Tag Archives: physics

May 18, 2013 · 11:40 am

George’s Secret Key to the Universe by Lucy & Stephen Hawking

 

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Weeeeeeeee this book was so fun! Like, I’m really excited to buy it for myself AND for my nephew Josh. I kind of stumbled across this book on accident. I was at the library looking in the kid’s section for the A Series of Unfortunate Events books and this one caught my eye on the shelf. It’s about the universe, and it’s a kid’s story, and it’s written by Stephen Hawking and his daughter! Obviously I had to check it out.

George’s Secret Key to the Universe is about George, a young kid who is fascinated by the stars in the sky and wants nothing more than a computer, which his technology-resistant parents refuse to buy him. One day chasing his pet pig, he discovers that the long-abandoned house next door has people living in it! A young girl with a penchant for playing dress-up named Annie lives there with her dad Eric, who is a scientist, have moved in. Eric and Annie let George in on a secret and show him their super-special computer, Cosmos. Cosmos is the most advanced computer there is and can show them the wonders of the universe – literally. George has plenty of adventures travelling in space ahead of him – but someone else has more evil plans for Cosmos, and it’s up to George to save the day.

Okay so even without the super-nerdy stuff that I enjoyed, like explanations of how stars are born, what asteroids are made out of, and so on – this is a really fun kids book. There was a creepy, maniacal bad guy and bullies and a science contest and a growing friendship between George and Annie and a wonder computer and it was actually really exciting and action-packed! PLUS there are cool little inserts throughout the book that explain some of the science terms and there are several sections of color photos!

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A peak inside the book…

 

After finishing the book, I was really happy and realized that I definitely have to buy this for my nephew – he’s 8 and really into space, and I think that this will be a interesting book for him; some of it might be a little over his head, but plenty of Amazon reviewers said their 9-year olds enjoyed it, so it should be fine. He’ll enjoy the story, even if he can’t wrap his head around the idea of a black hole just yet.

I was thinking “Man, I hope that the Hawkings write a sequel…”  Well, it turns out there are two sequels already! I’m planning to buy all three books for myself to read and keep, and I think I’m going to buy the first book for my nephew for next Christmas :-) Too bad his birthday just passed! And I’m hoping that when my other niece and nephew get older, they’ll enjoy these books too.

Anyways, this is a really cute, fun story that has the added bonus of sneaking some learning in. I HIGHLY recommend it! Seriously, if you have kids around 9-12 who like to read, get this for them even if you think that they aren’t into space. They just might be after they travel around the universe with George for a bit.

Sarah Says: 5 stars

 

 

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April 4, 2013 · 7:53 am

Just Six Numbers by Martin Rees

Martin Rees

This may not be the sharpest review, because I finished this over the weekend and I’m feeling a bit lazy this morning. I shall try though!

I COULD describe what this book is about to you in my own words, but part of the blurb on the back does it so well so here ya go:

“The nature of our universe is remarkably sensitive to just six numbers, constant values that describe and define everything from the way atoms are held together to the amount of matter in our universe. If these values were “untuned” there could be no stars and no life. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our place in the universe, on the deep forces that shape, quite simply, everything.”

Yup. Sounds like a page-turner, right?

Actually, it was really engrossing and as it’s only about 180 pages long, it was a good book that I read pretty quickly. As always when I read science books, I pay attention to the publication date – this was in 2000, so some info or things may have changed since then but if so I didn’t notice it. Sooooo, do you wanna know the six numbers that help shape our universe? Of course you do!*

  1. Ν / Nu – A ratio of the strength of the electrical forces that hold atoms together compared to the force of gravity (basically, gravity is super super super weak)
  2. ε / Epsilon – Defines how firmly atomic nuclei bind together
  3. Ω / Omega – Amount of matter in the universe
  4. λ / Lambda – A cosmic force of “antigravity” that seems to be affecting the expansion of the universe
  5. Q – Ratio of how much energy would be required to break apart a large “structure” like a galaxy compared to it’s rest mass energy
  6. Δ / Delta – How many spatial dimensions there are in our universe

And basically if any of these numbers or values were just a teeny tiny bit off, the universe wouldn’t have evolved the same way and we most likely would not be here. Fascinating! Right? Well shut up, I think so.

