The State of the Universe

The State of the Universe PDF Author: Pedro Ferreira
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 1780225296
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 331

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Book Description
A masterly overview of the development of cosmological thinking from the Greeks, via Newton and Einstein, to the present day. It is science's last and greatest challenge: fathoming the depths of the night sky. The objective: to crack the cosmic code, to unravel the blueprint for nature's grandest conception, a machine constructed on an unimaginably vast scale - the Universe itself. Today's model of an expanding Universe - the big bang cosmology - is actually built on principles derived from a few simple mathematical equations. Gravity-warped space time, quantum mechanics, the physics of the subatomic, these crucial insights, stemming from Einstein's revolutionary theories of relativity, have led to a simple and elegant framework within which the whole of the Universe, over billions of years, has been described. But recent evidence has begun to make wrinkles in the neat fabric of the big bang cosmology. There is now overwhelming evidence that there is far more stuff in the Universe than we can see. What, and where, is this 'dark matter'? And it now appears that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating: something out there - some exotic 'dark energy' - is acting against gravity to push space and time apart. While offering a critical view of how all the pieces in our current model fit together, Pedro Ferreira argues that Einstein's Universe may be just another stepping stone towards a new, more profound and effective cosmology in the future.

The State of the Universe

The State of the Universe PDF Author: Pedro Ferreira
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
ISBN: 1780225296
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 331

Get Book Here

Book Description
A masterly overview of the development of cosmological thinking from the Greeks, via Newton and Einstein, to the present day. It is science's last and greatest challenge: fathoming the depths of the night sky. The objective: to crack the cosmic code, to unravel the blueprint for nature's grandest conception, a machine constructed on an unimaginably vast scale - the Universe itself. Today's model of an expanding Universe - the big bang cosmology - is actually built on principles derived from a few simple mathematical equations. Gravity-warped space time, quantum mechanics, the physics of the subatomic, these crucial insights, stemming from Einstein's revolutionary theories of relativity, have led to a simple and elegant framework within which the whole of the Universe, over billions of years, has been described. But recent evidence has begun to make wrinkles in the neat fabric of the big bang cosmology. There is now overwhelming evidence that there is far more stuff in the Universe than we can see. What, and where, is this 'dark matter'? And it now appears that the expansion of the Universe is accelerating: something out there - some exotic 'dark energy' - is acting against gravity to push space and time apart. While offering a critical view of how all the pieces in our current model fit together, Pedro Ferreira argues that Einstein's Universe may be just another stepping stone towards a new, more profound and effective cosmology in the future.

The Creation of the Universe

The Creation of the Universe PDF Author: George Gamow
Publisher: Courier Corporation
ISBN: 0486165485
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 178

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Book Description
Lively and authoritative, this survey by a renowned physicist explains the formation of the galaxies and defines the concept of an ever-expanding universe in simple terms. 1961 edition. 40 figures.

Beyond the Dynamical Universe

Beyond the Dynamical Universe PDF Author: Michael Silberstein
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192533835
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
Theoretical physics and foundations of physics have not made much progress in the last few decades. Whether we are talking about unifying general relativity and quantum field theory (quantum gravity), explaining so-called dark energy and dark matter (cosmology), or the interpretation and implications of quantum mechanics and relativity, there is no consensus in sight. In addition, both enterprises are deeply puzzled about various facets of time including above all, time as experienced. The authors argue that, across the board, this impasse is the result of the "dynamical universe paradigm," the idea that reality is fundamentally made up of physical entities that evolve in time from some initial state according to dynamical laws. Thus, in the dynamical universe, the initial conditions plus the dynamical laws explain everything else going exclusively forward in time. In cosmology, for example, the initial conditions reside in the Big Bang and the dynamical law is supplied by general relativity. Accordingly, the present state of the universe is explained exclusively by its past. This book offers a completely new paradigm (called Relational Blockworld), whereby the past, present and future co-determine each other via "adynamical global constraints," such as the least action principle. Accordingly, the future is just as important for explaining the present as is the past. Most of the book is devoted to showing how Relational Blockworld resolves many of the current conundrums of both theoretical physics and foundations of physics, including the mystery of time as experienced and how that experience relates to the block universe.

