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"God created the integers," wrote mathematician Leopold Kronecker, "All the rest is the work of Man." In this collection of landmark mathematical works, editor Stephen Hawking has assembled the greatest feats humans have ever accomplished using just numbers and their brains. Each of the 17 sections opens with a historical introduction of the featured author, and proceeds to a faithful translation of their most famous work. While most mathematicians will already have complete editions of Isaac Newton's Principia or Georg Cantor's Contributions to the Founding of the Theory of Transfinite Numbers, this book is unique in presenting just the best bits of these and other theoretical works. The collection spans 2,500 years and covers a vast range of theories: the parallel postulate, Boolean logic, differential calculus, and the philosophy of the unknowable among them. Dense with numbers, formulae, and ideas, God Created the Integers is quite challenging, but Hawking rewards curious readers with a look at how mathematics has been built. In contrast to the towering physical edifices of great civilizations of the past, Hawking writes, "The greatest wonder of the modern world is our understanding." --Therese Littleton
Book Description
Bestselling author and physicist Stephen Hawking explores the "masterpieces" of mathematics, 25 landmarks spanning 2,500 years and representing the work of 15 mathematicians, including Augustin Cauchy, Bernard Riemann, and Alan Turing. This extensive anthology allows readers to peer into the mind of genius by providing them with excerpts from the original mathematical proofs and results. It also helps them understand the progression of mathematical thought, and the very foundations of our present-day technologies. Each chapter begins with a biography of the featured mathematician, clearly explaining the significance of the result, followed by the full proof of the work, reproduced from the original publication.
Customer Reviews:
Forget the flaws. Enjoy it........2007-08-30
I just couldn't put this book down. I was so absorbed that I even missed my station and had to catch a train back. The biographies mixed with mathematical explanations and the significance of each work is brilliant. It gives one an insight into how context-dependent genius really is.
I knew that the book had flaws because I read these reviews a while ago. But so what! You wouldn't use this book for reference or as a text book. It's meant to be entertainment and entertaining it is. If you can understand the maths and the significance of the selected papers you can enjoy it without worrying too much about everything being crossed and dotted.
I knew the bios of many, but not all, of these men. Of the ones I didn't know, my favorite was George Boole. The description of his unusual career and the amazingly clear and readable paper on symbolic logic are worth buying the book for. I almost choked up when I read how he died.
Anyway, in our age or irrationality and ignorance we need more books like this to show us that we can rise above it all.
Definitelly a great book but it serious editorial issues.......2007-08-13
I will be brief:
*** I miss a chapter on Euler. Wasn't he a great mathematician?
*** I need a magnifying glass to go with the book. The footnotes are very, very small
*** While I understand the editors that they did not want to bring the translated text up to today's standard I believe that a footnote or two to define the terms would have helped. Especially with the Riemann's seminal paper on Geometry
The Works and Biographical Details of Some of the World's Greatest Mathematicians.......2007-08-02
By way of introduction, the Egyptians and Babylonians did sophisticated math as early as 3500 BC. This book begins with the works of Pythagoras (his theorem), Archimedes (use of a pulley to do the work of 100 men; distinguishing gold from gold alloys), Diophantus (biographical word problem), etc. We then learn of such men as Descartes (on geometry), Riemann (on curved space), Laplace (on probability), Fourier (deciphering the Rosetta stone; propagation of heat), etc.
There is at least one inaccuracy in this book. Alan Mathison Turing is said to have cracked the Nazi Enigma Code. In actuality, the code was broken earlier by a team of Polish mathematicians headed by Marian Rejewski. The French and British mathematicians (including Turing) went on to build on Rejewski's breakthrough.
This book touches on the personal lives of many of the mathematical greats. Did you know, for instance, that Newton was personally hostile to Leibniz? Or that Cauchy had to flee Paris because of his royalist ties and consequent fear of being guillotined during the French Revolution? Or that Boole, at one time, compared the Trinity to the three dimensions of space? Or that Kurt Godel (Goedel), an eccentric fellow, had to be repeatedly hospitalized for severe depression?
