Description |
xiii, 448 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm |
Contents |
Pt. I. The Edge of Knowledge. 1. Tied Up with String -- Pt. II. The Dilemma of Space, Time, and the Quanta. 2. Space, Time, and the Eye of the Beholder. 3. Of Warps and Ripples. 4. Microscopic Weirdness. 5. The Need for a New Theory: General Relativity vs. Quantum Mechanics -- Pt. III. The Cosmic Symphony. 6. Nothing but Music: The Essentials of Superstring Theory. 7. The "Super" in Superstrings. 8. More Dimensions Than Meet the Eye. 9. The Smoking Gun: Experimental Signatures -- Pt. IV. String Theory and the Fabric of Spacetime. 10. Quantum Geometry. 11. Tearing the Fabric of Space. 12. Beyond Strings: In Search of M-Theory. 13. Black Holes: A String/M-Theory Perspective. 14. Reflections on Cosmology -- Pt. V. Unification in the Twenty-First Century. 15. Prospects |
Summary |
In this refreshingly clear book, Brian Greene, a leading string theorist, relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind the search for the ultimate theory. String theory, as the author vividly describes, reveals a vision of the universe that is sending shock waves through the world of physics. Thrilling and revolutionary ideas such as new dimensions hidden within the fabric of space, black holes transmuting into elementary particles, rips and punctures in the space-time continuum, gigantic universes interchangeable with minuscule ones, and a wealth of others are playing a pivotal role as physicists use string theory to grapple with some of the deepest questions of the ages. With authority and grace, The Elegant Universe introduces us to the discoveries and the remaining mysteries, the exhilaration and the frustrations of those who relentlessly probe the ultimate nature of space, time, and matter |
Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 427-428) and index |
Subject |
Cosmology.
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Superstring theories.
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LC no. |
98025695 |
ISBN |
0393046885 |
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0393058581 |
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