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Black Holes, Wormholes & Time Machines
by Jim Al-Khalili
Product Details
Editorial Reviews
The Economist, 4-10 December, 1999
Time is a persistent theme in Jim Al-Khalili's account of modern physics. The book is based on a series of lectures that he gave to schoolchildren for the Institute of Physics, although it is also intended for adults. It aims to explain topics such as quantum mechanics, relativity, the big bang and black holes in a way that is accessible to the non-specialist. Mr Al-Khalili explains that time is thought to have started along with the universe in the big bang, about 15 billion years ago (for comparison, the sun is about halfway through its life of about 10 billion years). Time also has a direction: although most physical processes are reversible, there is roughly speaking a tendency (familiar to parents) for the world to become ever less organised.
However, time does not always flow at the same rate: travelling close to the speed of light or falling into a black hole slows the passage of time relative to an observer. These are complex ideas that physicists usually express in mathematical language. Mr Al-Khalili avoids mathematics, yet gives an admirably clear account of some of the concepts involved.
Review
the reader will enjoy the clear and non-technical explanations strewn with historical anecdotes about the heroes of this quest for the understanding of what is space and time Al-Khalili takes us by the hand to a fascinating world from which you may not return
-Jean-Phillipe Uzan, Laboratoire de physique theorique, University of Paris, France
This is precisely the kind of book that I like reading. The pace of the journey as the ever more complex theories unfold is well handled. Jim Al-Khalili uses layman's language to his credit.
-Vernon Nash
I know of no other book on this subject that is so accessible to the reader for whom relativity and quantum mechanics are new. The author's explanations are unusually clear, and he writes at a simple level without being patronizing or slow-paced. The tone is consistently good-humored, almost playful at times.
-Publisher Tom Quinn
Jim Al-Khalili has produced, with earnest intentions, a concise, well written book this is on the whole a pleasant, readable book.
-Physics World
If you want to know about time, this is the book. I don't know of another nearly as good and I've read a lot of them. But more than telling you about time, what makes this book exceptional is that it conveys a wonderful sense of the beautiful excitement of scientific ideas.
-David Malone, Producer of BBC's Documentary The Flow of Time
Jim Al-Khalili has written a splendid popular book The book would be an excellent resource for school teachers in both mathematics and physics to enrich their teaching, and to enthuse their students. Many physicists will enjoy this easy-to-read book I highly recommend it for teenagers with an interest in science and for non-scientists interested in the deep questions of our universe.
-Professor David G. Blair, University of Western Australia, The Physicist
Jim Al-Khalili's [book] is another of the many books about the wonders of the Universe and what we know about them. But with a difference, though. Enthusiasm to make everything understandable to the most untutored comes from every page. It's successful, it's humorous, and it's up to date. A great crib for furtive, refreshing use.
-New Scientist
This is a popular book on general relativity and cosmology including black hole physics. Also, the history of these subjects is described, and a valuable list of references, including both popular and advanced levels, is attached the book contains several nice figures to help understanding properties of relativity theory.
-Hans-Jurgen Schmidt, Zentralblatt Math
Throughout the book, everything is surprisingly clear and the readers are left with lots of room for her/his imagination to follow their own thoughts, though not losing track of the trend It is actually fun reading this book This book gives a good impression of how special and general relativity affect our environment.
-Karsten Markus, Department of Astronomy, UCT
See all Editorial Reviews
BLACK HOLE
.................................................................................................................
Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy
by Kip S. Thorne, Stephen Hawking
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at CalTech, here offers an accessible, deftly illustrated history of curved spacetime. Covering developments from Einstein to Hawking, he takes his readers to the very edge of theoretical physics: straight through wormholes--and maybe back again--past hyperspace, "hairless" wormholes and quantum foam to the leading questions that drive quantum physics. He even addresses the tabloid taunt that has tantalized him since 1988: Do quantum laws allow time travel? (In his foreword, Hawking suggests, "Maybe someone will come back from the future and tell us the answers.") Thorne is rigorous, modest and, true to the spirit of science, determined that readers move beyond the appeal of exotic answers and grasp the significance of quantum questions. This volume, a model of style, format and illustration, will speak eloquently to the readership, ranging widely in scientific literacy and interest, that such theoretical physics writers as Hawking and Feynman have established.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This book's subtitle explains it all. Virtually all astrophysicists accept the fact that Einstein's theory of general relativity is the best model of physical reality that we have. In other words, it is essentially correct. Yet the model requires the existence of physical phenomena beyond one's wildest imagination. One of the investigators attempting to fathom the depths of the theory, Thorne here describes the people who have done the work and the trails, both false and fruitful, they have followed. He brings us up-to-date on the state of the art in black hole research and the attempts to find definitive proof of their existence. Even with the mathematics removed, his explanations can be pretty heavy going. Nevertheless, the payoff is worth the work. For academic and larger public library science collections.
Harold D. Shane, Baruch Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
See all Editorial Reviews
TIMEWARPS
..............................................................................................................................
* The Beginning of Time - Stephen Hawking
time
.................................................................................................
The Future of Quantum Cosmology - Stephen Hawking
future
.............................................................................................
An Introduction to Mathematical Cosmology
by Jamal Nazrul Islam
Product Detailsby Jim Al-Khalili
Product Details
- Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Taylor & Francis; 1 edition (January 1, 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0750305606
- ISBN-13: 978-0750305600
- Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
Editorial Reviews
The Economist, 4-10 December, 1999
Time is a persistent theme in Jim Al-Khalili's account of modern physics. The book is based on a series of lectures that he gave to schoolchildren for the Institute of Physics, although it is also intended for adults. It aims to explain topics such as quantum mechanics, relativity, the big bang and black holes in a way that is accessible to the non-specialist. Mr Al-Khalili explains that time is thought to have started along with the universe in the big bang, about 15 billion years ago (for comparison, the sun is about halfway through its life of about 10 billion years). Time also has a direction: although most physical processes are reversible, there is roughly speaking a tendency (familiar to parents) for the world to become ever less organised.
