paragraph, put the book down, and think about its impact for a week. I've read and re-read the first chapter alone at least ten times, and everytime I read it I pick up something else. The book is written well enough that you can get the gist of the subject matter quickly enough, yet complete mastery of the material takes a considerable amount of time - if ever. My hat is off to Prof. Rucker. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in lower dimensional geometry, preliminary modern physics, very basic quantum mechanics and any science buff with an eye for time travel.
Rating:
Summary: an extra dimension
Review: This book is mainly concerned with exactly what the title says and I have been searching for a book like this for a very long time. because for one, it provides a very detailed explanation of topics that are intersting in the realm of physics. Such as the fourth dimension. it is very visual and explains things in a way that I can understand. I also like this book because it doesn't spend half the book telling you about which scientist hated the other scientist, Or the entire biography of Dr. Planck before they tell me what the planck length is
Rating:
Summary: great book, easy to understand.
Review: This book is short and sweet. It is a very good introduction to the topics. and good to read if they aren't new to you. H(Ighly recomended.
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