The Universe Speaks in Numbers

The Universe Speaks in Numbers PDF Author: Graham Farmelo
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 1541673921
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Get Book

Book Description
How math helps us solve the universe's deepest mysteries One of the great insights of science is that the universe has an underlying order. The supreme goal of physicists is to understand this order through laws that describe the behavior of the most basic particles and the forces between them. For centuries, we have searched for these laws by studying the results of experiments. Since the 1970s, however, experiments at the world's most powerful atom-smashers have offered few new clues. So some of the world's leading physicists have looked to a different source of insight: modern mathematics. These physicists are sometimes accused of doing 'fairy-tale physics', unrelated to the real world. But in The Universe Speaks in Numbers, award-winning science writer and biographer Farmelo argues that the physics they are doing is based squarely on the well-established principles of quantum theory and relativity, and part of a tradition dating back to Isaac Newton. With unprecedented access to some of the world's greatest scientific minds, Farmelo offers a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of the blossoming relationship between mathematics and physics and the research that could revolutionize our understanding of reality. A masterful account of the some of the most groundbreaking ideas in physics in the past four decades. The Universe Speaks in Numbers is essential reading for anyone interested in the quest to discover the fundamental laws of nature.

The Universe Speaks in Numbers

The Universe Speaks in Numbers PDF Author: Graham Farmelo
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 1541673921
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 304

Get Book

Book Description
How math helps us solve the universe's deepest mysteries One of the great insights of science is that the universe has an underlying order. The supreme goal of physicists is to understand this order through laws that describe the behavior of the most basic particles and the forces between them. For centuries, we have searched for these laws by studying the results of experiments. Since the 1970s, however, experiments at the world's most powerful atom-smashers have offered few new clues. So some of the world's leading physicists have looked to a different source of insight: modern mathematics. These physicists are sometimes accused of doing 'fairy-tale physics', unrelated to the real world. But in The Universe Speaks in Numbers, award-winning science writer and biographer Farmelo argues that the physics they are doing is based squarely on the well-established principles of quantum theory and relativity, and part of a tradition dating back to Isaac Newton. With unprecedented access to some of the world's greatest scientific minds, Farmelo offers a vivid, behind-the-scenes account of the blossoming relationship between mathematics and physics and the research that could revolutionize our understanding of reality. A masterful account of the some of the most groundbreaking ideas in physics in the past four decades. The Universe Speaks in Numbers is essential reading for anyone interested in the quest to discover the fundamental laws of nature.

Just Six Numbers

Just Six Numbers PDF Author: Martin Rees
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786723580
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

Get Book

Book Description
DivThe genesis of the universe elegantly explained in a simple theory based on just six numbers by one of the world's most renowned astrophysicists/div

Cosmic Numbers

Cosmic Numbers PDF Author: James D. Stein
Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
ISBN: 0465021980
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 242

Get Book

Book Description
"Our fascination with numbers begins when we are children, and continues, for most of us, throughout our lives. We start counting our fingers and toes, and end up balancing check books and calculating risk. So powerful is the appeal of numbers that many people ascribe to them a mystical significance. And there are some numbers whose importance even transcends the supernatural--these numbers work to explain our universe and how it behaves. In Cosmic Numbers, mathematics professor James Stein traces the discovery, evolution, and interrelationships of the great numbers in that define our world. Some numbers, like the speed of light and absolute zero, are well known to the general public. Others, such as Boltzmann's constant and the Chandrasekhar limit, are known only to those with a deep knowledge of science. But these numbers do far more than the average person might dare to imagine: they tell us how this world began, the way we were and the way we are, and what the future holds. Stein reveals the manner in which certain cosmic numbers came to light, the dramatis personae involved, and cutting-edge developments associated with these numbers. Many are the cornerstones of grand discoveries and theories. They represent landmarks in the history of intellectual achievement. And the stories of these numbers offer a novel understanding of physics, chemistry, astronomy, and ourselves. Much more than a gee-whiz collection of numbers, Cosmic Numbers illuminates why particular numbers are so important--both to scientists and to the rest of us. "--Provided by publisher.

The Universe Has A Number

The Universe Has A Number PDF Author: Donald B. Grey
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781702916400
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 184

Get Book

Book Description
Are you looking for answers and haven't found any of them in the usual places? Do you seek answers to why or how certain things always happen in the same way every time but don't know how to explain it? Are there times when you have a number repeat itself and you look at it constantly trying to figure out why it is always in your life? All along this book, you will find the secret wisdom of how we are all aligned with the numerical code of the whole Universe and how to understand how it influences your life each day. Numerology is no new thing. Ancient societies and cultures have been studying the life of numbers and how they have a say in the energy of all things since man was erecting structures and learning from their environment. And when have all of these ideas come in handy in modern life? Look around you. How tall is the tallest skyscraper and how was it constructed? Numbers. How long have you looked at the same bank account number and maintained a certain level of income in it, wishing for more, and what influences that energy? Numbers. How are you going to get yourself the job you truly want to have with the income you know you deserve? Numbers. Learning the languages of numbers and the reality behind numerology opens an entire world of wisdom to you, the reader, so that you can uncover an even deeper layer of truth to the life you are already living. Look inside your house and see all the ways numerology may have already influenced your life. Ask yourself what your numbers are and find right away that there is a secret number hidden within you. Every part of life, from nature to civilization, culture to cosmos, has a number and you are here to know how to discover the true meaning of numerology. Having a handle on how to interpret the number signs that come for you on a life level can show you your true calling, your financial capabilities, your health and wealth, and so much more. Even the name you are given at birth has a number, as well as the date, time, and place of where you were born, giving your whole life a numerical code, a blueprint to success, and all you have to do is 'know your number.' In this book you will find: The ancient history and philosophy of numerology and why it had an impact on culture and society How numbers have an effect on nature and govern the cycles of life across the whole planet, as well as the whole cosmos Access to your birth number and personality number to help show you the energy of your self How to predict the future with numerology tactics The specific meaning behind each number from zero to nine Number combinations that have a bigger meaning and purpose Messages for you from the Universe as seen through numbers How to find love with numerology; dating advice from numbers The link between numbers and names Numerology in the home, work, and family And so much more... If you are ready to discover your number that the universe planned for you, scroll up and click the "BUY NOW" button!

