Fashion, Faith, and Fantasy in the New Physics of the Universe

Author: Roger Penrose
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691264317
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 536

Book Description
Nobel Prize–winning physicist Roger Penrose questions some of the most fashionable ideas in physics today, including string theory What can fashionable ideas, blind faith, or pure fantasy possibly have to do with the scientific quest to understand the universe? Surely, theoretical physicists are immune to mere trends, dogmatic beliefs, or flights of fancy? In fact, acclaimed physicist and bestselling author Roger Penrose argues that researchers working at the extreme frontiers of physics are just as susceptible to these forces as anyone else. In this provocative book, he argues that fashion, faith, and fantasy, while sometimes productive and even essential in physics, may be leading today's researchers astray in three of the field's most important areas—string theory, quantum mechanics, and cosmology. Arguing that string theory has veered away from physical reality by positing six extra hidden dimensions, Penrose cautions that the fashionable nature of a theory can cloud our judgment of its plausibility. In the case of quantum mechanics, its stunning success in explaining the atomic universe has led to an uncritical faith that it must also apply to reasonably massive objects, and Penrose responds by suggesting possible changes in quantum theory. Turning to cosmology, he argues that most of the current fantastical ideas about the origins of the universe cannot be true, but that an even wilder reality may lie behind them. Finally, Penrose describes how fashion, faith, and fantasy have ironically also shaped his own work, from twistor theory, a possible alternative to string theory that is beginning to acquire a fashionable status, to "conformal cyclic cosmology," an idea so fantastic that it could be called "conformal crazy cosmology." The result is an important critique of some of the most significant developments in physics today from one of its most eminent figures.

Cycles of Time

Author: Roger Penrose
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307596745
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 307

Book Description
From Nobel prize-winner Roger Penrose, this groundbreaking book is for anyone "who is interested in the world, how it works, and how it got here" (New York Journal of Books). Penrose presents a new perspective on three of cosmology’s essential questions: What came before the Big Bang? What is the source of order in our universe? And what cosmic future awaits us? He shows how the expected fate of our ever-accelerating and expanding universe—heat death or ultimate entropy—can actually be reinterpreted as the conditions that will begin a new “Big Bang.” He details the basic principles beneath our universe, explaining various standard and non-standard cosmological models, the fundamental role of the cosmic microwave background, the paramount significance of black holes, and other basic building blocks of contemporary physics. Intellectually thrilling and widely accessible, Cycles of Time is a welcome new contribution to our understanding of the universe from one of our greatest mathematicians and thinkers.

Quantum Theory, Groups and Representations

Author: Peter Woit
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319646125
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 659

Book Description
This text systematically presents the basics of quantum mechanics, emphasizing the role of Lie groups, Lie algebras, and their unitary representations. The mathematical structure of the subject is brought to the fore, intentionally avoiding significant overlap with material from standard physics courses in quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. The level of presentation is attractive to mathematics students looking to learn about both quantum mechanics and representation theory, while also appealing to physics students who would like to know more about the mathematics underlying the subject. This text showcases the numerous differences between typical mathematical and physical treatments of the subject. The latter portions of the book focus on central mathematical objects that occur in the Standard Model of particle physics, underlining the deep and intimate connections between mathematics and the physical world. While an elementary physics course of some kind would be helpful to the reader, no specific background in physics is assumed, making this book accessible to students with a grounding in multivariable calculus and linear algebra. Many exercises are provided to develop the reader's understanding of and facility in quantum-theoretical concepts and calculations.

Flat Space Cosmology

Author: Eugene Terry Tatum
Publisher: Universal-Publishers
ISBN: 1627343393
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Book Description
This compilation based upon recent peer-reviewed journal publications encapsulates how the Flat Space Cosmology model (FSC) has become the primary competitor to the inflationary standard model of cosmology. New ideas concerning black holes, dark energy and dark matter are presented and shown to correlate extremely well with astronomical observations. Anyone who follows the fast-changing science of cosmology, has an interest in the latest developments, and would like to know how it is that our universe appears to follow equations one would ordinarily expect for a time-reversed black hole (!), may find this book to be fascinating. Cosmology is the study of how the universe has changed over the great span of time (roughly 14 billion years). Later centuries will look back upon the period from 1990-2030 as a ‘Golden Age’ of theoretical and observational cosmology. It is highly likely that we are on the verge of a deeper understanding of the most mysterious energy (‘dark energy’) and matter (‘dark matter’) comprising the majority of energy and matter in the universe. Some of the material presented in this book is on the cutting edge of dark energy and dark matter theoretical work. This book summarizes, for the first time, the groundbreaking publications of two cosmologists, one from the United States and the other from India, from 2015 thru 2020. During this highly productive period, the authors stealthily published their papers in six different peer-reviewed scientific journals, so that the model could be quietly explored in all aspects before bringing it all together in a single book. This is that book!

