Rating: 
Summary: Partially layman's physics; partially philosophy and history
Review: About half of this book discusses the cutting edge of physics (with the necessary history) regarding the fate of the universe, and in particular, how vacuum (nothingness) in its modern quantum understanding plays a central role in the universe's evolution and ultimate future.The other half of this book is about philosophical issues such as the history of the concept of nothing and the number zero, the religious concepts of the history and future of the universe, and the mathematical history of zero and infinity. As the previous reviews of this book, and indeed, its subtitle "Vacuums, Voids, and the Latest Ideas about the Origins of the Universe" imply, this should have been a book about Physics and in particular, the physics of vacuums (quantum zero-point energy). One would expect a detailed treatment of this, without the extensive digressions from the primary topic. If that is what you are expecting, you will be disappointed; it is why I rate this book three stars. I was bored by the parts of the book which digressed from the layman's physics discussion. On the other hand, the half or perhaps 60% of the book Barrow devotes to discussion of physics was very well written. If you have read extensively other layman's books on physics (such as Greene's Elegant Universe, Treiman's Odd Quantum, Lederman's God Particle, and the like) then about a third or a half of this may seem familar, but restated in Barrow's clear descriptive prose. As for the rest, in about a decade of reading layman's physics books, I had not encountered - or had forgotten or previously misunderstood - the remainder. In this sense, the book is definitely worthy of five stars, and was very interesting. He explains, for the first time that I actually could understand the why of it rather than the fact of it's existence, the "why" of the unification of the three forces (excluding gravity) at high energies/temperatures, the "why" of black holes radiating away all their mass, and much of the "what" of Einstein's cosmological constant, which he calls the lambda force (as Einstein used the symbol lambda to represent it). Many other things are discussed along the way, and extensive notes for other reading are provided - many of which reference his own works. In sum, I feel this book could have been shorter OR have expanded upon the physics at the expense of the philosophy and religious discussion. Of the 300 pages of prose (the remainder being extensive footnotes and index), be aware that perhaps only 150 or 170 will be of interest to those who want a solid physics discussion. If you have wider interests, the remainder will also likely be of interest; some of it can also be found in the earlier chapters of Gullburg's "Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers."
Rating: 
Summary: Tour de Zero
Review: An English don has written a tome about Nothing. It consists of 280 pages of text, 20 pages of quotes, 100 or so diagrams, followed by 50 pages of notes. Sounds like a cure for insomnia? You'll be mistaken, for Barrow takes us on a delightful journey through the history and science of Nothing. He traces the development of the mathematical zero in from ancient Babylonia and India to today's null graphs- a "pointless concept". The author also explains the old and modern theories and creation of physical void (e.g. Ether, vacuums, zero-point energy) , in the layman's language. Of course, as an erudite tour guide he has to discuss the philosophy behind it all while quoting from just about any source-newspaper advertisements to obscure thinkers. I do have a couple of quibbles about the book. One chapter less on vacuum would have better served the flow of ideas. The philosophical development of zero/shunya didn't stop in Asia as soon as they exported it to Europe. Buddhists took the idea up (Nagarjuna especially) and today shunyata forms an integral part of Mahayana Buddhism. Barrow doesn't discuss this(for reasons of space?). On the whole, its almost as much fun as Seinfeld.
Rating:
Summary: Quite Insightfull
Review: Being next to Nobody, I can say Nothing :)
Rating: 
Summary: Very well written book.
Review: Easy to understand yet fairly complex in details. Nice job.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating Stuff
Review: I found this book deeply entertaining. It answered alot of questions, posed thought provoking ideas and was well presented. The fact that it fell off in the last few chapters didn't take away from it's overall appeal.
Rating:
Summary: Half of a Good Book
Review: I was excited to read this book. I find the concepts of zero and the vacuum very interesting and those are the very concepts that are the focus of this book. Unfortunately, it did not quite live up to my expectations. The first chapters of the book are quite good. Barrow gives us a history lesson on the development of the mathematical concept of zero as well as the historical concept of "nothing" which science will turn into the concept of vacuum. We get to read about the use of zero as a place holder in more complex numbering systems as well as its coming into being as a number. We get to read about the some of the great scientists--Pascal, Newton, Michelson, Einstein--doing experiments and tossing around ideas like the aether. All of this is interesting and well told. However, about half-way through the wheels start to fall off. Barrow is not nearly as good at explaining the modern concepts of the vacuum as he is about telling of its historical development. Modern physics is again grappling with the question of whether or not a true vacuum can exist. It may be that fluctuations in the vacuum caused the Big Bang and are constantly creating multiple universes, for example. But though Barrow discusses these things, he does not do so in a very coherent manner. Alan Guth, for instance, did a much better job of discussing these same subjects in his book on the inflationary universe theory. Plus, Barrow is clearly out to toot his own horn a bit in the last couple chapters by mentioning his own contributions to the development of the subject. It just so happens that his contributions don't seem nearly as important as other authors who have written on similar subjects. For those readers interested in the history of zero and the vacuum, I would suggest reading this book through chapter five and then putting it aside.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating early on, but disappoints toward the end.
