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Summary: A Brief History of Time, Review
Review: It is a shame that other books concerning this industrial (advanced) and momentus subject aren't as explicit and clear as this book. Dr.Stephen Hawking discusses early and long held thought, briefing a bakground into the new subect. Once the perliminaries are over he discusses black holes and their form and structure. In the chapter entitled "Black Holes Ain't So Black" he briefly discusses the discoveries of his that lead to earning his Ph.D. He bridges the gap between physicist and expert and brings it down a noch to the amateur.
Stephen Hawking's work is more like a simplistic poem rather than a, well... textbook. It is clear and crisp and contains a great deal of knowledge. All that it takes to read this book is a cosy seat, a nice light, and a keen intrest.
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Summary: This one will help inspire students to appreciate science
Review: A book that inspires me is good for my students, and I can then communicate my positive reactions to them. I always want to inspire first, teach second. This is an excellent book from, probably, the greatest scientist since Einstein. I intend to make it required reading for my students in a liberal arts oriented science program. Following up with somewhat more technical things, like "Elegant Universe" and "Symmetry" makes a complete physics course for the non scientist.
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Summary: Great as an introduction - not for the experts!
Review: I found this book to be a great introduction to theories on the origins of our universe, the concepts of time, gravity, the big-bang, black holes, wormholes, etc. This is not an in-depth textbook full of incomprehensible language and ideas, but more a guide that provides the reader with a glimpse into the various theories used to explain the physics of the universe for the past 2000 years or so. While there are quite a few technical terms and some of the discussion is confusing, most readers will walk away knowing more than they knew before reading the book. We're also left with the realization that this is an ever-changing field - new research and theories are constantly coming into play and many ideas and concepts are still complete mysteries.
A Brief History of Time was not written for experts in the areas of physics/astrophysics (you already know all this), but more for the educated reader that wants to know a little more about some very interesting concepts. Don't be surprised if you find one or more areas that have piqued your interest to do further research!
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Summary: Hawking's genius.
Review: I found this to be a valuable tool in understanding current physics. I would recommend this book for anyone curious about the universe or looking for a introduction to basic theoretical knowledge.
With topics ranging from the Theory of Relativity to Black Holes, Hawking has it all packed in. He is also very good at giving background information pertaining to earlier theories of the kind, who the theorists were, and the major accomplishments of those particular scientists.
The book is good reading. In spite of some scientific jargon, equation and figures, the average reader can well understand it. However, being a collection of lectures and articles, some amount of repetition is present in the work. There are places where some more explanation would do a lot of help to the reader while making the conclusions at various stages more plausible.
The value here is in our contemplating the vastness of space and time.
Though the book is a bit pricy, the illustrations, and overall book quality make up for it. Not to mention, Hawking's genius.
I also recommended Sex and the perfect lover by Mabel Iam.
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Summary: fantastic!
Review: I had the original Brief History of Time, but the illustrated version makes it a LOT more fun to read. Hawking's rapier-like mind and wit come through in this great book, and the plentiful color images help the reader visualize many of the trickier concepts. Just go buy it. Trust me.
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Summary: Too complex for the curious minded...
Review: I was very interested in reading this book because of its reviews and subject, but reading it wasn't what i hoped for. This book is not very reader friendly. It seems that the only people able to understand the majority of what he gets into
(i.e: equations,terms,subjects) would only be understood by people who have a degree in the subject. I've taken a few college classes in astronomy and enjoyed the subject very much, but seriously, i simply finished the second half of the book just to complete it. I went through the first half with hopes of it getting easier or better. There is a lot of information given, but it's really hard to understand or comprehend for anyone who doesn't have a background in astronomy.
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Summary: Scientific Literacy
Review: In the modern era, natural science is more than a lot of abstract thoughts and boring jargon--it is a leader of society. Newton's theory of physics, Darwin's theory of evolution, Heisenberg's uncertainty principle--all have changed the way we think about the world, influenced other disciplines, and ultimately changed society. Because of this profound effect science has on society, it is important for the general public to understand the ideas and development of science. Unfortunately, it becomes increasingly difficult to do so as science becomes more specialized and technical. Enter Stephen Hawking and 'A Brief History of Time.' The book is one of many great books that increase scientific literacy for ordinary people like me. Only someone who fully understands the basic concepts of theoretical physics could put it into clear and easy prose as Hawking does. He outlines the progress of theoretical physics and the theories that attempt to describe the universe, all in plain English. Hawking paints a picture of the universe--its beginning, its end, the direction of time, black holes-- with the wonder and curiosity of the child plus the style and confidence of a brilliant mind. One of the most brilliant minds in this century, as a matter of fact. The final sentence about knowing the mind of God--"the ultimate triumph of human reason"--reminded me of that timeless scene in the Bible where the serpent convinces Adam and Eve to eat the apple. Figuratively (*figuratively*) , that triumph is what we left Eden for. We have left Paradise for unknown horizons, for questions instead of answers, for a world of wonders. That quest is what A Brief History of Time is about. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
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Summary: It Will Change the Way You Look at the Universe!
