The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene
The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene
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The Elegant Universe
Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Author: Brian Greene

Narrator: Erik Davies

Unabridged: 15 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/23/2008

Synopsis

"[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.

Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling.    Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.

About Brian Greene

Not many author bios begin with the author also being an American theoretical physicist, mathematician, and string theorist, but such is the bio for Brian Randolph Greene. He is a full professor in Physics at Columbia University where he has worked on "mirror symmetry" and described the "flop transition, a mild form of topology change, showing that topology theory can change at the conifold point".

Greene was born in New York City in 1963 to a Jewish family. His father was a high school drop-out, performed in vaudeville, then became a voice
coach and composer. Greene earned his doctorate at Magdalen College, Oxford University in 1987. He also studied piano while there.

The public knows him through his books: The Elegant Universe, Icarus at the Edge of Time, The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Hidden Reality. For fun, he has appeared on The Big Bang Theory, and has been in the films Frequency and The Last Mimzy. He was also the voice reader of the U.S. version of the preschool television series, Maisy.

Currently, Greene is co-director of Columbia's Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics. He joins fellow investigators on a project entitled "Arrow of Time in the Quantum Universe", through a FQXi large grant award.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Manny

[Original review, written December 2008] When I read this book, I remember thinking it was pretty interesting, but I am surprised how few insights I have retained... to be honest, hardly any. Smolin's The Trouble with Physics, which I read much more recently, suggests that string theory is in big tro......more

Goodreads review by BookHunter محمد

عندما سقطت التفاحة التوراتية سقطنا معها إلى هذا العالم و من ثم أصبح لزاما علينا أن نفهمه أو على الأقل نفهم كيف نعيش فيه. و عندما سقطت تفاحة نيوتن ظن العلماء أننا فهمنا أخيرا برغم مقولة نيوتن بأنه كشخص يلعب بالأصداف على شاطئ المحيط بدون أن يجرؤ حتى على النزول و معرفة ما فيه ناهيك عما وراءه. فسر القانو......more

Goodreads review by Marvin

Do I understand string theory? Not sure. Do I understand M theory? A little bit but don't ask for any algebraic reasoning. Do I know exactly what a Calabi-Yau is? Not really but I think they look a little like the hair balls from my cat. This is the second time I've equated quantum physics and all......more

Goodreads review by Alisha

I left Christianity a few years ago and swore off religion altogether; however, after reading this book, string theory has become tantamount to religion in my life. Brian Greene writes beautifully about particles, planets, and the origins of our universe as we know it today. It is a heavy book- I do......more

Goodreads review by Riku

To think I put all that effort to understand a discredited theory.........more

Quotes

"The Elegant Universe is compulsively readable.... Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes."  -New York

"[An] important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations-and some of the characters-of string theory with clarity and charm."  -Scientific American

"As good as it gets.... [A] thrilling ride through a lovely landscape."  -Los Angeles Times

"[Greene] writes with poetic eloquence and style.... [He] does an admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms."  -The Washington Post Book World

"[Greene's metaphors oftten provide beauty and power.... The Elegant Universe is a rewarding read."  -Discovery Magazine

"String theory is the hottest idea to emerge in physics since Stephen Hawking gazed into a black hole.... [Greene] explain[s] it in terms that anyone can understand."  -San Francisco Chronicle

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