The constants of nature are the numbers that define the essence of the Universe. For the first time astronomical observations are suggesting that some of the constants of Nature were different when the Universe was younger.
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18 kirjaa tekijältä John D. Barrow
Where does it begin and where does it end?From the zeros of the mathematician to the void of the philosophers, from Shakespeare to the empty set, from the ether to the quantum vacuum, from being and nothingness to creatio ex nihilo, there is much ado about nothing at the heart of things.
What is it like to live in a Universe where nothing is original, where you can live forever, where anything that can be done, is done, over and over again?These are some of the deep questions that the idea of the infinite pushes us to ask.
This is a book about universes. It tells a story that revolves around a single extraordinary fact: that Albert Einstein's famous theory of relativity describes a series of entire universes. Not many solutions to Einstein's tantalising universe equations have ever been found, but those that have are all remarkable. Some describe universes that expand in size, while others contract. Some rotate like a top, while others are chaotically unpredictable. Some are perfectly smooth, while others are lumpy. Some permit time travel into the past. Only a few allow life to evolve within them; the rest, if they exist, remain unknown and unknowable to conscious minds.Here, in The Book of Universes, we are confronted with the most fantastic and far-reaching speculations within the entire realm of science.
* How can sprinter Usain Bolt break his world record without running any faster?* Why do high-jumpers use the Fosbury Flop? Barrow shows how maths can give us surprising and enlivening insights into the world of sports - essential reading for competitors, armchair enthusiasts and maths-lovers alike.
Barrow looks at what limits there might be to human discovery, and what we might find, ultimately, to be unknowable, undoable, or unthinkable. that any Universe complex enough to contain conscious beings will contain limits on what those beings can know about their Universe; that what we cannot know defines reality as surely as what we can know.
A journey through physics to metaphysics, mathematics to philosophy, and mythology to theology, in search of the "theory of everything" - the single set of equations that will describe all forces of nature and all particles in one package, which Einstein vainly sought throughout his life.
In this fascinating and entertaining collection of essays, acclaimed cosmologist and writer John D. Barrow addresses the many questions that we ponder in our quest to discover the universe. Key topics are: the popularity of Big Science, and physics and cosmology in particular; life on other planets; issues of time and space and quantum reality; the ancient foundations of science, mathematics and their most modern expression–complexity theory; and how science relates to religion and aesthetics. Taken as a whole, these thought-provoking essays provide a rich introduction to contemporary scientific debate. 'Only John Barrow could have assembled this delightful book of diverse essays, which touches on everything from the deepest secrets of Creation to the nature of art and esthetics. Witty, whimsical, and always thought-provoking and entertaining, Barrow takes us on a wild, intellectual joy-ride through the mysteries of spacetime and the mind.' Michio Kaku
In Impossibility, John D. Barrow--one of our most elegant and accomplished science writers--argues convincingly that there are limits to human discovery, that there are things that are ultimately unknowable, undoable, or unreachable. Barrow first examines the limits of the human mind: our brain evolved to meet the demands of our immediate environment, and much that lies outside this small circle may also lie outside our understanding. He investigates practical impossibilities, such as those imposed by complexity, uncomputability, or the finiteness of time, space, and resources. Is the universe finite or infinite? Can information be transmitted faster than the speed of light? The book also examines deeper theoretical restrictions on our ability to know, including Godel's theorem, which proved that there were things that could not be proved. Finally, having explored the limits imposed on us from without, Barrow considers whether there are limits we should impose upon ourselves. Weaving together this intriguing tapestry, Barrow illuminates some of the most profound questions of science, from the possibility of time travel to the very structure of the universe.
The Artful Universe: The Cosmic Source of Human Creativity
John D. Barrow
Back Bay Books
1996
nidottu
A study of the origins, meaning, and mystery of mathematics examines the influence of mathematics throughout history and explains how modern mathematics is grappling with universal questions. By the author of Theories of Everything. Reprint.
The Book of Nothing: Vacuums, Voids, and the Latest Ideas about the Origins of the Universe
John D. Barrow
VINTAGE
2002
nidottu
What conceptual blind spot kept the ancient Greeks (unlike the Indians and Maya) from developing a concept of zero? Why did St. Augustine equate nothingness with the Devil? What tortuous means did 17th-century scientists employ in their attempts to create a vacuum? And why do contemporary quantum physicists believe that the void is actually seething with subatomic activity? You'll find the answers in this dizzyingly erudite and elegantly explained book by the English cosmologist John D. Barrow. Ranging through mathematics, theology, philosophy, literature, particle physics, and cosmology, The Book of Nothing explores the enduring hold that vacuity has exercised on the human imagination. Combining high-wire speculation with a wealth of reference that takes in Freddy Mercury and Shakespeare alongside Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, and Stephen Hawking, the result is a fascinating excursion to the vanishing point of our knowledge.