Martin Rees also talks a bit at the end about how you can take all of this information. He talks about the obvious – that some people will take the fact that the universe seems to have been made perfectly so that we could exist is proof of God’s existence, or that some people will say it’s just a coincidence. What I liked most was that he proposed a third way to think about it – that our universe is just one of a larger multiverse. It could be that these numbers are different in other universes, that the laws of physics as we know them only apply to our universe. You guys might know that I’m a fan of multiverse theory, so I was really happy that he discussed that possibility.

Overall, Just Six Numbers was a really interesting read. My only real complaint is that a summary or glossary or something would be handy as a reference – I like concise definitions, and sometimes even after reading a whole chapter I had to look up the number being discussed to make sure I was grasping the concept correctly. But basically,  think all science-y books should come with a glossary built into it somewhere, cause come on – it’s just helpful.

Sarah Says: 3.5 stars

*I hope I used all those little Greek symbols right.

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January 9, 2013 · 4:36 pm

Hyperspace by Michio Kaku

Hyperspace, Michio Kaku

Hooray! Finished my first non-fiction/science book of the year!

Soooooo, Hyperspace is about string theory, and how string theory predicts that there are 10 dimensions and all the cool stuff that we would be able to do if this was true and if we could “harness the power” of hyperspace AKA all the dimensions.

I went into this book kind of reserved – partly because it’s almost 20 years old – it was published in 1994. So you know, some of the science that Michio is discussing in the book is a little old, theories have changed a bit, technology has certainly changed a lot, etc. (Hey Michio Kaku, if you’re reading this you are awesome and you should consider writing a revised edition of this, kay?)

Because this is one of the first books I’ve read that really focuses super hard on string theory, I don’t know how exactly it has changed or evolved over the last 20 years, other than it’s still one of the leading theories for a Theory of Everything but hasn’t been confirmed as such because it can’t really be proven experimentally or mathematically, at least not yet. And while Michio didn’t convince me that string theory is “it”, I did learn some stuff.  If you’re interested in physics or string theory, you should read this. It’s pretty easy to understand.

While I can’t comment on the rightness or wrongness of a lot of this book, I did enjoy it. I learned things, and it made me think. I like it when books make me exercise the muscles in my brainpan. Also, I’m pretty sure Michio is my favorite physicist. His enthusiasm for physics is so exciting, and I LOVE that he gets all nerdy about Star Trek and uses examples of physics in literary fiction to get his points across. Also, he joined the US Army during the Vietnam War and talked about how while he was learning to throw grenades and dodge machine gun bullets, he was working on physics-related equations and solutions in his head. DUDE IS AWESOME. (The Vietnam War ended before he was ever deployed though, so yay.)

Michio Kaku, Doctor Who

Michio.

This was a good book. He went into the history of different theories and mathematics a lot, which was interesting (although some of it I already knew, which makes me happy cause it means I’m actually retaining information from reading these books). I liked trying to envision other dimensions and trying to wrap my brain around it, however futile (our human brains literally cannot fathom the idea of more than 3 spatial dimensions). I really hope that we find out in my lifetime what exactly the Theory of Everything is in my lifetime. I don’t know if Michio is backing the right team or not, but he does of good job of getting you excited about the whole search for it, no matter which theory ends up being right.

Sarah Says: 3.5 stars

(Psssst. I’ve also read another book by Michio Kaku - Physics of the Future, if you want to check out that review. It was a really awesome book.)

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December 21, 2012 · 4:31 am

The Truth About Santa: Wormholes, Robots, and What Really Happens on Christmas Eve by Gregory Mone

 

Oh how fun. This book combined two of my favorite things – Christmas, and theoretical physics. I forget where I heard of this book initially, but I borrowed it from the library and started reading it right away.