Exactly what I wanted!.......2007-07-21
I read "Euclid's Window" last year, another mathematical history/overview book, and while I enjoyed it, it did seem to skim much and not get too deep into any one subject. I'm still glad I read it, because it's whetted my appetite for the subject, and this book is definitely the main course. It's a great companion to Roger Penrose' "Road to Reality", an overview of just about all we currently know about physics, which doesn't shy away from the math. Between these two books, my brain will likely explode (I'm a musician, but I love the subject), but they are full of depth for both thorough reading or just reference.
A great idea well executed (with a caveat)........2007-06-27
Hawking here puts his name as editor to an outstanding collection of the writings, theorems and proofs of several of history's most influential mathematicians. He also contributes historical and biographical context commentaries. The choice of title, and implicit subtitle due to Leopold Kronecker, is itself interesting in its metamathematical posture, alluding to both the platonic (real but 'immaterial') mathematical Given, i.e., "God Created the Integers", and the concept of mathematics as human 'invention', i.e., "all the rest is the work of man". In his popular writings, Hawking has long identified with positivism, a philosophy claimed by relatively many in the natural sciences but by very few practitioners of mathematics (likely all the men profiled here would consider themselves Platonists, believing that mathematical truths are discovered as opposed to contrived/invented). I find it slightly fascinating that one can be so assertive in his scientific positivism while also frequently conceding a weak mathematical Platonism/realism.
While all of the 'chapters' are worthy of attention, I was particularly interested in Hawking's presentation of the life, work and thought of Kurt Gödel. I don't know that his perspective on Gödel's philosophical views or expectations, as regards this Incompleteness Theorems, or Gödel's relationship with the Vienna Circle, is portrayed accurately. Witnesses and other biographers have convincingly portrayed the story otherwise. Gödel's famous proofs may have surprised and disappointed the Positivists, but it seems they neither disappointed nor surprised [the Platonist] Gödel (although he calls his result "surprising," it seems he is speaking to how they must be received by Hilbert, Wittgenstein, and the positivists, rather than to his own view). There are several popular sources [books] on Gödel and his work that are available for the interested reader. A very nice exposition focused mainly on the philosophical import of Gödel's result is "Incompleteness: The Proof and Paradox of Kurt Godel" by Rebecca Goldstein (although, unlike Hawking's book, Goldstein presents only a good summary explanation of Gödel's famous paper, rather than the whole paper).
Staying with Hawking's presentation of Gödel, I also note that, in his introduction (xii), Hawking writes "Kurt Gödel proved a theorem troubling to many philosophers, as well as anyone else believing in absolute truth: that in any sufficiently complex logical system (such as arithmetic) there must exist statements that can neither be proven nor disproven." Dividing Hawking's statement into those segments defined by the sentence's punctuation, Gödel would quickly protest, "yes, no (!), and yes": True, Gödel's result troubled certain philosophers -- most especially Wittgenstein! (Wittgenstein is said to have, in frustration, resolved to "ignore" Gödel's result; Gödel, for his part, considered Wittgenstein to be not only a poor judge of mathematical thought, but also a poor philosopher generally.) What Gödel would categorically deny of Hawking's summation, is the idea that his result in any real way questioned the ontology of 'absolute truth.' In fact, he inferred exactly the opposite. His result addressed the decidability of propositions and not the existence of truths! Hawking obviously understands this, but has taken some license in assailing 'truth' anyway, perhaps subconsciously attempting a kind of Wittgensteinian proxy revenge; but Gödel's result addresses the limits of formal logic, NOT any constraint on 'truth' itself. (Sorry if this seems like a lengthy digression, but as Kurt Gödel isn't around to defend the philosophical meaning of his work from positivistic spin-doctoring, other mathematical Platonists must.)
One indicator of this volume's uniqueness is the fact that some of these texts had not previously been published in English. The book is a great idea well executed, and is definitely recommended to anyone with an interest in the history of mathematics or in familiarizing themselves with great (and often quirky) mathematicians. Read it front to back or in any manner you wish, although there is an obvious 'building' through the book, the segments on the life and work of each mathematician will be of interest in their own right.
Book Description
Readers worldwide have come to know the work of Stephen Hawking through his phenomenal million-copy hardcover best-seller A Brief History of Time. Bantam is proud to present the paperback edition of Dr. Hawking's first new book since that event, a collection of fascinating and illuminating essays, and a remarkable interview broadcast by the BBC on Christmas Day, 1992. These fourteen pieces reveal Hawking variously as the scientist, the man, the concerned world citizen, and-always-the rigorous and imaginative thinker. Hawking's wit, directness of style, and absence of pomp characterize all of them, whether he is remembering his first experience at nursery school; calling for adequate education in science that will enable the public to play its part in making informed decisions on matters such as nuclear disarmament; exploring the origins of the future of the universe; or reflecting on the history of A Brief History of Time. Black Holes and Baby Universes is an important work from one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century.