Our Mathematical Universe

Author: Max Tegmark
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307744256
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Book Description
Max Tegmark leads us on an astonishing journey through past, present and future, and through the physics, astronomy and mathematics that are the foundation of his work, most particularly his hypothesis that our physical reality is a mathematical structure and his theory of the ultimate multiverse. In a dazzling combination of both popular and groundbreaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories, but he also shares with us some of the often surprising triumphs and disappointments that have shaped his life as a scientist. Fascinating from first to last—this is a book that has already prompted the attention and admiration of some of the most prominent scientists and mathematicians.

Einstein's Miraculous Year

Author: Albert Einstein
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691122288
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Book Description
After 1905, physics would never be the same. In those 12 months, Einstein shattered many cherished scientific beliefs with five great papers that would establish him as the world's leading physicist. On their 100th anniversary, this book brings those papers together in an accessible format.

The Dancing Wu Li Masters

Author: Gary Zukav
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0061926388
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 606

Book Description
“The most exciting intellectual adventure I've been on since reading Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” —Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, New York Times Gary Zukav’s timeless, humorous, New York Times bestselling masterpiece, The Dancing Wu Li Masters, is arguably the most widely acclaimed introduction to quantum physics ever written. Scientific American raves: “Zukav is such a skilled expositor, with such an amiable style, that it is hard to imagine a layman who would not find his book enjoyable and informative.” Accessible, edifying, and endlessly entertaining, The Dancing Wu Li Masters is back in a beautiful new edition—and the doors to the fascinating, dazzling, remarkable world of quantum physics are opened to all once again, no previous mathematical or technical expertise required.

The Romance of Reality

Author: Bobby Azarian
Publisher: BenBella Books
ISBN: 1637740441
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 321

Book Description
Why do we exist? For centuries, this question was the sole province of religion and philosophy. But now science is ready to take a seat at the table. According to the prevailing scientific paradigm, the universe tends toward randomness; it functions according to laws without purpose, and the emergence of life is an accident devoid of meaning. But this bleak interpretation of nature is currently being challenged by cutting-edge findings at the intersection of physics, biology, neuroscience, and information theory—generally referred to as “complexity science.” Thanks to a new understanding of evolution, as well as recent advances in our understanding of the phenomenon known as emergence, a new cosmic narrative is taking shape: Nature’s simplest “parts” come together to form ever-greater “wholes” in a process that has no end in sight. In The Romance of Reality, cognitive neuroscientist Bobby Azarian explains the science behind this new view of reality and explores what it means for all of us. In engaging, accessible prose, Azarian outlines the fundamental misunderstanding of thermodynamics at the heart of the old assumptions about the universe’s evolution, and shows us the evidence that suggests that the universe is a “self-organizing” system, one that is moving toward increasing complexity and awareness. Cosmologist and science communicator Carl Sagan once said of humanity that “we are a way for the cosmos to know itself.” The Romance of Reality shows that this poetic statement in fact rests on a scientific foundation and gives us a new way to know the cosmos, along with a riveting vision of life that imbues existence with meaning—nothing supernatural required.

What We Cannot Know

Author: Marcus Du Sautoy
Publisher: Fourth Estate
ISBN: 9780007576661
Category : Discoveries in science
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Britain's most famous mathematician takes us to the edge of knowledge to show us what we cannot know. Is the universe infinite? Do we know what happened before the Big Bang? Where is human consciousness located in the brain? And are there more undiscovered particles out there, beyond the Higgs boson? In the modern world, science is king: weekly headlines proclaim the latest scientific breakthroughs and numerous mathematical problems, once indecipherable, have now been solved. But are there limits to what we can discover about our physical universe? In this very personal journey to the edges of knowledge, Marcus du Sautoy investigates how leading experts in fields from quantum physics and cosmology, to sensory perception and neuroscience, have articulated the current lie of the land. In doing so, he travels to the very boundaries of understanding, questioning contradictory stories and consulting cutting edge data. Is it possible that we will one day know everything? Or are there fields of research that will always lie beyond the bounds of human comprehension? And if so, how do we cope with living in a universe where there are things that will forever transcend our understanding? In What We Cannot Know, Marcus du Sautoy leads us on a thought-provoking expedition to the furthest reaches of modern science. Prepare to be taken to the edge of knowledge to find out if there's anything we truly cannot know.

The Infinite Universe

Author: Tim Andersen
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 96

Book Description
This book is for anyone who wants a fresh approach to modern physics. Are you tired of amusing anecdotes about scientists' personal lives and eureka moments? Bored of chronological narratives of scientific progress through the ages? No longer wowed by ideas like string theory? Interested in first principles thinking and what it can do for you? This book is for you. This book is designed to take you step by step through the fundamental principles that underlie the physics of space, time, and matter. It is a how-to guide for building up our universe from first principles. By posing questions and answering them with illustrations and examples, the book shows how we can demonstrate what we know about the universe with simple concepts and thought experiments. With this book, you too can apply first principles to build up your own model of the universe and how it works, one you can take with you, and apply it to other areas of your life such as your job, business, even your relationships. There are no complicated mathematics in this book and I have minimized the amount of jargon. Thus, it is suitable anyone of any educational background from high school on. The book aims to be straightforward about how we get from simple ideas to complex physical theories. So, if you are interested in a new way of looking at the universe and are not afraid to unlearn some of what you have learned, take a look inside.