'A wonderful book about Stephen Hawking's biggest legacy' Spectator 'This superbly written book offers insight into an extraordinary individual, the creative process, and the scope and limits of our current understanding of the cosmos' Sir Martin Rees Stephen Hawking's closest collaborator offers the intellectual superstar's final thoughts on the cosmos. Perhaps the biggest question Stephen Hawking tried to answer in his extraordinary life was how the universe could have created conditions so perfectly hospitable to life. In order to solve this mystery, Hawking studied the big bang origin of the universe, but his early work ran into a crisis when the math predicted many big bangs producing a multiverse - countless different universes, most of which would be far too bizarre to ?harbour life. Holed up in the theoretical physics department at Cambridge, Stephen Hawking and his friend and collaborator Thomas Hertog worked on this problem for twenty years, developing a new theory of the cosmos that could account for the emergence of life. Peering into the extreme quantum physics of cosmic holograms and venturing far back in time, they were startled to find a deeper level of evolution in which the physical laws themselves transform and simplify until particles, forces, and even time itself fades away. This discovery led them to a revolutionary idea: The laws of physics are not set in stone but are born and co-evolve as the universe they govern takes shape. As Hawking's final days drew near, the two collaborators published their theory, which proposed a radical new Darwinian perspective on the origins of our universe. On the Origin of Time offers a striking new vision of the universe's birth that will profoundly transform the way we think about our place in the order of the cosmos and may ultimately prove to be Hawking's greatest legacy.

This book summarizes and presents the scientific search for life in the universe, and the current level of scientific understanding of how life begins, grows, and becomes intelligent in our Solar System and beyond. This engaging book promises to appeal not only to the general reader but to scientists as well, many of whom strive to acquire an informed perspective on the search for extraterrestrial life in fields not their own.

On Albert Einstein's seventy-sixth and final birthday, a friend gave him a simple toy made from a broomstick, a brass ball attached to a length of string, and a weak spring. Einstein was delighted: the toy worked on a principle he had conceived fifty years earlier when he was working on his revolutionary theory of gravitya principle whose implications are still confounding physicists today.

Starting with this winning anecdote, Anthony Zee begins his animated discussion of phenomena ranging from the emergence of galaxies to the curvature of space-time, evidence for the existence of gravity waves, and the shape of the universe in the first nanoseconds of creation and today. Making complex ideas accessible without oversimplifying, Zee leads the reader through the implications of Einstein's theory and its influence on modern physics. His playful and lucid style conveys the excitement of some of the latest developments in physics, and his new Afterword brings things even further up-to-date.

In the tradition of Flatland, and with an infectious enthusiasm, Clifford Pickover tackles the problems inherent in our 3-D brains trying to visualize a 4-D world, muses on the religious implications of the existence of higher-dimensional consciousness, and urges all curious readers to venture into 'the unexplored territory lying beyond the prison of the obvious'.

Join Kanna, Kanta, Yamane, and Gloria in "The Manga Guide to the Universe" as they explore our solar system, the Milky Way, and faraway galaxies in search of the universe's greatest mysteries: dark matter, cosmic expansion, and the Big Bang itself.

As you rocket across the night sky, you'll become acquainted with modern astronomy and astrophysics, as well as the classical discoveries and theories on which they're built. You'll even learn why some scientists believe finding extraterrestrial life is inevitable

You'll also learn about: Discoveries made by Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Hubble, and other seminal astronomersTheories of the universe's origins, evolution, and geometryThe ways you can measure and observe heavenly bodies with different telescopes, and how astronomers calculate distances in spaceStellar classifications and how the temperature, size, and magnitude of a star are relatedCosmic background radiation, what the WMAP satellite discovered, and scientists' predictions for the future of the universe

So dust off your flight suit and take a fantastic voyage through the cosmos in "The Manga Guide to the Universe."