Customer Reviews:
A great scientist explains his work and his life .......2007-04-01
This book consists in two distinct parts. In one Hawking talks about his life, and in the other about his major areas of interest in his researches. Both parts of the work are written in clear and understandable language, though I admit that when he talks about black holes, singularities, and the real heart of his work my own lack of understanding and knowledge prevents me from feeling I really 'get it'. Hawking's work in these areas is considered foundational and of great importance. I cannot possibly evaluate it.
As for the second simpler section on his life there is the one overwhelming fact. It was only after he contracted AMS that he decided to get down to work, and become a serious researcher. His meeting Jane Wilde was the key here for this gave him hope for his future. She became his wife and the mother of his three children. And though they later divorced he attributes her with having given the hope and belief he needed at that critical time.
Despite his infirmity Hawking went on to make major scientific discoveries. He at one point lost his power his speech and learned to communicate through a special synthesizer. He is a widely appreciated figure whose 'Brief History of Time' won a worldwide readership. He has continued to speak out on issues such as global warming, the nuclear - war danger, the necessity for human population of space.
The book is naturally reticent about many questions regarding Hawking's life which no doubt future biographers will more deeply explore.
One more thought about the 'scientific work'. It seems to me and this is a layman's opinion that a lot of his work is done in areas and ways which are speculative and not as yet verifiable by experimental test. It thus seems to me that comparisons sometimes made of his work with that of Newton and Einstein are probably premature.
Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays.......2007-02-06
Very very interesting. Made my husband very happy+
EVENT HORIZON.......2006-11-14
An event horizon is the boundary of a black hole, defined by the light that can reach out that far and no further. Hawking himself sometimes uses pictorial metaphors to illustrate abstruse mathematical concepts, and this one occurred to me by way of an analogy of the brilliant illumination that I am trying to persuade to shine out far enough to reach my own dim wits hovering hopefully in the outer darkness.
The whole `feel' of Hawking's discourses reminds me of the stories I have read about Einstein at work - placid, orderly and without excitement (or should I say `perturbation'?). Genius of this kind seems to be a kind of glorified knack - such minds just operate naturally with concepts of this kind, and there is no sense of effort or struggle. Sandwiched between some biographical material and a radio interview, the main material in this book is a collection of essays and lectures. They include Hawking's inaugural lecture at Cambridge where he occupies the chair of mathematics once held by Newton, and all are intended in the first place for an audience of his peers. On the other hand, where Newton and Einstein did not try to address the general public, Hawking, like Russell, seeks to do just that, and he does it superbly. The style of writing is both literate and unpretentious, and the occasional jokes are very good. Readers who, like myself, are intensely interested in the subject-matter but entirely lacking in natural aptitude for it, ought to find this book enormously helpful. There is a certain amount of repetition inevitably, but the more of that the better so far as I'm concerned. Any amateur trying to get a handle on mathematical concepts like these has to get into a mathematician's way of thinking as best he can and stop thinking as a layman. We can all understand the basics of gravitation without being Newton, but if we are still struggling with the general idea of the General Theory of Relativity in 2006 it's worth remembering that it was propounded in 1915 and that physics and astronomy have came on a long way since then, so we had better get our minds round it at last.
At least as astounding to me as Hawking's triumph over his physical paralysis is the fact that this professor of mathematics at Cambridge never graduated in that subject. His degree subject was physics, allegedly on the grounds that the Oxford physics course was easy. Not easy enough to tempt me away from Latin and Greek, I must say, but doubtless for him. Mathematics is just a technique that Hawking invokes as a tool in his quest for a grand unified theory of the entire cosmos. This, said he 20 or 30 years ago, is something he hoped and largely expected could be achieved in 20 or 30 years. I'm sure we would have heard if he thought by now that he had got there, but he honours us with his ideas at the time of writing on the origin and future of the universe. The main obstacle to the final resolution of the issue is apparently that no one has yet successfully integrated old Newton's gravitation with the rest of it. However he also helps us with some more `back-at-the-office' theory concerning black holes, on which topic he appears to be the leading thinker, and that gives him the opportunity to remind us of the outlines of the most important advances since Einstein, namely quantum mechanics and Heisenberg's uncertainty principle.