Have you ever considered why you always get stuck in the longest line? Why two s company but three s a crowd? Or why there are six degrees of separation instead of seven? In this hugely informative and endlessly entertaining book, John D. Barrow takes the most baffling of everyday phenomena and with simple math, lucid explanations, and illustrations explains why they work the way they do. His witty, crystal-clear answers shed light on the dark and shadowy corners of the physical world we all think we understand so well."
100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know about Math and the Arts
John D. Barrow
W. W. Norton Company
2016
nidottu
At first glance, the worlds of math and the arts might not seem like comfortable neighbors. But as mathematician John D. Barrow points out, they have a strong and natural affinity--after all, math is the study of all patterns, and the world of the arts is rich with pattern. Barrow whisks us through 100 thought-provoking and often whimsical intersections between math and many arts, from the golden ratios of Mondrian's rectangles and the curious fractal-like nature of Pollock's drip paintings to ballerinas' gravity-defying leaps and the next generation of monkeys on typewriters tackling Shakespeare. For those of us with our feet planted more firmly on the ground, Barrow also wields everyday equations to reveal how many guards are needed in an art gallery or where you should stand to look at sculptures. From music and drama to literature and the visual arts, Barrow's witty and accessible observations are sure to spark the imaginations of math nerds and art aficionados alike.
There is no more profound, enduring or fascinating question in all of science than that of how time, space, and matter began. Now John Barrow, who has been at the cutting edge of research in this area and has written extensively about it, guides us on a journey to the beginning of time, into a world of temperatures and densities so high that we cannot recreate them in a labouratory. With new insights, Barrow draws us into the latest speculative theories about the nature of time and the inflationary universe," explains wormholes," showing how they bear upon the fact of our own existence, and considers whether there was a singularity" at the inception of the universe. Here is a treatment so up-to-date and intellectually rich, deaing with ideas and speculation at the farthest frontier of science, that neither novice nor expert will want to miss what Barrow has to say. The Origin of the Universe is "In the Beginning" for beginners,the latest information from a first-rate scientist and science writer.
The Infinite Book: A Short Guide to the Boundless, Timeless and Endless
John D. Barrow
VINTAGE
2006
nidottu
A leading mathematician, cosmologist, and author of The Constants of Nature furnishes an eye-opening study of the concept of infinity, tracing the history and meaning of infinity, from ancient times to the present day, and examining the diverse permutations of the infinite and their influence on the human sense of the world around. Reprint. 10,000 first printing.
100 Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know
John D. Barrow
The Bodley Head Ltd
2015
nidottu
'If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.' John von NeumannMathematics can tell you things about the world that can't be learned in any other way. This hugely informative and wonderfully entertaining Brain Shot answers a few essential questions about existence. It unravels the knotty, clarifies the conundrums and sheds light into dark corners. From winning the lottery, financial investment with Time Travelers and the weirdest football match ever to Sherlock Holmes, Elections, game theory, drunks, packing for your holiday and the madness of crowds; from chaos to infinity and everything in between, Essential Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know has all the answers!BRAIN SHOTS: The byte-sized guide to all the things you didn't know you didn't know...
The constants of Nature are the numbers that define the ultimate structure of the Universe and tell us how strong its forces are: the strength of gravity and magnetI'm, the speed of light, the masses of elementary particles. These constants encode the deepest secrets of the Universe. Although scientists can now accurately measure the value of these constants, they are unable to deduce any of them. There are thus no theories that can predict or explain them, and the greatest secret of physics remains as opaque as ever.In this book, John D. Barrow examines each one of these constants and looks back on how scientists have searched in vain to combine them in an effort to uncover the ultimate structure of the Universe.John D. Barrow is Professor of Mathematical Sciences in the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge University. He is the author of many books of popular science, including Why Is the Universe Mathematical? (Pourquoi le monde est-il math matique? Odile Jacob, 1996), Theories of Everything: The Quest for Ultimate Explanation (La Grande Th orie, Flammarion, 1996) and The Origin of the Universe (Les Origines de l?univers, Hachette, 2000).