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As a result, every road block baffling the scientific world then was instantly removed. Einstein took Newton's theories and took a step back. Thus the theories behind quantum mechanics, relativity, black holes, time travel, and wormholes can all be comprehended by the average person. Before Einstein's heydays, Newtonian physics indicated that space was not absolute, meaning different observers of a moving object may conclude differently about the distance it travelled.
When he returns to Earth, he will find that much more time has indeed elapsed during his absence and his twin brother is now 100 years older than him. Of all the theories described in the book, I was most intrigued by Einstein's special theory of relativity.Before the dawn of the 20th Century, the Michelson-Morley experiment was conducted to substantiate the existence of a substance called "ether." Instead, it created a shock wave for the entire scientific community. You might find it hard to accept this outcome. These imaginary experiments came to be known as Einstein's paradoxes. However, time was always assumed to be absolute, i.e., different observers would always agree on the time it took an object to traverse through space. Throughout the next twenty years, numerous futile attempts were made to explain the surprising results of the experiment.
Needless to say, the origin of the universe may just provide a clue to the birth of life. Its wonder lies in the fact that the forefront of physics is portrayed in laymen's terms. In order to reach his conclusions, he took a step back from well known physics principles. This book is famous like its author. Perhaps the most famous one is the twins paradox: A twin steps on a spaceship and travels at the speed of light for 20 years according to his watch.
In the end, it was Einstein's special theory of relativity that came to the rescue.A remarkable consequence of relativity is that it revolutionized our ideas of space and time. Sometimes, moving a step backwards and re-evaluating popular opinion is not a bad idea. Nor would we be troubled by the Michelson-Morley experiment. One of my favourite books is A Brief History of Time, written by Stephen Hawking. That is why it is called a paradox in the first place. However, this is not so difficult any more if you think of time being relative.Einstein's brilliance in my opinion, lies not in his discovery of relativity, but the manner in which he did it. Instead of taking for granted the firmly-entrenched view that time was absolute, he chose to doubt it.
In the end, he took a completely opposite stance. Of course, to his credit, Einstein also applied immense creativity and ingenuity to secure the fantastic success that he enjoyed. Every time I pick up this paperback, I feel humbled by the grandeur of our mysterious universe. Nonetheless, I will keep this lesson in mind on my quest for knowledge. He claimed that if one lets go of the idea of absolute time, then we need not "invent" the idea of ether. The notion of absolute time, however, is so deeply engraved in our minds that even today, it is difficult to discard.Einstein went on to come up with unconventional predictions of how objects behave when they approach the speed of light. Einstein's work prompted me to wonder whether we can always take our assumptions for granted.
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5 stars from me. This is an excellent book, I would recommend it to anyone, though you might have to read it more than once to fully understand the depth. After-all it is written by Stephen Hawking :)
I bought this as a used book expecting there to be some wear and tear, but it looks brand new. Great quality product and very prompt shipping.
I believe the reader will acquire a better picture of the mind of the astrophysicist, but I don't the relevance of these intangible concepts will be readily grasped. He talks to the reader in language they can understand, yet he never "speaks down" to the reader.
In this book, Stephen Hawking attempts to take these extremely complicated and unfathomable theories and present them in a manner that is both understandable and entertaining. For the majority of people, advanced physics is something understood only by a select few, something that requires years of post-graduate work to grasp.
This allows the reader to see that there are many things that could change still about our current perception of the universe.Having done this, Hawking delves into more complicated concepts, such as the theory of relativity, the Big Bang, black holes, and the end of the universe. For the most part, he is successful.Hawking starts by recounting the development of the understanding of our world through the eyes of physics.
This helps show how the many perceptions of our universe that we now take for granted often took many years to be understood and accepted. Hawking also considers the role of God in a universe governed by physics in a way that I believe would not offend the believer.In all, Hawking manages to condense a lot of complicated material into a short, simple book.
Upon finishing the book, I was left wondering what many of these difficult theories actually mean to us as a whole.
As a computer programmer without any secondary/post-secondary physics knowledge, I was able to easily grasp the concepts presented. Perfect book for the physics curious.
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