The latter principle enunciates that the better the position of a particle can be predicted the less well its velocity can be predicted, and conversely. Since it is necessary to predict both, all we can do is predict the combination on a `smeared' statistical basis. It seems to come into everything, and Hawking invokes it to try to comfort us with the belief that although everything (and everyone) actually is determined by particle physics, the extent of the unpredictability is such that we might as well consider ourselves to be free agents. For once, I would dare question him. In the first place such a view doesn't seem to require Heisenberg - simply viewing the story of the cosmos as a chain of events constituting causes and effects would surely get us that far, as the permutation of these is incalculably large and therefore only to some extent predictable. Secondly, when we talk about `free will' and `determinism' what are we even talking about? I'm often told in arguments that I can think what I like. On the contrary, I wish I could, but my own observation and reason, such as they are, leave me unable to. When I exercise `free choice', e.g. in choosing from a menu, I can quite understand that my choice might be determined by physical causes (whether that is the truth of it or not). However when I change my mind about something factual or theoretical, which is taken as a sign of free intelligence, I do so because I feel that the evidence leaves me no choice, and evidence is not an `event' or a `cause' or any matter of particles or physics. Where does all this leave `free will'?
Those seeking God or a Creator will find that Hawking hedges his bets, so that any capable by nature of thinking what they would prefer to think remain, I suppose, `free' to do so. The issue is beyond me, and my own quest is for a better understanding of the cosmos I have been born into and will have to leave before too long. May I wish Professor Hawking a long and productive further career. We are much the same age, and his 20-30-year estimate for solving the riddle of the cosmos is up around now. If he finds it, I hope I can recognise it when I see it.
Fascinating and Stimulating.......2005-11-29
Like others who have reviewed this work, I can endorse it as a stimulating and thoughtful book. It is in essence however not a coherent book with a single theme. It is a compilation of articles and as such there is much in the book that is repetitive. Hawking acknowledges this and disclaims it at the outset. Even with the forewarning I found that element to be a tad annoying.
I listened to the audio version of the book while commuting and I found it overall to be a fascinating read. The biographical material about Hawking helped to put a "person" to the personality. Hawking is, without doubt, brilliant. His ability to reduce difficult concepts to listener sound bites speaks to that brilliance. I came away with an appreciation for his brilliance and abilities as well as the field of cosmological science that I did not have before.
Of particular note, I found Hawking's treatment of metaphysics to be interesting but ultimately no more valuable than anyone else's opinions in that area. Physics will never answer the question of why the universe exists or whether God in fact exists and created this universe. Science can only answer how the universe works and what laws govern its behavior. Hawkings admits this himself so I took no offense to his words, I just found it interesting that his position did not make his insights in that regard any more valuable.
The final segment of transcript from a radio show read by the narrator struck me a an opportunity missed to allow Hawking to finish with his own voice and presence. I was disappointed they did not use the original sound feed and chose to read the transcript.
Well worth the read or the listen. Entertaining. Already dated though and perhaps his more recent works would be of more value to most listeners.
Good, but not up to Hawking's standard.......2005-07-08
I immensely enjoyed A Brief History of Time, and had high hopes for this book as well. Unfortunately I was disappointed. Don't get me wrong, it is a good book full of interesting things, but there is far too much repitition, both with A Brief History of Time and withing this book itself. It seemed that he explained his "the only boudary conditition is that there is no boundary" theory in every essay. Good material, but you won't find much in here that you didn't already know if you read A Brief History of Time. I would recommend skipping this and going straight to The Universe in a Nutshell, a more recent Hawking book.
Book Description
Introducing Stephen Hawking is a brilliantly conceived introduction to Hawking's work, ranging from Einstein's Theory of Relativity to Black Holes and the Big Bang. It also explains Hawking's research into Quantum Gravity, which could emerge as a Theory of Everything.
Customer Reviews:
So Hawking wants to win the Nobel prize does he.......2001-10-30
I read this book as a science work, not as a promotional biography.