Gregory Mone takes all of the questions you may have about Santa – How does he deliver everything in one night? Can reindeer really fly? How does he fit down the chimney? And then he gives you the real, secret answers. It’s not magic, it’s science! Each section of the book tackles an aspect of Santa and unravels the mystery behind it. I bet you didn’t know Santa has a warp-speed sleigh, or that he uses clones to complete all the deliveries in one night, or that they travel via wormholes, or that there are tiny microcameras in your house monitoring whether your children have been naughty or nice.

Whenever Mone introduces us to a new piece of Santa’s gadgetry, he also gives a glimpse as to how we as a scientific community are making progress on these technologies. The science in this book is either being developed or being actively researched, and it was fun to read about some of the things I already heard about. And the writing isn’t dull or bogged down with things too hard to understand – it’s quick, witty, and a bit snarky. Obviously it was perfect for me.

I wouldn’t recommend this to kids, unless they’re in their late teens – the humor and the science would probably be lost on anyone under 16. But it’s still a fun, unique take on Santa and still makes me look forward to Christmas. (Which is only FOUR DAYS AWAY, in case you were wondering.) I think I’ll be buying myself a copy to re-read next year.

 

Sarah Says: 4 stars

 

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July 26, 2012 · 9:21 am

Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer

Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer

Well this was a bit of a letdown. Robert J. Sawyer is the author of the Neanderthal Parallax books I love so much, and I was really looking forward to reading more of his books. Flashforward is one of his novels, and was also the basis for the TV series that appeared in 2009 but was cancelled after 2010. I didn’t let that bother me going into the book, because a TON of good shows have gotten cancelled way too early (Terra Nova, Pushing Daisies, Firefly…).

Flashforward starts with a really interesting concept – suddenly all seven billion people on the planet lose consciousness for two minutes and 17 seconds – millions of people die as cars crash and people fall down wherever they are. But within those 137 seconds, everyone got a glimpse of what their future would be like in a couple of decades and now the race is on to try to figure out just what that means before it destroys the present.

Very cool premise, right? It was cool to see what the characters saw in their futures and how pieces of everyone’s visions started to come together. And honestly, I think I would have really enjoyed this book if the characters had been different. The main character is Lloyd Simcoe, a physicist working at CERN with the Large Hadron Collider. He was kind of a close-minded jerk, at least after seeing his glimpse of the future. He was constantly trying to be very righteous, even when it made no sense. He also has some opinions regarding quantum physics and the multiverse theory that I disagree with – of course this book was written in 1999, so maybe his opinions are supposed to reflect the popular opinion in physics then. But I’ve already studied some of that myself, so when he was being absolutely stubborn and insisting that no matter what, HE was right – I kind of wanted to punch him.

Also, there were a lot of little snide anti-U.S. remarks in the book. Now, I don’t think the U.S. is perfect by any means and given the chance, I’d love to go visit Canada or Europe. A lot of the main characters in the book was Canadian, Greek, French, etc… and Robert J. Sawyer himself is Canadian. And like I said, there was a lot of “the U.S. sucks” kind of stuff being said and normally that doesn’t bother me, but it was a lot and really blatant and got really annoying. For instance:

“He was born in Canada. And Canadians didn’t like guns, either – they had no Second Amendment, or whatever damned thing it was that made Americans think they could go around armed.”

Asshole. I understand that this is somewhat of a hot topic right now due to that horrible shooting in Colorado, but I absolutely support the right to bear arms - especially since I’m a female. There were also some snide remarks about the U.S. having a crappy infant mortality rate (which we do, but again, it was said in an asshole way) and a couple other instances. Eventually, the American-bashing got old and I got sick of seeing SO MUCH of the author’s politics and feelings making an appearance, particularly when it really added nothing of relevance to the story.

Anyways, I suppose my main problem with this book was that I disagreed with the main characters on everything. And again, I’m a big girl and I can take a difference of opinion, but it’s that these characters were so freaking stubborn and jerky about it. It just really got in the way of the actual story. I’m still going to try some of the author’s other books (I have Calculating God on my shelf), but this was a disappointment.

I do kind of still want to watch the one season of Flashforward the show, though from what I read on Wikipedia it’s very different from the book. But maybe that will be a good thing.

