Synopses & Reviews
Look around you. The reflection of your face in a window tells you about the most shocking discovery in the history of science: that at its deepest level the world is orchestrated by chance; that ultimately, things happen for no reason at all. The iron in a spot of blood on your finger shows you that somewhere out in space there is a furnace at a temperature of 4.5 billion degrees. Static on your TV screen proclaims that the universe had a beginning. The bulb above your head emits light, and the light waves emerging from it are about five thousand times bigger than the atoms that spit them outas paradoxical a thought as the idea of a matchbox swallowing a forty-ton truck.
Marcus Chown takes familiar features of the everyday world and shows us, with breathtaking clarity, wit, and suspense, how they can be used to explain profound truths about the ultimate nature of reality. This is an essential cosmology primer for anyone curious about their surroundings and their place in the universe.
Marcus Chown, formerly a radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, is now the cosmology consultant for New Scientist and the author of many books on science.
In this essential cosmology guide, the bestselling British writer Marcus that takes familiar features of the everyday world and shows how they can be used to explain profound truths about the ultimate nature of reality. For example, the fact taht you can see your reflection in a window tells you that, at its deepest level, the world is orchestrated by chance, and that ultimately, things happen for no reason at all. On every page, Chown reveals how amazing truths are hidden within everyday phenomena: the iron in a spot of blood on your finger shows you that somewhere out in space there is a furnace at a temperature of 4.5 billion degrees. Static on your TV screen proclaims that the universe had a beginning. The bulb above your head emits light, and the light waves emerging from it are about five thousand times bigger than the atoms that spit them outas paradoxical a thought as the idea of a matchbox swallowing a forty-ton truck.
With flair, wit, and breathtaking clarity, Marcus Chown helps us to shed light on some of the biggest questions we can ever ask about our place in the universe. "Why can't a broken teacup reassemble itself? How do stars turn hydrogen into iron? This lively, nontechnical look at the physics behind the world around us is rich with entertaining anecdotes and examples of some pretty complex ideas. Caltech astronomer Chown (The Quantum Zoo) uses simple examples from everyday lifea reflection on a windowpane, the solidity of the ground underfoot, the heat of our sun, the immense variety of objects in the worldto reveal evidence of everything from the Big Bang to the life cycle of stars and the inner structure of the atom. Skillful explanations are leavened with humor. Invocations of pop culture and literary references, from Homer Simpson and Walt Whitman to Edgar Allan Poe and Douglas Adams, help introduce each complex idea and enhance the discussion. Chapter notes and a comprehensive glossary offer additional information. Both deliberate readers and those who like to jump into things at random will be entertained and informed by this charming book."Publishers Weekly "Why can't a broken teacup reassemble itself? How do stars turn hydrogen into iron? This lively, nontechnical look at the physics behind the world around us is rich with entertaining anecdotes and examples of some pretty complex ideas. Caltech astronomer Chown (The Quantum Zoo) uses simple examples from everyday lifea reflection on a windowpane, the solidity of the ground underfoot, the heat of our sun, the immense variety of objects in the worldto reveal evidence of everything from the Big Bang to the life cycle of stars and the inner structure of the atom. Skillful explanations are leavened with humor. Invocations of pop culture and literary references, from Homer Simpson and Walt Whitman to Edgar Allan Poe and Douglas Adams, help introduce each complex idea and enhance the discussion. Chapter notes and a comprehensive glossary offer additional information. Both deliberate readers and those who like to jump into things at random will be entertained and informed by this charming book."Publishers Weekly
Praise for Marcus Chown
One of Britains most respected science writers. He uniquely combines a deep understanding of science and an ability to communicate the most esoteric ideas to the ordinary person in the street.”Simon Singh, author of Fermats Last Theorem and Big Bang
"So many times I've gone to Google to research a story about a new idea at the very edge of cosmology and physics only to find that Marcus Chown got there firstwith a fascinating, engaging and expertly written piece."George Johnson, author of Miss Leavitt's Stars and science writer, New York Times
"One of the premier writers on astronomy and physics working todayhighly knowledgeable, and with a flair for presenting difficult concepts in a clear and entertaining fashion."Michael Lemonick, author of Echo of the Big Bang and Senior Science Writer emeritus, Time magazine
Review
Praise for Marcus Chown:
“One of Britains most respected science writers. He uniquely combines a deep understanding of science and an ability to communicate the most esoteric ideas to the ordinary person in the street.” —SIMON SINGH, author of Fermats Last Theorem and Big Bang
"So many times I've gone to Google to research a story about a new idea at the very edge of cosmology and physics only to find that Marcus Chown got there first—with a fascinating, engaging and expertly written piece." —George Johnson, author of Miss Leavitt's Stars and science writer, New York Times
"One of the premier writers on astronomy and physics working today—highly knowledgeable, and with a flair for presenting difficult concepts in a clear and entertaining fashion." —Michael Lemonick, author of Echo of the Big Bang and Senior Science Writer emeritus, Time magazine
Synopsis
Look around you. The reflection of your face in a window tells you about the most shocking discovery in the history of science: that at its deepest level the world is orchestrated by chance; that ultimately, things happen for no reason at all. The iron in a spot of blood on your finger shows you that somewhere out in space there is a furnace at a temperature of 4.5 billion degrees. Static on your TV screen proclaims that the universe had a beginning. The bulb above your head emits light, and the light waves emerging from it are about five thousand times bigger than the atoms that spit them out—as paradoxical a thought as the idea of a matchbox swallowing a forty-ton truck.
Marcus Chown takes familiar features of the everyday world and shows us, with breathtaking clarity, wit, and suspense, how they can be used to explain profound truths about the ultimate nature of reality. This is an essential cosmology primer for anyone curious about their surroundings and their place in the universe.
Synopsis
Chown takes familiar features of the everyday world and shows--with breathtaking clarity, wit, and suspense--how they can be used to explain profound truths about the ultimate nature of reality.
About the Author
Formerly a radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology, MARCUS CHOWN is now the cosmology consultant for New Scientist and the author of many books on science.