Synopses & Reviews
The twentieth century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behavior of very large things, and quantum theory the behavior of very small things. In this landmark book, John Gribbinandmdash;one of the best-known science writers of the past thirty yearsandmdash;presents his own version of the Holy Grail of physics, the search that has been going on for decades to find a unified andldquo;Theory of Everythingandrdquo; that combines these ideas into one mathematical package, a single equation that could be printed on a T-shirt, containing the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. With his inimitable mixture of science, history, and biography, Gribbin shows howandmdash;despite skepticism among many physicistsandmdash;these two great theories are very compatible, and point to a deep truth about the nature of our existence. The answer lies, intriguingly, with the age of the universe: 13.8 billion years.
Synopsis
A celebrated astronomer makes a powerful case for the harmony between two of physicsandrsquo; most important and seemingly contradictory theories
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 221) and index.
About the Author
John Gribbin is a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom and the author of many best-selling science books.
Table of Contents
Atoms and elements -- Inside the atom -- Particles and fields -- Chemistry -- Molecules of life -- Evolution -- Our changing planet -- Winds of change -- The sun and its family -- The lives of the stars -- The large and the small.