Nova - The Elegant Universe

Rating:
Summary: Exploring a Groundbreaking New Theory of Physics
Review: +++++

This program is based on the best-selling book "The Elegant Universe" (2000) by Dr. Brian Greene (of Columbia University) and is hosted by Greene as well.

This program, originally shown on PBS's "NOVA" television series, is in three one-hour parts. Below I shall state the title and what I see as highlights of each part:

(1) Einstein's Dream

Isaac Newton; his theory of gravity; James Clerk Maxwell; his theory of electomagnetism; Albert Einstein; his theory of General Relativity; the telegraph; unification; Niels Bohr; Quantum Mechanics; parallel universes; strong and weak nuclear force; nuclear bomb; black holes; string theory.

(2) String's the Thing

Big Bang, unification; the world of quantum mechanics; how relativity and quantum mechanics differ; the brief history of string theory; what string theory is and how it works; particle physics; the "standard model," graviton; mathematical anomalies; extra spatial dimensions; the five types of string theory.

(3) Welcome to the Eleventh Dimension

string theory explained; wormholes; the tearing of the fabric of space; extra spatial dimensions; parallel universes; "M" theory; "the greatest living physicist," "branes;" eleven dimensions; closed-end vs open-end strings; Big Bang; the creation of the universe by branes; the "riddle of the Big Bang;" how to test string theory?; graviton; supersymmetry; sparticles; "Could string theory in the end be wrong?"

Now that you know the contents of each part, why should you bother viewing this program? In other words, why is string theory so important? The answer is provided by Greene. He explains that the goal of string theory is "to unify our understanding of everything, from the birth of the universe to the majestic swirl of galaxies in just one set of principles -- one master equation."

I read the above book first before I viewed this program. The book is much more detailed. However, the program has two major features that the book does not:

(1) brief commentary from many theoretical physicists (those mainly from the US but I noted one from the UK and one from Canada).
(2) fantastic moving graphics that illuminate the theories discussed thus making them more comprehensible.

Some people see this program as too simplistic and meant for children. They also see it as being too repetitive. I disagree. Considering the amount of material Greene has to present without any mathematics, I think he does an excellent job. If there was no repetition, the viewer would easily get lost.

As I said above, I read the book first on which this program is based. This is not necessary. You can simply view the program only. But remember that if you do this, you will get only important highlights of the book. I think the best thing to do is view the program first then read the book.

Finally, the DVD extras are worth exploring. They heightened my understanding of the material presented.

Finally, the only minor problem I had was that each one-hour part is preceded by the same NOVA commercials and the same summary of the entire program. Once I saw this for the first time before the first part began, I simply fast-forwarded when I came to these for the second and third part.

In conclusion, this is a fascinating program that explores a promising new theory called String Theory!!

(2003; 3 hours; 2 discs; full screen; closed-captioned; color with black and white sequences)

+++++


Rating:
Summary: Wow! Amazing! Beautiful! Intellectually Stimulating!
Review: A multi-media presentation of cool historical, currrent and physics concepts of how the universe works from the sub-sub atomic level to the macro universal level.

Great for the young 10 year old, the highschool and college physics student who wants to hear cool clear descriptions of physics concepts and to see it done in a techy, multi-media creative, fast paced way.. to the ancient armchair amateur scientist who'd liked to learn some of the latest cool theoretical physics concepts.

It's a great quick historical review of the physics concepts - from Einstein to Hawking... and a look to the future...

This DVD is not only educational for all ages, it's very entertaining, has amazing multi-media graphics and a narrator - cool science guy to guide the viewer through the tour of the universe to discover the "theory of everything".

It's absolutely the best presentation on the history, present and future of physics concepts I've ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: Quite good, better than I first gave it credit for
Review: After watching part 1, I would have said that this documentary was extremely oversimplified; but that would have been an understatement because this DVD does cover a lot more ground than I initially would have given it credit for.

In this program, scientists are trying to combine all the knowledge of physics into a universal theory that ties quantum mechanics with general relativity. The string theory is simply a concept that all matter is made up of exponentially tiny particles called 'strings'. These 'strings' vibrate almost like a musical instrument resonates at various harmonics to produce the different subatomic particles that make up our universe.

It is a very interesting concept that has been proven mathematically yet remains unproven scientifically. I think it is only a matter of time until modern science catches up with theory and some very exciting discoveries will be uncovered.

Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the best explanation of String theory
Review: Although a science aficionado, I will admit that I knew precious little about String theory prior to seeing this documentary. In many science books it was always an idea that would be referenced, but not really explained. The theory was briefly examined in STEPHEN HAWKING'S UNIVERSE, but that documentary didn't go into a whole lot of depth as it was one of many theories cited.

After viewing THE ELEGANT UNIVERSE, it is perhaps fair to say I still don't know a whole lot about String theory. However, I DO understand it much better than I did. And, it's not so bad to admit one's ignorance when it comes to String as even the greatest physicists in the world are compelled to admit their limitations in mastering the theory. Timothy Ferris of the university of California, Berkeley once said it best when he compared physicists trying to comprehend String theory to the Wright brothers attempting to fly a B2 Bomber.