Welcome to the Universe

Welcome to the Universe PDF Author: Neil deGrasse Tyson
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691177813
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 262

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Book Description
An essential companion to the New York Times bestseller Welcome to the Universe Here is the essential companion to Welcome to the Universe, a New York Times bestseller that was inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course for non science majors that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton. This problem book features more than one hundred problems and exercises used in the original course—ideal for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the original material and to learn to think like an astrophysicist. Whether you’re a student or teacher, citizen scientist or science enthusiast, your guided tour of the cosmos just got even more hands-on with Welcome to the Universe: The Problem Book. The essential companion book to the acclaimed bestseller Features the problems used in the original introductory astronomy course for non science majors at Princeton University Organized according to the structure of Welcome to the Universe, empowering readers to explore real astrophysical problems that are conceptually introduced in each chapter Problems are designed to stimulate physical insight into the frontier of astrophysics Problems develop quantitative skills, yet use math no more advanced than high school algebra Problems are often multipart, building critical thinking and quantitative skills and developing readers’ insight into what astrophysicists do Ideal for course use—either in tandem with Welcome to the Universe or as a supplement to courses using standard astronomy textbooks—or self-study Tested in the classroom over numerous semesters for more than a decade Prefaced with a review of relevant concepts and equations Full solutions and explanations are provided, allowing students and other readers to check their own understanding

A Universe from Nothing

A Universe from Nothing PDF Author: Lawrence M. Krauss
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1451624476
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Bestselling author and acclaimed physicist Lawrence Krauss offers a paradigm-shifting view of how everything that exists came to be in the first place. “Where did the universe come from? What was there before it? What will the future bring? And finally, why is there something rather than nothing?” One of the few prominent scientists today to have crossed the chasm between science and popular culture, Krauss describes the staggeringly beautiful experimental observations and mind-bending new theories that demonstrate not only can something arise from nothing, something will always arise from nothing. With a new preface about the significance of the discovery of the Higgs particle, A Universe from Nothing uses Krauss’s characteristic wry humor and wonderfully clear explanations to take us back to the beginning of the beginning, presenting the most recent evidence for how our universe evolved—and the implications for how it’s going to end. Provocative, challenging, and delightfully readable, this is a game-changing look at the most basic underpinning of existence and a powerful antidote to outmoded philosophical, religious, and scientific thinking.

The Five Ages of the Universe

The Five Ages of the Universe PDF Author: Fred C. Adams
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0684865769
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
This book takes readers on a fantastic voyage to the physics of eternity, with a long-term projection of the evolution of the universe.

The Whole Shebang

The Whole Shebang PDF Author: Timothy Ferris
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0684838613
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 406

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Book Description
Summarizes what science has learned about the universe as of the end of the twentieth century, and offers predictions about what may emerge in the near future.

Cosmology and Controversy

Cosmology and Controversy PDF Author: Helge Kragh
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691005461
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 518

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Book Description
Between 1920 and 1970, cosmology became a branch of physics. This text examines how the big bang theory drew inspiration from, and eventually triumphed over, rival views, mainly the steady-state theory and its concept of a stationary universe.

The End of Everything

The End of Everything PDF Author: Katie Mack
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982103558
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Mack looks at five ways the universe could end, and the lessons each scenario reveals about the most important concepts in cosmology. --From publisher description.

How Old Is the Universe?

How Old Is the Universe? PDF Author: David A. Weintraub
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691147310
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 382

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Book Description
"Tells the story of how astronomers solved one of the most compelling mysteries in science and, along the way, introduces readers to fundamental concepts and cutting-edge advances in modern astronomy"--From publisher description.