The Strangest Man

The Strangest Man PDF Author: Graham Farmelo
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465019927
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 560

Get Book

Book Description
Paul Dirac was among the great scientific geniuses of the modern age. One of the discoverers of quantum mechanics, the most revolutionary theory of the past century, his contributions had a unique insight, eloquence, clarity, and mathematical power. His prediction of antimatter was one of the greatest triumphs in the history of physics. One of Einstein’s most admired colleagues, Dirac was in 1933 the youngest theoretician ever to win the Nobel Prize in physics. Dirac’s personality is legendary. He was an extraordinarily reserved loner, relentlessly literal-minded and appeared to have no empathy with most people. Yet he was a family man and was intensely loyal to his friends. His tastes in the arts ranged from Beethoven to Cher, from Rembrandt to Mickey Mouse. Based on previously undiscovered archives, The Strangest Man reveals the many facets of Dirac’s brilliantly original mind. A compelling human story, The Strangest Man also depicts a spectacularly exciting era in scientific history.

The Number of the Heavens

The Number of the Heavens PDF Author: Tom Siegfried
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 067497588X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 353

Get Book

Book Description
One of the most controversial, cutting-edge ideas in cosmology—the possibility that there exist multiple parallel universes—in fact has a long history. Tom Siegfried reminds us that the size and number of the heavens have been contested since ancient times. His story offers deep lessons about the nature of science and the quest for understanding.

Our Mathematical Universe

Our Mathematical Universe PDF Author: Max Tegmark
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307744256
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 434

Get Book

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.

Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them PDF Author: Antonio Padilla
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ISBN: 0374600570
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 211

Get Book

Book Description
A fun, dazzling exploration of the strange numbers that illuminate the ultimate nature of reality. For particularly brilliant theoretical physicists like James Clerk Maxwell, Paul Dirac, or Albert Einstein, the search for mathematical truths led to strange new understandings of the ultimate nature of reality. But what are these truths? What are the mysterious numbers that explain the universe? In Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them, the leading theoretical physicist and YouTube star Antonio Padilla takes us on an irreverent cosmic tour of nine of the most extraordinary numbers in physics, offering a startling picture of how the universe works. These strange numbers include Graham’s number, which is so large that if you thought about it in the wrong way, your head would collapse into a singularity; TREE(3), whose finite nature can never be definitively proved, because to do so would take so much time that the universe would experience a Poincaré Recurrence—resetting to precisely the state it currently holds, down to the arrangement of individual atoms; and 10^{-120}, measuring the desperately unlikely balance of energy needed to allow the universe to exist for more than just a moment, to extend beyond the size of a single atom—in other words, the mystery of our unexpected universe. Leading us down the rabbit hole to a deeper understanding of reality, Padilla explains how these unusual numbers are the key to understanding such mind-boggling phenomena as black holes, relativity, and the problem of the cosmological constant—that the two best and most rigorously tested ways of understanding the universe contradict one another. Fantastic Numbers and Where to Find Them is a combination of popular and cutting-edge science—and a lively, entertaining, and even funny exploration of the most fundamental truths about the universe.

We Have No Idea

We Have No Idea PDF Author: Jorge Cham
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735211523
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 369

Get Book

Book Description
Prepare to learn everything we still don’t know about our strange and mysterious universe Humanity's understanding of the physical world is full of gaps. Not tiny little gaps you can safely ignore —there are huge yawning voids in our basic notions of how the world works. PHD Comics creator Jorge Cham and particle physicist Daniel Whiteson have teamed up to explore everything we don't know about the universe: the enormous holes in our knowledge of the cosmos. Armed with their popular infographics, cartoons, and unusually entertaining and lucid explanations of science, they give us the best answers currently available for a lot of questions that are still perplexing scientists, including: * Why does the universe have a speed limit? * Why aren't we all made of antimatter? * What (or who) is attacking Earth with tiny, superfast particles? * What is dark matter, and why does it keep ignoring us? It turns out the universe is full of weird things that don't make any sense. But Cham and Whiteson make a compelling case that the questions we can't answer are as interesting as the ones we can. This fully illustrated introduction to the biggest mysteries in physics also helpfully demystifies many complicated things we do know about, from quarks and neutrinos to gravitational waves and exploding black holes. With equal doses of humor and delight, Cham and Whiteson invite us to see the universe as a possibly boundless expanse of uncharted territory that's still ours to explore.

Nature's Numbers

Nature's Numbers PDF Author: Ian Stewart
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0786723920
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 176

Get Book

Book Description
"It appears to us that the universe is structured in a deeply mathematical way. Falling bodies fall with predictable accelerations. Eclipses can be accurately forecast centuries in advance. Nuclear power plants generate electricity according to well-known formulas. But those examples are the tip of the iceberg. In Nature's Numbers, Ian Stewart presents many more, each charming in its own way.. Stewart admirably captures compelling and accessible mathematical ideas along with the pleasure of thinking of them. He writes with clarity and precision. Those who enjoy this sort of thing will love this book."—Los Angeles Times