Review: Stephen Hawking is an established scientific genius, but this book establishes him as a brilliant writer - an extremely rare, yet valuable combination. A point he brings to attention is that it had been possible for the philosophers of ancient times to master practically all the knowledge of academia. Today, however, only a handful of extremely specialized scientists understand the latest ideas in their fields. While men of ancient times could easily understand the latest scientific ideas, people today are lost. Enter "A Brief History of Time." This book helps fill in that gap between an average person's understanding and the highly specialized scientists' knowledge. This book covers ideas that are profound and affect everyone. It explains theories that concern the creation of the universe, time travel, light-speed travel, and many more topics. Imagine actually having some grasp of Einstein's general relativity. Ever heard of string theory? How might time travel actually be possible? What are these black holes of which I've heard? This book packs an incredible amount of information into its 248 pages, yet somehow is still easily read - this is the true marvel of this book. The illustrated version is worth the extra money. It contains many updates and additions throughout the book by Hawking (including the time travel chapter!). Every (and I mean every) concept throughout the book is accompanied by at least one illustration - think about it: 240 color illustrations with only 248 pages! Towards the middle of the book, some of the concepts get more complex (when he really gets into the details of sub-atomic particles). However, as a recent high school graduate, I can say with some level of certainty that the average person can understand 90% of this book - and those parts are the most interesting! It will change the way you look at the universe.
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Summary: A classical predecessor of the Elegant Universe
Review: Stephen Hawking is the first physicist who was able to combine the laws of the small - quantum mechanics - with the laws of the large - general relativity - to find out something fascinating: black holes evaporate. He was also the first man who published a book on theoretical physics that has become popular world-wide (about 9 million copies have been sold). Many readers have learned a lot of exciting things about our universe from this book. So did I - even though I was a student of theoretical physics. Although this book is not as perfect as Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe", the successor of the Hawking's book in the position of the book on theoretical physics causing such a stir, "A Brief History of Time" will remain a tour de force, a pioneering work which began a new interest in physics among masses of people. That is why do I recommend you to read this book about the big bang, black holes, the quest for the ultimate theory and many other issues.
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Summary: OK
Review: Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of the Universe has enjoyed, and continues to enjoy, tremendous popularity (particularly for a science book - albeit a non technical one). As someone with a keen interest in cosmology and its philosophical implications, I am predisposed to view anything that brings these issues to a broader audience in a favourable light ? indeed this was not a terrible book. I do not believe, however, that it warrants the rave reviews that it has received from many Amazon customers. I sense that this may be a new area for many of these readers and a bit of bandwagon jumping may have occurred. Although Hawking is an accomplished scientist, in my view, his abilities as a communicator are modest and his grasp of philosophical concepts is limited.
In his book Hawking touches briefly on a range of issues. Following is my opinion regarding the handling of these issues. The overview of the history of cosmology and relativity theory is well done. His discussion of Quantum theory could be stronger (a variety of material that presents quantum theory and its implications/questions is available for free on the Internet - Alan Wolf also has some excellent material in this area for a popular audience). Black holes are one of Hawking's key interests and there is a lot of interesting theoretical work being done in this area. That said, however, I feel that the discussion of this topic is a bit too long. Finally, though interesting, I found the discussion of speculative concepts such as multiverses and imaginary time ill-suited for this type of book. To be honest, this type of metaphysical conjecture is better suited for a work of science fiction than a popular overview of cosmology. Although the author caveats many of his thoughts in this area, the lay reader could easily come away with the view that these ideas have a much firmer basis than is actually the case.
I found Hawking's lack of depth with respect to the philosophical implications of cosmology disappointing. Readers seeking more on issues such as the limits of science, the relationship between science and reality, the nature of God, etc. would be better served to look within in the realms of scientific and religious philosophy (many of the questions that men such as Hawking are just being to grapple with have been addressed in great depth and clarity for millennia). Asking a scientist who works in a narrow area of research to clearly understand and articulate the broader ramifications of their work is a bit like asking a software developer to explain the effect of the Internet on society. The point here is not to unduly criticize scientists or software developers, but, to highlight that there are individuals more at ease with analysing the wider implications of technical and theoretical developments. For example, an interesting read with regard to the philosophical implications of current cosmological thought is Smith and Craig's Atheism, Theism and Big Bang Cosmology.
In conclusion, anything that increases interest in the "big" questions is worth a look. Accordingly, I think Hawking should be congratulated for introducing these ideas to a broader audience. There are, however, many better discussions of these issues available in both print and on the Internet.
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