Review: John Barrow's work is truly nifty and represents well-researched and designed material, that can stand on it's own.
If you have already read popular science cosmology books by Kip Thorne, Igor Novikov, Martin Rees or Alan Guth (just a few excellent examples - check my reviews), "The Book of Nothing" will still deliver new and fresh angle through which mysteries of quantum and Universe can be looked at. Therefore I recommend this book to all cosmology readers. Book is unique as a blend of tasteful dissertations from the realms of theology, philosophy, mathematics and cosmo - science. We will discover Mayan culture, Islamic art and Babylonian concept of zero, meet and learn what they thought or discovered - Greek philosophers, Hindus, Leibniz, Galileo, Pascal, Descartes, Newton/Einstein, Godel, Lemaitre, Plank, Guth, Linde, and Penrose/Hawking.
The main theme (regardless if this was cosmology part of the book or not) is vacuum, and more exactly: it's energy.
Vacuum is not empty due to quantum phenomena and vacuum presents itself as a LAMBDA force, dominating, according to what we observe, the current behaviour of visible Universe. Especially interesting are author's summaries about famous question: "Why is there something rather than nothing?", and about origin of the Universe and life.
Is it possible that Cosmos always existed and will exist, or has it been created out of NOTHING?
After all, one may construct, very easily, mathematical equation that proves "nothing" theory (find it inside the book).
Can cosmos be self-reproductive or cyclical? John Barrow and his colleague Mariusz Dabrowski discovered answer to the latter. Few explanations:
Figure 8.2 (Mexican hat): horizontal axes (both) can be labeled as Higgs field values.
Figure 8.5: horizontal axis contains label for the scalar field as well.
Figure 7.11 contains symbol "phi" (zero with slash): it represents the golden ratio and equals (1 + square root of 5)/2 = 1.61803... Sentence on page 248 (paperback edition) should read: "..so in combination they can pin down the Universe by their overlap with far greater certainty (not "uncertainty") than when taken singly." This sentence describes figure 8.10. Finally I was overwhelmed and amused by many great citations, that shine along the text. Some of them are really funny; some are incredibly deep and surprising.
Here is a sample of the funny one: "I must say that I find TV very educational. Whenever somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a book". For sure, go and read John Barrow's, you will not regret.
Rating:
Summary: The Book of Nothing
Review: The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids and the Latest Ideas About the Origins of the Universe written by John D. Barrow is a book about something and that is nothing. You see, we are accustomed to the concept of nothing, that is zero, but early acceptance of zero was a hard concept to visualize. As this book illustrates the fact that nothing is real, the ability to make complex theories about something that is nothing has made profound changes in mathematics, cosmology, theology and physics. This book takes us from the ancient Greeks to our own time as the book uncovers humankind's difficulty to understand and accept nothing as a real posibility. Zero in mathimatics is universally accepted today, but in ancient times people never had the concept or it was not understood. As this book takes us through the history of zero... clearly philosophers, mathematicians and christianity had a difficulty and even an abhorrence to nothingness. As you read on in this book, the author brings the concepts of nothing into the forefront and explains the theory with clarity and in a way that can be understood by all. I found this book to be one of the most entertaining and informative books on popular science that I've read in a long time. Nothingness is something and it is interesting reading. As you read this book, you'll notice that, as with any book that explains concepts, you need a history... something as a base of understanding, and this book elegantly delivers. There are illustrations to better drive home an understand of what the author is talking about and gives the reader a precise clarity. The first have of the book works with the concept of zero, but the second half of the book works the concept of empty universes or vacuums in space. Making this a very interesting book to read, the author writes about the origins of the universe in terms that you can understand and appreciate... he even brings a style of witt that makes for a beautifully written book. I enjoyed reading this book and hope others will also. The book also provides the strongest evidence yet that John Barrow is a succesful visonary.
Rating:
Summary: Begins with more than something ends with almost nothing...
Review: This book comes close to literary schizzophrenia if i ever encountered it in written form. Keeping in mind that the author aspires to explain "complicated" issues like voids, vacuums and the general concept of nothingness, this book could indeed have been another horror to read through like many such books are for those of us who dont spend our lives in labs.
I was more than surprised then when i discovered that for 200 odd pages (2/3 of the effort) D.Barrow does an incredible job explaining his subject in brilliant manner.
Beginning by backtracking in history, to exhibit how the ancients dealt with the concept of nothing and therefore needing to introduce the conception and the introduction (or non-introduction) of the number zero Barrow kept me heavily intrigued and increasingly stimulated. I was in fact in pure awe for a while, especially as the book progressed to the origins of the universe, early experiments about the vacuum and the startling things we've discovered about it, and then on to the ever-fascinating subject of the expansion of the universe (or agin, the non-expansion thereof). That part of the book is very enriched with philosophy which makes it all the more captivating. Philosophy, it may be unknown to some, has played a pivotal part in the development of physics. Before you can ever begin experimenting with anything you first need to grasp it even as an abstract concept in your mind. That far, this was easily the first book that could explain in a very comprehensive manner why the universe might be expanding and what the causes of such an effect might be, as well as, the effect of vacuums in this process. The joy didnt stop there, at least not for a while yet. Introducing theinevitable Einstein theorisations the author kept using down-to-earth language and very effective examples to build his case. But then for reasons i believe to be obvious the whole things falls apart. As if another author takes over 2/3 of the way in, the "Book of nothing" becomes almost a list-down of mathematical types, and descriptions of ultra-complicated experiments and even more convoluted theories. Worse yet, the language becomes wooden and tiresome, the examples fade off to ambiguity and the reading becomes a very, very difficult task.
