| The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything Contributor(s): Halpern, Paul (Author) |
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ISBN: 0471741493 ISBN-13: 9780471741497 Publisher: Trade Paper Press OUR PRICE: $15.19 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2005 Annotation: Praise for The Great Beyond "A marvelous book--very clear, very readable. A brilliant introduction to the math and physics of higher dimensions, from Flatland to superstrings. Its greatest strength is a wealth of fascinating historical narrative and anecdote. I enjoyed it enormously." "A remarkable journey from Plato's cave to the farthest reaches of human thought and scientific knowledge. This mind-boggling book allows readers to dream strange visions of hyperspace, chase light waves, explore Klein's quantum odyssey and Kaluza's cocoon, leap through parallel universes, and grasp the very essence of conscience and cosmos. Buy this book and feed your head." "Halpern looks with a bemused eye at the wildest ideas currently afoot in physics. He takes us into the personal world of those who relish and explore seemingly outlandish notions, and does it with a light, engaging style." "An informative, stimulating, and thoughtful presentation at the very frontiers of contemporary physics. It is quite on a par with Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe or his more recent The Fabric of the Cosmos, and as such, deserves to receive wide non-specialist coverage among an intelligent, curious, thinking public." |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | Physics - General |
| Dewey: 530.01 |
| Physical Information: 0.89" H x 6.22" W x 9.28" (1.04 lbs) 320 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The concept of multiple unperceived dimensions in the universe is one of the hottest topics in contemporary physics. It is essential to current attempts to explain gravity and the underlying structure of the universe. The Great Beyond begins with Einstein's famous quarrel with Heisenberg and Bohr, whose theories of uncertainty threatened the order Einstein believed was essential to the universe, and it was his rejection of uncertainty that drove him to ponder the existence of a fifth dimension. Beginning with this famous disagreement and culminating with an explanation of the newest ""brane"" approach, author Paul Halpern shows how current debates about the nature of reality began as age-old controversies, and addresses how the possibility of higher dimensions has influenced culture over the past one hundred years. |