astronomy

As a medical practitioner who is not versed with the intricate details of quantum mechanics and relativitiy (let alone string theory), I have been waiting for some time to read a book which explains in laymen terms, yet not too simplistically, the most recent attempts to formulate a Theory of Everything (TOE). I have enjoyed many books on related topics by people such as Paul Davies, Stephen Hawking, Murry Gell-Mann, Timothy Ferris, John Gribbin, Michio Kaku and others, however I desperately wanted to extend my knowledge to String Theory and its applications.

I picked up Brian Green's book with alacrity and wasn't disappointed. This book explains in sufficient but not too laborious detail the most recent advances in String/M Theory. Overall, the book is well structured and illuminating. Pitching with the right amount of detail and employing cogent analogies makes it a very easy read for a layperson. The one thing I would have liked, however, was a little bit of mathematical detail although I don't honestly know if this is feasible given the breadth of the topic.

Certainly a must read for anyone intersted in keeping abreast of the physics frontier, albeit it in an amateur way.

Two of the most important discoveries of modern physics, general relativity and quantum mechanics, were essentially irreconcilable for decades. Only revolutions in an area called string theory have made them compatible and introduced a theoretical framework that hopes to give us an understanding of every aspect of the unvierse and its phenomena.

Brian Greene, himself a physicist whose contributions helped string theory along in its adolescence, describes the essential problem with relativity and quantum mechanics and how string theory has resolved it. He goes on to elucidate the most recent version of "superstring theory," and the cutting-edge research which promises to incorporate that into an even more all-encompassing theory. He delves into aspects of cosmology that string theory has helped explain, such as black hole thermodynamics and the first few fractions of a second after the Big Bang.

Greene's explanations are both cogent and understandable by the everyday person, even if they require some non-trivial effort to grasp completely. He glosses over the mathematical underpinnings of the theory when necessary, but gives perfect illustrative examples to support the sometimes counterintuitive nature of they physics.

Don't expect a quick read -- unless you have a strong background in physics, many concepts will require multiple readings to digest. Still, this book will give you a level of familiarity with the research to understand articles in any popular medium and appreciate the new vistas open to us.

This books is over-rated, but still better than most books on the subjects he covers. I gave it two stars to get your attention. It is actually a 3 or 4 star book.

I was dissappointed because the title suggested I'd read more about the mysteries of the beginning of the universe and some of the philosophical issues pertaining to the nature of existance and ultimate reality. While the author did give me some good mindfood at the end of the book, the coverage was too brief and far too restrained. I think he was aware of his peers reading it and was being too conservative.

I skimmed a lot. I kept an eye out for places where he quit trying to teach me details and made some interesting comments. I'll give him credit--there were plenty of facinating paragraphs---but they were hidden in page after page of boring stuff. Lets face it, this is arcane stuff! But the implications are interesting, at least to me. I think the book should have been about half the length.

I personally don't think it is possible to understand things like relativity without working some problems. When I took physics, I had to work a few problems to think about the stuff deeply enough to "get it." I don't think many readers are looking to work that much--most of us want a stimulating read. And as the author mentions, many believe that no one really understands quantum mechanics. Also, I did not like the analogies as much as some other readers.

I recommend this book to really really smart readers or to readers who know how to skim without losing interest. Some of the insights were worth looking for.