However, time does not always flow at the same rate: travelling close to the speed of light or falling into a black hole slows the passage of time relative to an observer. These are complex ideas that physicists usually express in mathematical language. Mr Al-Khalili avoids mathematics, yet gives an admirably clear account of some of the concepts involved.
Review
the reader will enjoy the clear and non-technical explanations strewn with historical anecdotes about the heroes of this quest for the understanding of what is space and time Al-Khalili takes us by the hand to a fascinating world from which you may not return
-Jean-Phillipe Uzan, Laboratoire de physique theorique, University of Paris, France
This is precisely the kind of book that I like reading. The pace of the journey as the ever more complex theories unfold is well handled. Jim Al-Khalili uses layman's language to his credit.
-Vernon Nash
I know of no other book on this subject that is so accessible to the reader for whom relativity and quantum mechanics are new. The author's explanations are unusually clear, and he writes at a simple level without being patronizing or slow-paced. The tone is consistently good-humored, almost playful at times.
-Publisher Tom Quinn
Jim Al-Khalili has produced, with earnest intentions, a concise, well written book this is on the whole a pleasant, readable book.
-Physics World
If you want to know about time, this is the book. I don't know of another nearly as good and I've read a lot of them. But more than telling you about time, what makes this book exceptional is that it conveys a wonderful sense of the beautiful excitement of scientific ideas.
-David Malone, Producer of BBC's Documentary The Flow of Time
Jim Al-Khalili has written a splendid popular book The book would be an excellent resource for school teachers in both mathematics and physics to enrich their teaching, and to enthuse their students. Many physicists will enjoy this easy-to-read book I highly recommend it for teenagers with an interest in science and for non-scientists interested in the deep questions of our universe.
-Professor David G. Blair, University of Western Australia, The Physicist
Jim Al-Khalili's [book] is another of the many books about the wonders of the Universe and what we know about them. But with a difference, though. Enthusiasm to make everything understandable to the most untutored comes from every page. It's successful, it's humorous, and it's up to date. A great crib for furtive, refreshing use.
-New Scientist
This is a popular book on general relativity and cosmology including black hole physics. Also, the history of these subjects is described, and a valuable list of references, including both popular and advanced levels, is attached the book contains several nice figures to help understanding properties of relativity theory.
-Hans-Jurgen Schmidt, Zentralblatt Math
Throughout the book, everything is surprisingly clear and the readers are left with lots of room for her/his imagination to follow their own thoughts, though not losing track of the trend It is actually fun reading this book This book gives a good impression of how special and general relativity affect our environment.
-Karsten Markus, Department of Astronomy, UCT
BLACK HOLE
.................................................................................................................
Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy
by Kip S. Thorne, Stephen Hawking
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Thorne, the Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics at CalTech, here offers an accessible, deftly illustrated history of curved spacetime. Covering developments from Einstein to Hawking, he takes his readers to the very edge of theoretical physics: straight through wormholes--and maybe back again--past hyperspace, "hairless" wormholes and quantum foam to the leading questions that drive quantum physics. He even addresses the tabloid taunt that has tantalized him since 1988: Do quantum laws allow time travel? (In his foreword, Hawking suggests, "Maybe someone will come back from the future and tell us the answers.") Thorne is rigorous, modest and, true to the spirit of science, determined that readers move beyond the appeal of exotic answers and grasp the significance of quantum questions. This volume, a model of style, format and illustration, will speak eloquently to the readership, ranging widely in scientific literacy and interest, that such theoretical physics writers as Hawking and Feynman have established.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
This book's subtitle explains it all. Virtually all astrophysicists accept the fact that Einstein's theory of general relativity is the best model of physical reality that we have. In other words, it is essentially correct. Yet the model requires the existence of physical phenomena beyond one's wildest imagination. One of the investigators attempting to fathom the depths of the theory, Thorne here describes the people who have done the work and the trails, both false and fruitful, they have followed. He brings us up-to-date on the state of the art in black hole research and the attempts to find definitive proof of their existence. Even with the mathematics removed, his explanations can be pretty heavy going. Nevertheless, the payoff is worth the work. For academic and larger public library science collections.
Harold D. Shane, Baruch Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
TIMEWARPS
..............................................................................................................................
* The Beginning of Time - Stephen Hawking
time
.................................................................................................
The Future of Quantum Cosmology - Stephen Hawking
future
.............................................................................................
An Introduction to Mathematical Cosmology
by Jamal Nazrul Islam
- Hardcover: 202 pages
- Publisher: Cambridge University Press (October 30, 1992)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0521373859
- ISBN-13: 978-0521373852
- Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
Editorial Reviews
Product Description
This book is a concise introduction to the mathematical aspects of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe. The book begins with a brief overview of observational cosmology and general relativity, and goes on to discuss Friedmann models, the Hubble constant, models with a cosmological constant, singularities, the early universe, inflation and quantum cosmology. This book is rounded off with a chapter on the distant future of the universe. The book is written as a textbook for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. It will also be of interest to cosmologists, astrophysicists, astronomers, applied mathematicians and mathematical physicists.
Book Description
This is a concise introduction to the mathematical aspects of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe. It begins with a brief overview of observational cosmology and general relativity and goes on to discuss Friedmann models, the Hubble constant, models with a cosmological constant, singularities, the early universe, inflation and quantum cosmology.
mathcosm
