Post by Thee Constant on Jan 24, 2006 20:19:29 GMT -5
I decided to tack that little identifier "- Science" on there because nonfiction encompasses such a wide range compared to fiction; science, how to's, religious, biographies, history, etc.
In this case I would like to reveal to you all just how far "out there" I am by telling you my latest nonfiction read: Hiding in the Mirror : The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions, from Plato to String Theory and Beyond! What a long title. The book was written by noted physics researcher Lawrence M. Krauss, and its subject can be known from the title - the idea that there may be more than just our familiar four dimensions collectively deemed 'spacetime' by one A. Einstein.
It is very difficult to explain the subject matter, but exceedingly easy to describe what the book contains; an historic account and description of every scientific theory having to do with the idea of extra dimensions and the nature of "reality" relative to said dimensions. I suppose I am biased toward liking the book considering how terminally philosophical I am regarding ideas as superfluous to daily life as this, but I can tell you that without at least some basic understanding of physics one cannot truly grasp everything the author talks about.
That said, the author explains even the most arcane physics theories in such a way that the average layman can understand and relate the ideas to the real world. There were only three places where I had to read and re-read parts of a chapter to understand.
First there are theories recorded by ancient Greek scholars, then by monks during the Dark Ages and thereabouts, theories from notables during the Renaissance and later the scientists of the 1800s, finally tying in with the string theorists of today.
The theories presented, even the older ones, generally all make some sense, many seem startlingly plausible. The author shows, in each case where applicable, any and all evidence to refute a given hypothesis and so in the end, narrows it down to a handful of unproven--but not refuted--theories that are, in my own humble opinion, awe-inspiring should any of them turn out to be The Truth.
We currently are taught that there are only three dimensions plus time, which is thought to exist as a separate entity from space. Einstein said in plain words though, that the four dimensions are all part of the same thing he called spacetime. The book delves into notions born both from mathematics and scientific thought, with such highlights as the idea that there may exist 1-dimensional spaces inside electrons; that the universe may in fact be of a shape other than a sphere, such as a torus or dodecahedron; or one of my favorites and one of the most prevalent theories, that the universe is merely the surface of a "hypersphere", the 4-dimensional equivalent of a 3-dimensional sphere.
I simply cannot do this book justice - if you are at all interested in higher physics and "wild" ideas, I would greatly recommend this book.
In this case I would like to reveal to you all just how far "out there" I am by telling you my latest nonfiction read: Hiding in the Mirror : The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions, from Plato to String Theory and Beyond! What a long title. The book was written by noted physics researcher Lawrence M. Krauss, and its subject can be known from the title - the idea that there may be more than just our familiar four dimensions collectively deemed 'spacetime' by one A. Einstein.
It is very difficult to explain the subject matter, but exceedingly easy to describe what the book contains; an historic account and description of every scientific theory having to do with the idea of extra dimensions and the nature of "reality" relative to said dimensions. I suppose I am biased toward liking the book considering how terminally philosophical I am regarding ideas as superfluous to daily life as this, but I can tell you that without at least some basic understanding of physics one cannot truly grasp everything the author talks about.
That said, the author explains even the most arcane physics theories in such a way that the average layman can understand and relate the ideas to the real world. There were only three places where I had to read and re-read parts of a chapter to understand.
First there are theories recorded by ancient Greek scholars, then by monks during the Dark Ages and thereabouts, theories from notables during the Renaissance and later the scientists of the 1800s, finally tying in with the string theorists of today.
The theories presented, even the older ones, generally all make some sense, many seem startlingly plausible. The author shows, in each case where applicable, any and all evidence to refute a given hypothesis and so in the end, narrows it down to a handful of unproven--but not refuted--theories that are, in my own humble opinion, awe-inspiring should any of them turn out to be The Truth.
We currently are taught that there are only three dimensions plus time, which is thought to exist as a separate entity from space. Einstein said in plain words though, that the four dimensions are all part of the same thing he called spacetime. The book delves into notions born both from mathematics and scientific thought, with such highlights as the idea that there may exist 1-dimensional spaces inside electrons; that the universe may in fact be of a shape other than a sphere, such as a torus or dodecahedron; or one of my favorites and one of the most prevalent theories, that the universe is merely the surface of a "hypersphere", the 4-dimensional equivalent of a 3-dimensional sphere.
I simply cannot do this book justice - if you are at all interested in higher physics and "wild" ideas, I would greatly recommend this book.