Now: The Physics of Time
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.58 (987 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0393354814 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-06-17 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
For his outstanding work in experimental cosmology, he was awarded a 1982 MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and also a share of the 2015 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics for the discovery of dark energy. Muller is professor of physics at the University of California, Berkeley, and the best-selling author of Physics for Future Presidents. Richard A.
The best nonfiction books expand your knowledge, and Now takes that effort one step further by expanding how you actually think about so-called reality. Muller’s enthusiasm for physics propels the reader through complex ideas such as space-time, entropy, the flexibility of space, lightspeed loopholes, and his dislike of string theory. Muller’s love of physics will charm even those who want nothing to do with the subject, and even more engaging is his humility about the extent of our current understanding of how the universe works: “I think we can take joy in the speculation that we are not running out of important things to discover.&rdq
Two thirds of a good book: 3.5 stars Ashutosh S. Jogalekar This book by Berkeley physicist Richard Muller is a combination of very interesting and disappointing. The main goal of the book is to provide an overview of a new theory of the generation of time that Muller has proposed. According to Muller, just like space expands as the universe expands, so does time. Thus, when the Big Bang occurred, along with new space new time was also created, and new time continues to be created even as the expansion of the universe is accelerating.This is a very interesting and in fact fascinating hypothesis. Muller even provides some preliminary, testable experimenta. Aaron C. Brown said An excellent book written by a great physicist who is also a great educator. This is an excellent book, and I particularly recommend it in combination with Sean Carroll's recently published The Big Picture. Both books cover the modern understanding of the nature of reality with precision and without jargon; at a level that intelligent non-specialist readers can readily understand; and incorporate historical perspectives that clarify the accounts. Remarkably, there is very little overlap between the two books. Moreover, in addition to teaching some fundamental physics, the two books have opposing philosophic points. Carroll argues for naturalism, while Muller makes the ca. Not well written The promos for this book make it sound as if it's for the general reading public. Well, it's not. There are equations and references to equations throughout. Muller skips over many difficult ideas without sufficient explanation, and these really need to be explained more thoroughly to a novice reader in the field of physics.Also there are many digressions (do we really need to know how he decided to name his daughter?). In other places, where he needs to build his arguments carefully, he doesn't do it.Here’s a passage from the middle of the book to demonstrate what I mean: “The vacuu
With the stage then set, he reveals a startling way forward. From the celebrated author of the best-selling Physics for Future Presidents comes “a provocative, strongly argued book on the fundamental nature of time” (Lee Smolin).You are reading the word “now” right now. Einstein showed that the flow of time is affected by both velocity and gravity, yet he despaired at his failure to explain the meaning of “now.” Equally puzzling: why does time flow? Some physicists have given up trying to understand, and call the flow of time an illusion, but the eminent experimentalist physicist Richard A. He says physics should explain reality, not deny it. He begins by laying outwith the refreshing clarity that made Physics for Future Presidents so successfula firm and remarkably clear explanation of the physics building blocks of his theory: relativity, entropy, entanglement, antimatter, and the Big Bang. Muller’s monumental work will spark major debate about the most fundamental assumptions