Das Lehrbuch soll Studierende mit Interesse an den theoretischen Naturwissenschaften, deren Kenntnisse im wesentlichen aus einem Grundkurs der Differential- und Integralrechnung wie etwa fur Ingenieurfacher bestehen, in die klassische Feldtheorie mit modernen mathematischen Methoden einfuhren. Dementsprechend sind die Tensoranalysis und die Differentialgeometrie die mathematischen Themen, die Geometrie der Raum-Zeit und das Prinzip der Relativitat im Zusammenhang mit den Grundgesetzen der Elektrodynamik und der Gravitation die physikalischen. Mit Rucksicht auf die Mathematik der Relativitatstheorie, aber auch aus didaktischen Erwagungen, gliedert sich der Text in zwei Teile. Um den Leser unter einfacheren Anforderungen an das Vorstellungsvermogen mit der Methodik vertraut zu machen, wird zunachst der affine und euklidische Raum den mathematischen Objekten zugrundegelegt, um verallgemeinernd zur komplexeren Geometrie auf Mannigfaltigkeiten und Riemannschen Raumen hinuberfuhren zu konnen. Die Tensoranalysis in ebenen und gekrummten Raumen wird durch eine Einfuhrung in die spezielle und allgemeine Relativitatstheorie erganzt und abgeschlossen, wobei die Geometrie der Raum-Zeit und die Formulierung der Grundgesetze sowie mathematische Folgerungen zur Sprache kommen.

What happens when the country's greatest logician meets the century's greatest physicist? In the case of Kurt Godel and Albert Einstein the result in Godel's revolutioinary new model of the cosmos. In the 'Godel Universe' the philosophical fantasy of time travel becomes a scientific reality. For Godel, however, the reality of time travel signals the unreality of time. If Godel is right, the real meaning of the Einstein revolution had remained, for half a century, a secret. Now, half-century after Godel met Einstein, the real meaning of time travel in the Godel universe can be revealed.

The origins of life on earth, the workings of the human mind, the mysteries of the Universe itself--profound questions such as these were once the province of philosophy and theology alone. Today they have become the staple--and indeed the hallmark--of the finest writing about science. And few science writers have tackled the big questions as persistently and as insightfully as astronomer John Barrow.
Now, in Between Inner Space and Outer Space, Barrow brings together dozens of essays that offer a sweeping account of his explorations along the boundary lines of science, philosophy, and religion. Here is an invigorating tour of topics such as cosmology, evolution, Grand Unified Theories, complexity and chaos, the nature of time, super string theory, quantum mechanics, particle physics, Big Bang theory, and much more. Barrow's range is remarkable. He examines, for instance, what science can tell us about our love of music or why certain paintings appeal to us. He recounts the dramatic discoveries made by the satellite COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer) and reveals what these findings tell us about the origins of the Cosmos. He discusses the debate over the nature of the universe waged by Stephen Hawking and Roger Penrose. And he offers a thoughtful review of E.O. Wilson's Consilience, seconding Wilson's criticism of social scientists who remain quite ignorant of the key insights made by the life sciences.
Leavened with a sprightly sense of humor, Between Inner Space and Outer Space illuminates modern science as it provides much food for thought about life's ultimate questions.

The sequel to the bestselling Science of Discworld.
The acclaimed Science of Discworld centred around an original Pratchett story about the Wizards of Discworld. In it they accidentally witnessed the creation and evolution of our universe, a plot which was interleaved with a Cohen & Stewart non-fiction narrative about Big Science. In "The Science of Discworld II" our authors join forces again to see just what happens when the wizards meddle with history in a battle against the elves for the future of humanity on Earth. London is replaced by a dozy Neanderthal village. The Renaissance is given a push. The role of fat women in art is developed. And one very famous playwright gets born and writes The Play. Weaving together a fast-paced Discworld novelette with cutting-edge scientific commentary on the evolution and development of the human mind, culture, language, art, and science, "The Globe" presents a fascinating and brilliantly original view of the world we live in. The scene of the final epic battle is the first production of "A Midsummer's Night Dream" at the Globe Theatre.""

CHOSEN AS A BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE GUARDIAN, DAILY TELEGRAPH, NEW STATESMAN AND BBC SCIENCE FOCUS 'An intimate, unique, and inspiring perspective on the life and work of one of the greatest minds of our time. Filled with insight, humour, and never-before-told stories, it's a view of Stephen Hawking that few have seen and all will appreciate' James Clear, author of Atomic Habits An icon of the last fifty years, Stephen Hawking seems to encapsulate genius: not since Albert Einstein has a scientific figure held such a position in popular consciousness. In this enthralling memoir, writer and physicist Leonard Mlodinow tells the story of his friend and their collaboration, offering an intimate account of this giant of science. The two met in 2003, when Stephen asked Leonard if he would consider writing a book with him, the follow up to the bestselling A Brief History of Time. As they spent years working on a second book, The Grand Design, they forged a deep connection and Leonard gained a much better understanding of Stephen's daily life and struggles -- as well as his compassion and good humour. Together they obsessed over the perfect sentence, debated the physics, and occasionally punted on Cambridge's waterways with champagne and strawberries. In time, Leonard was able to finish Stephen's jokes, chide his sporadic mischief, and learn how the hardships of his illness helped forge that unique perspective on the universe. By weaving together their shared story with a clear-sighted portrayal of Hawking's scientific achievements, Mlodinow creates a beautiful portrait of Stephen Hawking as a brilliant, impish and generous man whose life was not only exceptional but also genuinely inspiring.

From the bestselling author of The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene's The Fabric of the Cosmos takes us on an irresistible and revelatory journey through the biggest of the big questions. What is reality? Could we exist without space and time? Can we travel to the past? What are the limits of the universe? Brian Greene has made the mysteries of space and time accessible to millions with his acclaimed writings and award-winning TV series. Now he reveals a world more beautiful and bizarre than we could have imagined, where 'dark matter' reigns, space warps and wiggles through eleven dimensions, minute particles dance, fizz and teleport across vast distances, everything is made of vibrating strings and, like an ant on a lily-pad, we may be floating on a sliver of spacetime. Revealing new layers of reality that lie just beneath the surface of our everyday lives, this grand tour of the universe will make you look at the world in a completely new way. 'A must-read' Sunday Times 'Greene takes us to the limits of space and time' Guardian 'Sends the reader's imagination hurtling through the universe on an astonishing ride' The New York Times Brian Greene is well known to many fans as a populariser of theoretical physics. He is the author of the bestselling books about string theory, The Elegant Universe, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, he has taught at both Harvard and Cornell and has been Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University since 1996.

Polymath Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a self-described 'scientific traveller', was one of the most respected scientists of his time. Humboldt's wanderlust led him across Europe and to South America, Mexico, the U.S. and Russia, and his voyages and observations resulted in the discovery of many species previously unknown to Europeans. Originating as lectures delivered in Berlin and Paris (1827 1828), his two-volume Cosmos: Sketch of a Physical Description of the Universe (1845 1860) represented the culmination of his lifelong interest in understanding the physical world. As Humboldt writes, 'I ever desired to discern physical phenomena in their widest mutual connection, and to comprehend Nature as a whole, animated and moved by inward forces'. Volume 1 explains celestial and terrestrial phenomena, while Volume 2, demonstrating Humboldt's interest in representations of the natural world, examines poetic descriptions of nature, landscape painting, and how the physical universe was comprehended through history.

Basic to the entire theory and applications of black hole physics Global Aspects in Gravitation and Cosmology covers the topics needed to understand the current key issues in gravitation theory: cosmology and black holes. Emphasized is the basic theme that the very nature of the gravitational field is such that global features of space-time inevitably come into play whenever we try to understand and interpret this force in detail. After discussing the fundamental role played by global considerations in gravity and general relativity, Joshi points out the significant problems that remain. The key problem of which been the issue of quantum effects in strong gravity fields, an understanding of which is essential to formulate any quantum theory of gravity. This book will be beneficial to mathematicians and physicists.