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Summary: A well-explained view of the cosmos, and microcosmos
Review: I found this book to be superb in understanding string theory. I am an ametuer physist, and this book has used wonderfull analogies, not only for superstring theory, but for basic relativity and other phenmonena. I would rate it up there with Hawking's "A brief History of Time". I would most certainly buy this very readable book.
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Summary: Great for lay readers and specialist alike
Review: I'm not a scientist. I only have a passing interest in physics, and have read only a few books on the subject since college. But this book is an excellent one for lay persons and specialist alike. Greene does an excellent job of making the subject interesting, and explaining it about as clearly as anyone could do with such a complex topic. If you have some interest in physics, this is a great book to read.
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Summary: An Engaging Book About a Complex Subject
Review: Brian Greene does an excellent job of introducing the reader to the basics of superstring theory, which, according to Greene, may serve as the basis of the so-called Theory of Everything, the Holy Grail of modern physics.Along the way, he serves up lucid discussions of Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, as well as quantum mechanics. Thankfully, Professor Greene understands that some of the subject matter is bound to be difficult to digest the first time through, and he alerts the reader to those sections that may require extra concentration. I especially enjoyed his descriptions of his collaboration with other members of the physics community, which convey the excitement of scientific discovery. If you enjoyed "The Whole Shebang" by Timothy Ferris, you'll love this book. It left me with a new sense of awe regarding the universe at its smallest and grandest scales.
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Summary: the non-inelegant cosmos
Review: The more scientists probe the universe, the more bizarre and strange and...wonderful it appears to be. Brian Greene has written an impressive book on the ambitious new theory of superstrings, attempting to bridge the world of the small (quantum mechanics) and the world of the big (general relativity). As a non-scientist, I found the book fairly easy to follow, although the latter sections on subjects such as quantum geometry and M-theory required some heavy-duty concentration to absorb everything. A second reading is definitely in order. Many of the diagrams were helpful in conceptualizing what was being written about. For example, Fig. 5.1, portraying the quantum foam that shows the incompatibility between general relativity and quantum mechanics; Fig. 8.9 showing a Calabi-Yau space (a space where extra spatial dimensions can be curled up); Fig. 10.4 showing the orbifolding of a Calabi-Yau space. There's obviously much more work that scientists need to do to fine-tune superstring theory. I eagerly await the sequel to this book.
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Summary: Best of the Bunch
Review: I've been reading quite a lot of popular theoretical physics of late, and find this to be the best one. While the focus is superstrings, in order to get there Brian Greene takes a long road through the basic relativity and quantum subjects. This was what I enjoyed the most. He brought the subjects to life in a way that most others have not. It is clear, logical and uses common illustrations that simply make sense. It is great for a real novice as well as for someone who has dabbled a bit more, but wants a refresher.
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Summary: Enlightening Reading on Superstrings and the Universe
Review: This book is a treasure trove of information on Superstring theory and other important theoretical areas in physics. Expounds on the book by Michio Kaku "HYPERSPACE" (highly recommended). Other recommended books- "A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness" & "Stalking the Wild Pendulum" by Itzhak Bentov ; "Buddha's Nature" by Wes Nisker ; "KYBALION" by Three Initiates.
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Summary: The pictures of 6 Dimensional Calabi-Yau shapes were lacking
Review: Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of superstrings was limited to passing references in magazine articles and that time the Enterprise hit one in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wondering if I needed to get superstring coverage added to my auto-insurnance, I picked up this book. Needless to say, this was the book for me. Through insider knowledge and well conceived analogies, the basic premise of superstrings comes through clearly. I finished the book knowing enough about superstrings to sound smart at the comic book store while in reality my head painfully throbs at the thought of a 11-D space-time continuim. Not a pretty picture. The highlight of the book was the primer on old school quantum mechanics and general relativity. I wish Mr. Greene had written the textbooks for some of my physics classes. He very deftly tells the story of 20th century physics, setting up the reader for the stringy things to come. After reading the book, I was left wondering if string theory is really the end all/be all of physics or cold fusion's distant cousin, but at least I don't have to change my car insurance.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent read for a skeletal understanding of cosmology
Review: If you have absolutely no understanding of cosmology, Einsteins theories, Quantum theories and what it is that needs to be unified and why, read this book. Brian Greene has done an excellent job of demystifying these seemingly esoteric subjects. This is a concise read that offers morons such as myself a skeletal understanding of these subjects.
Rating:
Summary: Informative
Review: This book was extremely informative to me. I am a physics student and I am very interested in string theory and m theory. The Elegant Universe is the perfect book for those that do not know very much about strings. I also enjoyed the math notes at the back of the book.
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Summary: Great book, but a higher level version needed.
Review: Obviously a great book for all parties for what it offers - an in depth but qualitative look at supersymmetric string theory. What is needed in addition however, is a book like this with MATHEMATICS. As a physicist not working in string theory (like most physicists) I thirst for a book intermediate between Greene's book and, say, Kaku's book. A text that will really provide an intelligible introduction to the theory for mathematically literate non-specialists... Please Prof. Greene, write such a book!
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