As popular writings of modern physics go this is a rather good account of modern cosmology. The author has a physics background thus making the science fairly honest. The writing is linear with ample asides to bring the reader up to speed on important concepts. The brevity of the writing bespeaks compatification, not loss.
The problem is that Hawking wants to win the Nobel Prize something fierce. The author is out to lend his support to a fellow Britisher by publishing this unabashed Nobel promo (the closing pages give a summation of why Hawking should win the big one). As far as the cartoony format goes the caricatures seem to be directed at those physicists and religious figures (generally dead) the author wants to relegate to supporting roles to the great one. If you can get around these prejudices you will find a good read.
good descprtion of general concepts :).......2001-08-02
I was a bit reluctant to like this book when I first read it because of its abundance of cartoons that appeared to be quite cheaply drawn. It also belonged to part of a larger series of 'Introducing' books and I'm always reluctant to like those because they always seem to be directed towards making a profit rather than providing good information.
Contrary to my first impressions, the book was actually fairly good and informative. It covers a good part of Stephen Hawking's life as well as some background in fundamentals of physics so you can grasp some of his ideas. Although soem cartoons are completely gratuitous others actually provide extra clarification on the ideas expressed.
The book gives a very broad overview over Stephen Hawking's ideas. Specifically his theories concerning black hole radiation. Some stuff was a bit hard for me to grasp (atleast to understand all the little details was near impossible) but the book illustrates the general ideas very well :)
Aaah, so thats how space time works............2000-12-15
Cartoons, comic book style, sumo wrestlers - all these will from now on be associated with astronomy and quantum theory, thanks to this book. If like me you are just reading for general interest this book will explain it all, but without bogging it down with detail. A good read, and now I feel confident to read Hawkings book 'A brief history of time'.
Wonderfully informative!.......2000-02-23
This is a wonderful, short book about one of the most intelligent scientists of the time. Written in a biographical sense, Hawking's life is well documented as are his accomplishments and contributions to science.
Excellent, humorous introduction to Hawking & modern physics.......1998-10-19
After picking this up in a bookstore in Chicago, I couldn't stop reading it after I had started. The book combines interviews with Hawking along with biographical information and excellent cartoon illustrations and black & white photos to explain how modern thoughts on physics and black holes were developed. I've used some of the information from this book to teach my high school Physics class about black holes, and I hope to use it more in the future. The book sort of ends without much explanation of the COBE background explorer, but other than that, it's full of essential information presented in a format that is easy and fun to read.
Book Description
Few scientists are as recognizable as Stephen Hawking. Despite having Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease)--an affliction that many experts expected to have killed him decades ago--Hawking remains a vital and influential voice in the scientific community. One of the leading cosmologists studying the celestial phenomenon known as black holes, Hawking has also led the way in popularizing science with his best-selling work A Brief History of Time. This biography of Hawking, written by a physicist, provides an accessible introduction to the life and work of an inspirational figure. Stephen Hawking: A Biography provides an overview of the life and work of this brilliant scientist that can be read and appreciated by students and lay people alike. The author examines many aspects of his fascinating career: DT Hawking's childhood and early education, and the shocking diagnosis of his disease. DT His early scientific work on black holes that cemented his reputation as a scientist. DT How Hawking managed to remain a productive scientist and scholar despite having a debilitating illness. DT The publication and success of the best-selling book A Brief History of Time, which changed the face of popular science publishing. The book includes a list of resources for further information, and a timeline of important events in the life of Hawking. Several appendices explain the details of Hawking's scientific work in more detail for those students seeking more information.
Customer Reviews:
Disappointing Bio.......2007-08-05
I thought that spending almost $30 for a biography meant it would be a substantial one. Instead, it is less than an inch thick, with the binding and written by a childrens' author. It is a great book for kids but what about the adults? There is a photo of Stephen and his second wife on their wedding day but nothing written about their meeting and relationship. There is nothing about his belief change to intellegent design either. One of the greatest minds of our time deserves a more complete biography.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent... at deceiving.......2006-07-01
I felt that Ferguson achieved a nice balance by intermingling Hawking's biography with introduction to his theories. It allows your brain to alternate between working on science and returning "back to earth" to meet an interesting human being with all his problems and victories. The science part is very layman-friendly, and at the same time is not too slow for the scientifically-minded (just a bit too politically correct, but it's understandable). The biography part is tactful, and with just the right amount of detail. The book is clear and inspiring, and she convinced me to read Hawking's "A brief history of time".