 

Sarah Says: 2 stars

 

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May 21, 2012 · 8:00 am

Why Does E=Mc2? (and why should we care?) by Brian Cox & Jeff Forshaw

Why Does E=Mc2

 

Mannn this book. We had some issues.

So, as ya’ll may have noticed I’ve been on a bit of a physics / quantum / science reading kick. I picked this up at the bookstore because I really didn’t know quite what E=mc2 (that’s squared by the way, I don’t know how to get the 2 to be higher up) meant, and because it got pretty favorable reviews online for being easy to understand. The LIES Amazon reviewers tell!

Me and this book just didn’t get along. Maybe it’s because I’ve read a couple physics-ish books already, but I didn’t like the tone of this book – I felt like the authors were talking down to me. In their effort to make everything easy to understand, they came up with like a thousand analogies that honestly sometimes didn’t make any sense to me. And for claiming that this book would be light on math, basically the whole thing was explaining mathematical equations. WITH VARIABLES. My god I hate variables, they were confusing in middle school and they confuse me now. Especially when 90% of the bajillion equations in this book were made up of random variables, and since they wrote the mathematical stuff out in paragraphs it was even more confusing. I get that E=Mc2 instelf is a variable equation, but there were just too many other ones that didn not seem very entry level to me. Plus, even over halfway into the book, the authors kept apologizing to the math-smart people for going too slowly, and apologizing to the non-math-smart people for including so much math. And they kept calling it “maths”. Grrrrrrr….

Also, DUDE they went off on tangents, usually about the people / history behind important revelations or equations. And that’s cool and the information was interesting, but seriously they’d start to explain some part of an equation, go off on a tangent for a page and a half, and then come back to the equation and it was frustrating.

Anyways, maybe it’s just me, but I’m either too dumb or too smart for this book. After reading a lot about Einstein’s special theory of relativity and exactly what his famous e=mc2 thing meant in this book, I was still kind of lost. So I went online and guess what I found? This Einstein Online website, which explained everything pretty clearly and in SO many fewer words.

Now, I did learn a couple of things from this book, so it wasn’t all bad. Most noticeably I learned what the importance of the work physicists at the Large Hadron Collider are working on, I learned a bit about how to think in the 4-dimensions of spacetime, etc. I learned what the basic differences between Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity are. Reading this book made me wish that I had explored physics in college – I was never a math & science type, so I kind of avoided it and took earth science when I had to. The other night I went online and looked at the physics courses at my local community college, but since I don’t actually want a job in physics it seems pointless. I just like to learn, but not enough to pay $400 plus the cost of books for one course. Maybe if I ever go back for a library science degree (when I’m like 50 and bored), I’ll take some physics electives. Or if I win the lottery. If I win the lottery, I’ll totally quit my job and in a year or two go back to college, just because I enjoy learning. In the meantime, I’m going to read up on that Einstein website and look for some physics / quantum books for self-study.

Anyways, if you’re looking for an intro to Einstein’s theories of relativity, I’d skip this book. Or at least save it until after you already have some real background on the topics.

 

Sarah Says: 2 stars

 

P.S. Sorry to those Brian Cox fans. I never heard of him before this book but I understand he’s quite popular overseas. I’m not blaming my dislike of the book on him necessarily (there ARE two authors), and I’ll have to check out some of his television stuff before I make a real judgement on him.

 

 

 

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March 19, 2012 · 7:33 am

In Search of the Multiverse by John Gribbin

In Search of the Multiverse, John Gribbin, book review

  • Title: In Search of the Multiverse; parallel worlds, hidden dimensions, and the ultimate quest for the frontiers of reality
  • Author: John Gribbin
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,  2009
  • Pages: 228
  • ISBN: 9780470613528

I’ve been interested in the idea of parallel universes for a while now… I feel like I was interested in it for a year or a couple years, but what REALLY sparked my interest and made me look up non-fiction books about the idea of parallel universes was when I recently read The Neanderthal Parallax trilogy by Robert Sawyer. I found this book just by searching Amazon, and it seemed like a good place to start. I ended up buying it when I found a copy in B&N, and it was definitely a good choice.
 