An incredible effect to watch unfolding before my very eyes. I couldn't believe how much i'd actually grasped through the early stages of this book and how "nothing" (there is my pun) i grasped later on. And saying i grasped nothing later on is meant literally. I found myself reading the last 150 pages of the "Book of Nothing" as if it were hieroglyphics and were it not for the brilliance of this book initially i would've given it up all together. What happened then. Well, in my opinion, what happened was one of the following or some combination of them:
-Barrow might actually be a better philosopher than he's a physicist, hence he might be practicing the wrong profession.
-as is the case with other scientists who've written such ambitious books, the suspicion lingers threatfully on that they themselves might not understand what they're talking about. Indeed, a major principle of communication states that if your message is not understood then it is 100% your fault. But even more importantly, if your message isnt understood then your message might not be...right. Whichever the case, this is not the important thing. What is important is how this book is divided in half. Half of it absolutely incredible, fun to read, ultra-stimulating and then the other half a pure torture of a read with no reward in sight. For the part that does reward though i couldn't possibly over-reccommend this book. It's a must read especially if you feel there are concepts you dont seem to understand about the latest theories concerning the universe, its origins or its future, the vacuums and voids and other elements connected to this big (second pun, unintended this time) picture. If you find yourself giving up on the "Book of nothing" as you approach its conclusion, dont worry. Your overall effort wont be in nought.
Rating:
Summary: Begins with more than something ends with almost nothing...
Review: This book comes close to literary schizzophrenia if i ever encountered it in written form. Keeping in mind that the author aspires to explain "complicated" issues like voids, vacuums and the general concept of nothingness, this book could indeed have been another horror to read through like many such books are for those of us who dont spend our lives in labs.
I was more than surprised then when i discovered that for 200 odd pages (2/3 of the effort) D.Barrow does an incredible job explaining his subject in brilliant manner.
Beginning by backtracking in history, to exhibit how the ancients dealt with the concept of nothing and therefore needing to introduce the conception and the introduction (or non-introduction) of the number zero Barrow kept me heavily intrigued and increasingly stimulated. I was in fact in pure awe for a while, especially as the book progressed to the origins of the universe, early experiments about the vacuum and the startling things we've discovered about it, and then on to the ever-fascinating subject of the expansion of the universe (or agin, the non-expansion thereof). That part of the book is very enriched with philosophy which makes it all the more captivating. Philosophy, it may be unknown to some, has played a pivotal part in the development of physics. Before you can ever begin experimenting with anything you first need to grasp it even as an abstract concept in your mind. That far, this was easily the first book that could explain in a very comprehensive manner why the universe might be expanding and what the causes of such an effect might be, as well as, the effect of vacuums in this process. The joy didnt stop there, at least not for a while yet. Introducing theinevitable Einstein theorisations the author kept using down-to-earth language and very effective examples to build his case. But then for reasons i believe to be obvious the whole things falls apart. As if another author takes over 2/3 of the way in, the "Book of nothing" becomes almost a list-down of mathematical types, and descriptions of ultra-complicated experiments and even more convoluted theories. Worse yet, the language becomes wooden and tiresome, the examples fade off to ambiguity and the reading becomes a very, very difficult task.
An incredible effect to watch unfolding before my very eyes. I couldn't believe how much i'd actually grasped through the early stages of this book and how "nothing" (there is my pun) i grasped later on. And saying i grasped nothing later on is meant literally. I found myself reading the last 150 pages of the "Book of Nothing" as if it were hieroglyphics and were it not for the brilliance of this book initially i would've given it up all together. What happened then. Well, in my opinion, what happened was one of the following or some combination of them:
-Barrow might actually be a better philosopher than he's a physicist, hence he might be practicing the wrong profession.
-as is the case with other scientists who've written such ambitious books, the suspicion lingers threatfully on that they themselves might not understand what they're talking about. Indeed, a major principle of communication states that if your message is not understood then it is 100% your fault. But even more importantly, if your message isnt understood then your message might not be...right. Whichever the case, this is not the important thing. What is important is how this book is divided in half. Half of it absolutely incredible, fun to read, ultra-stimulating and then the other half a pure torture of a read with no reward in sight. For the part that does reward though i couldn't possibly over-reccommend this book. It's a must read especially if you feel there are concepts you dont seem to understand about the latest theories concerning the universe, its origins or its future, the vacuums and voids and other elements connected to this big (second pun, unintended this time) picture. If you find yourself giving up on the "Book of nothing" as you approach its conclusion, dont worry. Your overall effort wont be in nought.
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