Strangely enough, Hawking's book turned out to be not as clear and inspiring as Ferguson's book. She painted him as the king of clarity, conciseness, and humor, but I don't get such an impression at all from reading his book. So now I have mixed feelings: I respect Ferguson for being good at writing and teaching (better than Hawking at both), but I'm annoyed with her for the false advertisement.
Interesting if you understand it already.......2005-04-21
After reading A Brief History of Time I decided that I wanted to learn more about Stephen Hawkings himself and how he became who he is today. I picked up this book written by Kitty Ferguson, which is claimed to be a biography and started reading it. After about twenty pages she was done talking about his life and started talking about his theories. This was disappointing to me because I thought the book was a biography.
As I continued reading I became somewhat confused while she told about Hawkings discoveries. The explanations were little or none in trying to get the reader to understand the ideas. It did not help that there were very few small illustrations that were in the book to go along with her explanations. If there were highly detailed color illustrations such as those in A Brief History In Time, it might have been much easier to understand.
I did enjoy the beginning of the book where Kitty goes into detail about the beginning of Hawkings life but I feel like it was just an overview of how he became who he is today. I would not recommend this book, instead I would recommend A Brief History In Time because it is much easier to understand because it has great illustrations and is not so mathematical.
Interesting book, but also very tedious at times!.......2004-08-04
I really liked this book at times, but found Kitty tries to hard to explain Hawking's theories. If you are not one of the Mensa crowd then it gets a little meaningless like similar to reading Greek, can you speak or read Greek? not me! Some of Hawking's theories are explained well and are pretty straight forward, such as the singularity theory and how many believe the universe has expanded and then retracted back to a singularity and then expanded and retracted over and over. Also it goes into detail about his belief that particles can escape black holes, once it reaches the event horizon it splits the negative may fall directly into the black hole past the even horizon and the positive falls away from the event horizon freeing it.This aside what I really wanted to read more about was the man Hawking himself. I mean come on, I've already read "A brief history of time". In short this book is short on explaining much about Stephen and tries to hard to explain some of his many theories.
Interesting Book.......2003-12-19
Kitty Ferguson gives a lot of info on Stephen Hawking's life and works, being a small book in size it is full of interesting theories on Universe and Black Holes. It is purely scientific book thus it tries to explain everything scientifically, eventhough Stephen Hawking sometimes accepts that science cannot prove some things that are beyond our reach, nevertheless he does not accept that the whole universe is a God's creation.
"The Creation of the Universe" by Hârun Yahya is an excellent book which explains scientifically how God has created the Universe.
One star for the book + the star that is Hawking.......2003-06-05
After reading "A Brief History Of Time" by Stephen Hawking, I was absolutely taken with astrophysics. Now, I'm no professional, but I could understand Hawking's book even if I had to learn to concentrate on what I was reading completely and reread some places. Hawking attempted to explain even the most complicated things - and succeeded. I thought I could pick up Kitty Ferguson's book for some easy reading on Hawking's discoveries - boy, was I wrong!
Kitty Ferguson makes absolutely no attempt to explain the things she's talking about. None! She simply gives you facts that are impossible to accept without explanations. For the most part, I did know what she was talking about - and even then I was astounded by how confusing she had managed to make it all seem, and how imprecise a few of her facts and analogies were.
If you understand the things she's talking about (and you probably do understand most of the things if you know at least something about Hawking's discoveries), you have no need to read this book. It's not even that good of a biography. If you don't know a thing about astrophysics, but would like to learn and, what's much more important, understand these things, pick up another book - and I myself would suggest the aforementioned "A Brief History Of Time" by Stephen Hawking.
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Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen
Jane Hawking
Manufacturer: Alma Books
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ASIN: 1846880343 |
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In this exceptionally candid, poignant, often humorous memoir, Jane Hawking confronts not only the searing complexities and painful dilemmas of her first marriage, but the potentially corrosive effects of power generated by wealth and fame. But above all, this book is about the ultimate triumph of hope, optimism and love.
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- "On the Shoulders of Giants" Stephen Hawking's Universe Book Review
- Boslough at his best!
