A User's Guide to the Universe: Surviving the Perils of Black Holes, Time Paradoxes, and Quantum Uncertainty - Couverture rigide

Goldberg, Dave; Blomquist, Jeff

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0470496517 ISBN 13 : 9780470496510

Editeur : John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 2010

Synopsis

Book by Goldberg Dave Blomquist Jeff

A propos du livre

Quatrième de couverture

"What a delightful book! It pulls no punches or punch lines in explaining all the fun topics in physics and cosmology. From quarks to quasars, from electrons to extraterrestrials it′s all here. Whether you are interested in how to build a time machine or a transporter, or would like to know why curiosity killed Schrödinger′s Cat, you will find clear and memorably illustrated explanations. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the recent exciting developments in physics and astronomy."
J. Richard Gott, Professor of Astrophysics, Princeton University, and author of Time Travel in Einstein′s Universe

"I wish I′d had Goldberg and Blomquist as my physics teachers. Strangelets that grow until they strangle the world! Instructions for building an awesome teleportation device, and then transforming it into a super–awesome time machine! Speculations on the odds against our own existence! [and even deeper speculations on being in two places at once!] I′m going to recommend this book to my students, who are science journalists and to any and all readers who want to have more fun in the universe."
Jonathan Weiner, Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism,and Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Beak of the Finch

We don′t like to mince words. If you have your heart set on building a faster–than–light drive or a time machine out of a DeLorean, knock yourself out. If you want to know whether these things are even possible and you like anthropomorphized fundamental particles, read A User′s Guide to the Universe.

This plain–English, plain–hilarious handbook ushers you through all of the major discoveries of modern physics, from relativity to the Large Hadron Collider, without furrowing your brow even once. Put your mind at ease and jump into modern physics in a way you never imagined possible comfortably. Now is your chance to impress people at cocktail parties with your insights into the world of quantum weirdness, time and space, the expanding universe, and much, much more.

Who knows? You might even learn something.

Revue de presse

With a large measure of humor and a minimum of math (one equation), physics professor Goldberg and engineer Blomquist delve into the fascinating physics topics that rarely make it into introductory classes, including time travel, extraterrestrials, and "quantum weirdness" to prove that physics′ "reputation for being hard, impractical, and boring" is wrong by at least two–thirds: "Hard? Perhaps. Impractical? Definitely not... But boring? That′s where we really take issue." Breaking up each topic into common sense questions ("How many habitable planets are there?" "What is Dark Matter?" "If the universe is expanding, what′s it expanding into?"), the duo provides explanations in everyday language with helpful examples, analogies, and Blomquist′s charmingly unpolished cartoons. Among other lessons, readers will learn about randomness through gambling; how a Star Trek–style transporter might function in the real world; and what may have existed before the Big Bang. Despite the absence of math, this nearly–painless guide is still involved and scientific, aimed at science hobbyists rather than science–phobes; it should also prove an ideal reference companion for more technical classroom texts. 100 b&w photos. (Mar.) ( PublishersWeekly.com, March 29, 2010)

"If you′ve ever wondered what happened before the big bang or where the universe is expanding, then the new book A User′s Guide to the Universe is for you. A hilariously serious journey through all the big questions (Can I build a time machine?) with answers from real–life physicist David Goldberg and sly illustrator Jeff Blomquist, this indispensable window on modern science makes a great nonfiction companion to the beloved, A Hitchhiker′s Guide to the Galaxy." (Christian Science Monitor)

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: John Wiley & Sons Ltd
• Date d'édition: 2010
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0470496517
• ISBN 13: 9780470496510
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 304
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible