Cutting-edge physics for a popular audience. This time out, Kaku
(Physics, CUNY; Hyperspace, 1994, etc.) takes us through the broad
outlines of what physicists call "Theories of Everything." The
hottest new flavor here is M-Theory, a derivative of string theory
in which our universe is considered to be one of innumerable
parallel universes separated by tiny distances in
eleven-dimensional space. While apparently counterintuitive, such
theories arise from the solid twin pillars of modern physics:
quantum theory and general relativity. Kaku dutifully steers the
reader through the key formulations of physics, with brief glimpses
of the scientists behind the big ideas: not only Newton, Einstein
and Hawking, but the playful George Gamow, who did as much as
anyone to make the Big Bang respectable, and the wisecracking
Richard Feynman, who cheerfully admitted that nobody really
understands quantum theory. We also get a look at the hardware of
today's science, from the atom-smashers that generate new particles
to the giant telescopes that peer back toward the origins of the
universe. Kaku clearly enjoys speculating about the broader
implications of his subject, and he cites several SF novels with
obvious familiarity. His concluding chapters offer a discussion of
some ways an advanced civilization might escape the heat death of
the universe by tunneling into a parallel universe where the stars
still shine. Unfortunately, though, Kaku sometimes stumbles when he
strays beyond physics. Errors creep into his historical summaries
(Copernicus wrote his astronomical treatise well before his
deathbed), and analogies sometimes fall flat: he states that
plucking a musical string harder produces a different note (it just
becomes louder). His final chapter looks for meaning in the
structure of the cosmos, seeking a compromise between the
Copernican principle (we are not special) and the anthropic
principle (we can hardly be accidental). Ambitious and
thought-provoking. (Kirkus Reviews)
From the bestselling author of Physics of the Impossible, Michio
Kaku's Parallel Worlds takes us to the frontiers of scientific
knowledge to explain the extraordinary nature - and future - of our
universe. Imagine a future where we are not alone - where our
universe is just one of countless parallel worlds, some strangely
familiar, some almost unimaginable. And that, when planet earth
finally runs down to a cold, dark wasteland, we will be able to
escape into these new worlds and start again. Michio Kaku's
thrilling guide to the galaxy shows us how it could happen sooner
than we think - and the future for intelligent life is one of
endless possibilities. 'This book is absolutely impossible to put
down ... if and when we do find out what the universe is, and how
it was created, it's going to be absolutely mind-blowing'
Independent on Sunday 'One of the gurus of modern physics'
Financial Times 'An exhilarating read ... nobody who reads this
book can be anything less than amazed by the possibilities it
presents' Scotland on Sunday 'The journey he takes the reader on is
so picturesque and the conclusions so startling that you are
gripped' Sunday Telegraph Michio Kaku is a leading theoretical
physicist and one of the founders of string theory, widely regarded
as the strongest candidate for the 'theory of everything'. He is
also one of the most gifted popularizers of science of his
generation. His books published by Penguin include Parallel Worlds,
The Physics of the Future and The Physics of the Impossible. He
holds the Henry Semat Professorship in Theoretical Physics at the
City University of New York, where he has taught for over
twenty-five years.
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