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Books : The Whole Shebang: A State-of-the-Universe(s) Report |
List Price: $16.00Amazon.com's Price: $11.68 You Save: $4.32 (27%)Prices subject to change.
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 523.1
EAN: 9780684838618
ISBN: 0684838613
Label: Simon & Schuster
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 400
Publication Date: July 06, 1998
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Studio: Simon & Schuster
Sales Rank: 389399
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
From the prizewinning author who has been called "the greatest science writer in the world" comes this delightfully comprehensive and comprehensible report on how science today envisions the universe as a whole.
Timothy Ferris provides a clear, elegantly written overview of current research and a forecast of where cosmological theory is likely to go in the twenty-first century. He explores the questions that have occurred to even casual readers -- who are curious about nature on the largest scales: What does it mean to say that the universe is "expanding," or that space is "curved"? -- and sheds light on the possibility that our universe is only one among many universes, each with its own physical laws and prospects for the emergence of life.
Amazon.com Review:
Plenty of books try to explain the origin of the universe, but despite the ascendance of the Big Bang theory, numerous details of that theory remain in flux as new observations are made and new hypotheses formed (and then confirmed or rejected). Timothy Ferris's The Whole Shebang is an up-to-date account of the various mechanisms believed to have contributed to the universe as we now know it, from the Big Bang itself to inflation to superstrings. The Whole Shebang eschews mathematics and formulae and explains cosmological concepts in clear and enticing prose. If you need an update on the state of the universe, you'll find it here.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Here's a highly readable account of the big cosmological picture as viewed at the end of a wild astronomical century. We now know that this universe is immensely bigger and almost immeasurably older than anyone remotely imagined back before 1900. Ferris is very good at explaining things. For example he elucidates why Kepler had such a ragged time trying to explain planetary motion -- he had the right concept for years, but persisted in attempting to fit the theory to perfectly circular orbits ... Read More
Rating:  -
Tim Ferris is an accomplished and celebrated science writer; he certainly knows astronomy and cosmology. But I found his style of writing to not suit me well. "Lay" science books must "bring along" readers of all levels so explanation of the basics is de rigeur, but for readers like me who already have a pretty good foundation, Ferris' style is, um, verbose is not the right word. It takes a lot of reading to get to parts that are new and interesting.
Maybe it's not at all the author's ... Read More
Rating: -
This is a book on cosmology: the study of the universe, the speculation on its direction and future, what we know and how we know it. Ferris gives us helpful analogies. Well written, good style. Journey through this mind warp; you will shake your head in amazement.
Tim starts with the early thinkers: Aristotle and Eudoxus. He then moves to the obvious: the big bang, origins and creation. He discusses: a collapsing universe, redshifts, distances and ages of stars--the different methods ... Read More
Rating: -
A very good overview of the current state of cosmology (even if now almost a decade old). The author though puts his philosphy into a number of parts of the book - which can be quite frustrating at times (hence 4 stars and not 5). If you can walk through these or are of similar mindset this book is a very good place to start your education into cosmolgy. It has a very good index, glossary of terms and references at the back of the book, it is just a shame did not also include a list of books to read ... Read More
Rating:  -
Every year I read about 5 books about cosmology and physics. So I know what I'm saying: this book really is great.
Sure, it's about 8 years old, too old in cosmology. In particular, the discovery that the universe is accelerating has changed a lot of the questions that cosmologists contemplate. But even if you read a book that was published yesterday, it'll be out of date next month. So you have to either hang out in the physics lounge at Princeton, or accept that you're gonna be behind a bit. ... Read More
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