Brian Greene of Columbia university is the guide on this journey, and the DVD is based on his book by the same name. While I own the book as well, it's still sitting on my bookshelf, waiting to be read. In Saganesque ways, Greene does a good job of invoking common & everyday things in explaining what is perhaps the single most complicated scientific theory ever devised by man.

Greene glosses over the realm of theoretical physics as well as Einstein's theory of Relativity. However, he does so primarily with the efficacy of demonstrating how both domains of physics relate to String theory. People who are interested in inquiring into either quantum mechanics or Relativity exclusively would do well to check out other science documentaries.

On the topic of String theory, however, I don't know of another inquiry that can compete with this one. Greene summons some of the best physicists in the world to assist in the quest; names such as Stephen Weinberg, Ed Witten and Alan Guth.

If you have a curious mind about science, this is an almost must-have DVD. While some of the notions presented are radical (if not totally out in left field?) the ideas are nevertheless worth pondering. To their credit, the scientists interviewed many times go to great lengths to expatiate that the whole theory maybe dead wrong. At present we may not have the technology necessary to determine as much.

In the interim may we and our future generations continue to test String theory and constantly apply the concept of Occham's Razor whenever necessary. Even if String theory ultimately turns out to be wrong, this DVD will STILL be worth buying for its bold scientific conjecture alone!

Rating:
Summary: Viewed from the right perspective, it's very good
Review: Anyone accustomed to the sober atmosphere of science writing will be rather shocked by Nova's treatment of "The Elegant Universe". Zany examples, intentional facetiousness and dazzling imagery a serious science discussion does not make. However if you're familiar with Brian Greene's writing style you'll immediately recognize that tounge-in-cheek is par for the course.

Greene's book is at once an intellectual excercise and a lightweight science review, and for that we are all grateful: much of the 19th & 20th century science leading up to the 'discovery' of the String Theories is poorly understood by educated Americans (most definitely including me), and the brushing-up is well deserved. And while some equations are included and some (light) mathematical work required, for the most part Greene realizes that most people will require some help visualizing those things which can never be visualized; quantum mechanics, strings, 11 dimensions.

Which is why it should not come as a suprise to many familiar with his books that the Nova treatment is so lighthearted, or contains so many simplistic visual examples again and again. This new math is inaccesible to most and challenging to the rest, so the eye candy is warranted.

And what eye candy! The visual elements, while at times capricious and overwhelming, are expertly done and do serve to provide further understanding of the subject. The visual effects team at Edgeworx has provided entertaining, educational visual material that should hold up to scrutiny over time.

Greene himself is generally an engaging host. While he has but one on-camera trick (pause, put hands together, glance at floor, then BANG back at the camera), he works it, all the while clearly explaining the subject.

One last thing that can be said about Nova's "The Elegant Universe" is that it is =responsible=. There is a large cast of scientists, mathematicians and others on both sides of String Theory. It is continually brought into question as untested, untestable, and possibly dead wrong. The closest to proselytizing that anyone does is to explain that Quantum Physics, the set of mathematical ideas that give extremely good approximations of what happens to sub-atomic particles, has never made an incorrect prediction. Not so with String Theory; no one is willing to say, on-camera, that String Theory is the truth, and in so doing, the piece retains a certain respectful distance from the subject.

Nova's "The Elegant Universe" is up-to-date, expertly made and provides a reasonably accessible overview of the various ideas known as String Theory as to be approrpriate for an audience of any age. I would like to live in the alternate universe in which "Stephen Hawking's Universe" and "Nova - The Elegant Universe" were shown back-to-back to school-age children as a comprehensive introduction to modern cosmological science.

Rating:
Summary: Physics combined with lovely and advanced computer graphics
Review: Because I loved the program on PBS, it was clear that I would buy the DVD, too. The DVD comes with the audio descriptions that you can turn on: in that case, a woman uses every second of silence to tell us what's going on. She says, for example, "Brian starts to talk with the other Brian." The DVD contains 3 hours of the string theory show as well as 5 minutes or so that sketches the events that happened "behind the scenes". It is interesting to learn and see how some of the computer effects were created. There are no subtitles, as far as I see.

Well, it has been revealed in the newspapers that more than 3 million U.S. dollars have been spent to create this NOVA show and most of the money went to computer graphics. The story starts in a house in Princeton, New Jersey, the actual house where Einstein spent the last decades of his life. The main task for the actor who plays Einstein is to die, but Brian Greene certainly shows his skills in more difficult contexts!

String theorists continue Einstein's quest for the final theory of the Universe. Strings are vibrating everywhere. Brian Greene jumps from the skyscraper to show how weak gravity is. Identical women playing the cello represent the different versions of string theory, but Brian eventually climbs the ladder to see that there exists one woman (M-theory) only whose image is reflected in five mirrors. A quantum elevator shows how weird physics becomes at the very short distance scales. Five Brians Greenes drink different beverages in the quantum café where everything is uncertain. Dozens of famous theoretical physicists and Nobel prize winners have their say about string theory, and Steven Weinberg disagrees with the slightly narrow-minded, but nevertheless elegant (and critical) viewpoints of Sheldon Glashow who shared the Nobel prize with Weinberg. Obviously, 1000 words is not enough to describe all interesting points in the show. For us, physicists, it is of course amusing to see so many colleagues of ours.