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- Big Bang for Beginners
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Stephen Hawking's Universe
John Boslough
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The Universe in a Nutshell
ASIN: 0380707632
Release Date: 1989-06-01 |
Book Description
Here is an intimate glimpse of the greatest scientist of our day, the brilliant physicist confined to a wheelchair whose A Brief History of Time has become the first worldwide scientific bestseller of the century. The story of Stephen Hawking's relentless quest for the secret of the origins of the universe will change forever the way you look at the stars . . . and your place among them.
Customer Reviews:
satisfaction.......2007-10-06
I was fullly please with my order... My expectations have been met in every angle.
"On the Shoulders of Giants" Stephen Hawking's Universe Book Review.......2006-04-17
Stephen Hawking's Universe by John Boslough is an introduction to the life and works of one of the most remarkable scientists of our time, Stephen Hawking. Boslough, whom has delved deep into his life, depicts Stephen Hawking in the book as a man, and not as a brilliant scientist. This depiction also sets the tone for the rest of the book as Boslough uses his own personal, creative flair to explain scientific theories surrounding such topics as quasars, quarks, black holes, the Big Bang, and the universe into easily understandable terms. For the large task given, Boslough's attempt is quite admirable as he uses a series of everyday examples to simplify the technical jargon for the half-enthused readers, such as myself. Boslough's explanations give the readers truly wonderful insights into the subject of cosmology, a subject that was otherwise likely never to be comprehendible to me. Boslough has created a biography that is both humble and flattering of Stephen Hawkings for his discoveries are always connected to the forbearers of the field such as Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, whose contributions are all discussed within the book. After reading the book, it is not hard to tell why John Boslough was compelled to recount the story of Stephen Hawking. The scientific breakthroughs that have come from a man confined to his wheelchair will alter anyone's ignorant perception of the universe and isolated thinking of the world. I recommend this book to anyone who is not already an expert on cosmology and looking to indulge one's mind into the intricacies of the universe without overly complex reasoning. Plus, a reader may come across a very interesting individual in doing so.
Boslough at his best!.......2003-11-04
This is one of those very FEW books that I have actually read more than half a dozen times (yes, call me crazy)! A good book is difficult to put down, but a great book is difficult to not re-read!
I have always had an interest in Physics, particularly cosmology, black holes, and the Big Bang theory. This is one of the first books I've ever read on such topics. Boslough has a way of presenting his material in a concise, enjoyable, interesting way. This is one of the best science/physics books (for the layperons) I've ever read! This is THE book that got me hooked on further and continued readings about physics, cosmology, the Big Bang, quantum theory, and so on. Were it not for this book, I'd still be dreading the physics classes I took in college more than 15 years ago!
This book also laid a lot of the foundation work for my research into black holes in preparation for the writing of my science fiction novel "Temporal Armageddon".
Revealing........2003-04-06
This small book, originally written in 1984, was and is still revealing.
Firstly, on a personal level, Hawking admitted already at that time that "As far as theoretical physics are concerned, I'm already ... quite far over the hill'.
Secondly, it gives an excellent explanation of Hawking's contribution to theoretical physics (black holes and their similarities to the beginning of time).
Thirdly, Hawking has outspoken opinions about the anthropic principle (against), the universe of Eastern mysticism (an illusion), the many universes theory (not meaningful) or determinism ('Even if we do achieve a complete unified theory, we shall not be able to make detailed predictions in any but the simplest situations').
This booklet offers also excellent examples for the theories of relativity and quantum mechanics and contains Hawking's Inaugural Lecture 'Is the End in Sight for Theoretical Physics?'
Although this book is, from a theoretical point of view, out of date (no superstrings), it should not be missed.
Big Bang for Beginners.......2001-11-14
As a non-science-type-person I read this book with the sense of shame and guilt that was customarily heaped upon purchasers of "Cliff Notes" by our school English teachers. This is a layman's guide to Hawking for people who are too intimidated to read Hawking, but as such it is a very good piece of work, and the discussion of the Big Bang, black holes, pulsars and quasars are well interspersed with aphoristic comments by Hawking himself.
Average customer rating:
- It is as a story for children
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Steven Hawking para principiantes / Stephen Hawking For Beginners
J. P. McEvoy , and
Oscar Zarate
Manufacturer: Errepar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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It is as a story for children .......2007-05-12
It is as a story for children with the necessary amount of physical principles for beginners, very good
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