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Dewey Decimal Number: 530.143 EAN: 9780465078356 ISBN: 0465078354 Label: Basic Books Manufacturer: Basic Books Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 196 Publication Date: 2001-06 Publisher: Basic Books Release Date: June 05, 2001 Studio: Basic Books Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: It's difficult, writes Lee Smolin in this lucid overview of modern physics, to talk meaningfully about the big questions of space and time, given the limitations of our technology and perceptions. It's more difficult still given some of the contradictions and inconsistencies that obtain between quantum theory, which "was invented to explain why atoms are stable and do not instantly fall apart" but has little to say about space and time, and general relatively theory, which has everything to say about the big picture but tends to collapse when describing the behavior of atoms and their even smaller constituents. Whence the hero of Smolin's tale, the as-yet-incomplete quantum theory of gravity, which seeks to unify relativity and quantum theory--and, in the bargain, to move toward a "grand theory of everything." Smolin ably explains concepts that underlie quantum gravity, such as background independence, the superposition principle, and the notion of causal structure, and he traces the development of allied theories that have shaped modern physics and led to this new view of the universe. Although he allows that "it has not been possible to test any of our new theories of quantum gravity experimentally," Smolin predicts that a solid framework will be established by 2015 at the outside. If he's correct, the years in between promise to be an exciting time for students of the physical sciences, and Smolin's book makes an engaging introduction to some of the big questions they'll be asking. --Gregory McNamee Product Description: The Holy Grail of modern physics is the search for a theory of "quantum gravity." It is a search for a view of the universe that unites two seemingly opposing pillars of modern science: Einstein's theory of general relativity, which deals with large-scale phenomena (planets, solar systems and galaxies), and quantum theory, which deals with the world of the very small (molecules, atoms, electrons). In Three Roads to Quantum Gravity, cosmologist and science writer Lee Smolin provides the first concise and accessible overview of current attempts to reconcile these two theories in a final "theory of everything." Other books and articles have painted an incomplete picture by exposing only one of the different approaches, including string theory and loop quantum gravity. Here is the closest anyone has ever come to devising a completely new theory of space, time, and the universe to replace the Newtonian ideas that were the foundation of all science until the beginning of the twentieth century. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Poorly WrittenThis book addresses some extremely interesting topics, including string theory, quantum loop gravity, and halographic models of the universe. Unfortunately, it does not do so successfully. The author merely glosses over these topics and many deep subtopics as the disorganization of them and muddled writing ruin what otherwise might have been an interesting exercise in the comparison and contrast of approaches to developing a model of quantum gravity. The writing is so poor that I often gave up ... Read More Rating: - I wish I had read the less than positive reviews more closely.For me, the most useful reviews are those that tell me something about the book, along with some of the reviewers' opinions. I hope that the reader finds this one to be in that category. Some of the reviews of this book were less than completely positive and so is this present one. I wish that I had paid more attention to those reviews. If I had, I might never have invested the time that I did on this book. For the reasons listed below, I am forced to give this book a strongly qualified, only ... Read More Rating:  - Quantum Gravity ReviewLee Smolin has again created an excellent non-mathematical book that has his distinctive style and clearly that explains his view point on how we get to a theory of everything. Lee presents a partial history of the different approaches used by the Physics community to solve solve the problems of creating a theory of everything. His approach is heavly vested in the Quantun Gravity history and development. This is only natural in that his life has been spent primarly in this area of development. ... Read More Rating: - " The Diggidy Dog of Physics Books"Wow, I'm not going to go into any details or dicussions about this book, or any other matter, but i have to say this. This book is beyond GOOD, it will rock your mind so hard that you will be hooked on Physics for the rest of your life. Lee Smolin is the Man. Rating: - A theory of quantum gravity by 2015!Lee Smolin's promise of a full theory of quantum gravity by 2015 concludes this book. Along the way to that conclusion Smolin takes the reader on a comprehensible and lucid tour the current state of the search for a unified theory of quantum gravity. In this way, Smolin introduces the reader to his "three roads to quantum gravity" being: 1) The road from relativity or those classical principles originally established by Albert Einstein in his general theory of relativity ... Read More |