The show covers a large fraction of the most important moments in the history of physics - Newton's and Maxwell's discoveries, Einstein's relativity theories, and the breakthroughs brought by quantum mechanics. The key ideas of these theories are explained using very amusing video effects.

Nevertheless, the focus is on the incompatibility of quantum mechanics and general relativity, and especially string theory - our hottest candidate for a theory to unify all forces and matter in the Universe. We learn about Gabriele Veneziano whose formula started the whole industry. We also learn from Lenny Susskind - who was among the first people who realized that Veneziano's formula described strings (but he was not the only one, as the show suggests!) - got drunk when his paper was rejected (I guess it was not the only time). :-) John Schwarz and Michael Green work on a theory that none is interested in, but once they discover the anomaly cancellation in 1984, most of the theoretical physics community is taken by storm: the first superstring revolution starts. The different versions of string theory are unified during the second superstring revolution, initiated by Witten (well, this is also a bit simplified picture and the contributions of many other important people are not acknowledged, but 3 hours is clearly not enough to do everything perfectly). The braneworlds (and even the controversial ekpyrotic - born out of fire - Universe) are among the very recent advances that are covered. Brian Greene travels through the wormholes and calls his extraterrestrial friend, living on another brane, who is just watching the Simpsons.

PBS has not forgotten to show the existing as well as the future accelerators that are meant to verify these new ideas - for example to find the superparticles or the extra dimensions. No one tries to pretend that string theory has been proved, and many physicists admit that the theory can be wrong at the end. There are many other fascinating things in the show that make it comparable to the Matrix - except that you will never feel sick if you watch The Elegant Universe.

While this show is a lot of fun, I would still recommend everyone to read the book ("The Elegant Universe", and perhaps also the very new book by Brian Greene called "The Fabric of the Cosmos") because many subtleties just could not be included in the DVD version. The book explains how and why the fundamental things in relativity and quantum mechanics (and string theory, of course) work the way they do, and these things are missing on the DVD. Perhaps, you will be so excited that you will buy a technical textbook about string theory, too.

Rating:
Summary: NOTHING like the book!
Review: Brian Greene has no greater fan (except maybe his mother), and his magnificent book The Elegant Universe is phenomenal. I expected this tape to discuss some of the perplexing issues relating to superstring and M theory. Instead I ended up with something made to appeal to grade school children--lot's of goofy special effects and only the most cursory treatment of the subject. If you expect to learn anything from this video, you'll be bitterly disappointed. The only reason I gave it even one star was because it was nice to actually see and hear the author--a truly brilliant scientist who possesses the rare gift of illuminating complex subjects for the general public. Get the book instead. After you read The Elegant Universe, get his next book, The Fabric of the Cosmos. Forget about this ridiculous, juvenile video. (I do not mean to be nasty--just want to spare other people from the cost and disappointment of this video.)

Rating:
Summary: Concepts for the conceptualess
Review: Depending where you are coming from and where you are going to, there is something for everyone. There are people that keep up with the latest information on the universe; for those people this is a great program to show where the public is. It also is nice to have what you already know restated so you can look at it from a different angle. For people that slept through school or attended in the Stone Age this is may be a shocker for the last time you looked. Then there are people that see this as a wakeup call for the first time.
The program is designed to give you basic information about the latest theories on how the universe works and goes beyond Einstein to attempt to tie all the theories up into a single elegant bundle (Superstrings.)
The visuals help and having a different media allows one to retain information better. However the format leaves something to be desired. The redundancy goes beyond reinforcing to boredom. The sound byte format of leaping from one person to another, when it is just as possible to stay with one person for a completed thought, is like watching a used car commercial. Any one concept could be a whole program in it's self (and probably is.) They show a formula and say "here it is"; then two seconds later it is gone and they are off on another subject.
In any event you will not look at the universe in the same old way.

Rating:
Summary: Very limited in scope - 5th grader material
Review: I also was very excited when I saw that there was a NOVA production about String Theory, but after watching all 3 episodes on the DVDs, I realized this was created to provide a very simplistic view. I was hoping to actually receive a much higher level of information but it seems this was created to reach the masses, including younger children. Much is repeated over and over in the various shows and doesn't provide anyone with more than a taste of the subject. Maybe that is enough for one to be moved to go study on there own. Please don't get these DVDs thinking you will learn much!

Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for the right audience
Review: I am watching this right now thanks to the "View first, buy later" review- the link to view it in entirety is http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/program.html
I will definitely buy this for my kids to watch in the following years. I remember watching Cosmos and how it inflamed my imagination. I hope that I can give that to my kids somehow, and reading a book to them is not going to give the level of stimulation that kids need today for it to get through.