Let me mention that I have little to no science background… I was horrible at math as a kid, and I was okay with basic science but once I got into the realm of physics and chemistry and stuff I wasn’t that great. I avoided stuff like that whenever possible. So the fact that this book was about physics, quantum physics, astronomy, string theory and such in relation to the idea of a multiverse and that I actually UNDERSTOOD most of it is quite impressive. John Gribbin does a FANTASTIC job at making this stuff easily readable and understandable. And not only that, but I actually enjoyed reading it. I often got so wrapped up in reading it that I’d forget to take a sip of coffee from the cup right next to me, and I always looked forward to getting time to read more.
 
So, the multiverse. The multiverse is essentially multiple universes. Gribbin goes through a bunch of the theories of how exactly the multiverse is structured, but the fact that our universe is not the only one is a certainty, thanks to quantum computers. Gribbin tackles each multiverse theory and explains how each one came about, and how much validity the theory really has when held up to what we now know about science, the universe, and quantum physics. I am not even going to attempt to describe them all here, but I will say that there were a couple theories of the multiverse that I disagree with, and that string theory is really appealing, and I can’t wait to see if scientific tests can prove any of it. 
 
The idea of the multiverse is fascinating – there are essentially an infinite number of different universes, some vastly different from our own and some only a little different. So, I think that if you’re looking for an “intro” book into this subject, this is a good start. But for simplicity’s sake, I’m going to list my likes and dislikes about the book:
 
LIKES
 
~ Gribbin never assumes that you just know about thermodynamics, or quantum physics, or astronomy beyond our solar system, etc. He’s really good about giving background information to explain the theory he’s discussing.

~ The subject matter is so interesting and takes so much imagine that it was actually fun to read. Some science books, no matter how initially interesting, are a bore to read. Not the case here.
 
~ He comes up with a lot of analogies and metaphors to help you wrap your head around some of the really difficult concepts. He’s very good at helping you to visualize what he’s talking about.
 
~ He makes a lot of references to other scientists, books about these topics, and even sci-fi novels that talk about these topics. He also includes a “Further Reading” list in the back, which includes non-fiction as well as fiction.
 
~ There’s a glossary in the back, which I found really helpful.
 
~ Gribbin really seems to address a LOT of multiverse theories – even the outlandish theories that our universe is “fake”, like in the Matrix, or that our universe is the creation of some super-intelligent other species. I thought it was fun that he took the time to address even these theories, and talked about the science that disproves them or not.
 
DISLIKES
 
~ There were a couple terms that I thought should have been included in the glossary, such as “massless spin-2 boson” or his definition of the word “meta-universe”. It took me forever to figure out what he meant by that, because it was different than a multiverse.
 
~ I wish that there was an appendix or something that actually listed each theory discussed in the book, with a brief description of each one. It would be a nice reference tool. 
 

This is one of those subjects in which I knew nothing about to start with, so it’s not as if I could claim that any of Gribbin’s information is inaccurate or wrong, but from what I can tell he does a really good job of presenting the theories clearly. He also usually points out flaws or issues with a particular theory and explains why, usually leading as a segway into the next theory. And he admits when he has on opinion about a subject, which I appreciate. In a way, by admitting his opinions or preferences for some of this information, it makes him seem less biased, not more.
 
Anyways, I’m rambling. This was a REALLY good book. It was only about 200 pages, and I probably would have had it finished almost a week ago if my little sister and nephew hadn’t come into town. I did do a whole lot of underlining and note-taking, and even went on youtube to watch informational clips if I wasn’t really understanding a concept. In fact, two people I know already want to borrow it to read, but I may just buy a 2nd copy to lend out because there are pencil marks and post-its all over my copy. I also loved talking to the honeyman about whatever part of the book I was reading, since he was already familiar with some of these concepts. The whole realm of quantum physics and multiverse theories is still intensely interesting for me, and I’ve already purchased a couple more books in those areas to read. And I’m absolutely going to purchase some more of John Gribbin’s books – I already have a bunch on my paperbackswap wishlist.
 
Sarah Says: 4.5 stars

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