Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory by Brian Greene (2000-02-03)

Amazing. Mr. Greene does an incredible job breaking down these un-heard of theories and facts of the universe to a understandable level. Some parts are still hard to grasp, but that's only because the human brain hasn't ever been exposed to, and hasn't been thought of these facts and laws of physics

An excellent read for those wanting to get at least an inkling of what's out there. However, one has to be able to continue reading even when they at times think "I don't understand this". When finished, you will realize that you do have a much better understanding of a big picture of the universe and much more to think about than before, but with many questions and a desire for further study. Delicious stuff.

String theory may by capable of merging quantum mechanics with classical physics, and that simple idea demands respect. I was pleased to read in the later chapters that contemporary string theory no longer requires perturbation theory to work.

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I loved it because I have already taken one course on nuclear physics. Greene starts out giving great examples that anyone without a background in nuclear physics could understand . However, as he progresses towards the end discussing superstring theory, there are less and less examples, probably because it is so abstract. In any case, it is certainly worth the the store price of $3.99.

This book is recommended for any reader who is interested in the application of string theory to cosmology.

The first few chapters cover special relativity, general relativity, and quantum mechanics. The author must be commended for his vivid account of the scientific exploration in these important areas over the past century. His remarkably clear explanation, in terms that a lay reader should be able to follow without difficulty, makes it fun to read.

Nevertheless, reading becomes rather more difficult as the author goes into string theory and its applications in cosmology. Even as an accomplished string theorist, it must be very difficult for the author to explain in lay terms a relatively new theory in physics that involves complex mathematics (in topology and other areas). And to try to explain the intricacies of the theory without actually going into the mathematics involved makes the task doubly difficult. A lay reader's difficulty with the detailed account may also reflect the state of play of string theory, which has yet to receive the thorough study given to relativity and quantum mechanics over the course of the past century.

Great book! Gives accurate explanation that could be in any scientific book, no pre-knowledge in this matter is needed even though I found having pre-knowledge of Newtonian rules to be helpful. Example: Page 71-72 explains so nicely the difference between the pedagogical model and the reality of the model. Some flaws I think to find is the lack of putting acceleration and force into the theories of time. Author argues very well that speed slows time but also says speed could be inferred to all other objects instead of the "speeding object". I find the authors mention of acceleration into this of being to brief. No real context between speed, time, force and acceleration is given. Furthermore, I believe time can be said to be non-existing, a clock and a rotating earth is just two happenings that are synchronized, this could have been mentioned. All in all, great joy is felt while reading this book!

Well written, with an introduction to difficult concepts in relativity and string theory explained . The mathematics is kept to a minimum , confined mainly in the notes at the end of the book. A good guide to those wanting an idea of what string theory is all about.

Il gives an extensive overview of the various theories that have emerged in the last century to describe the motions of the planetes and of the basic particles: from deep space to subatomic scale. It is now possible for general relativity and superstring theory to converge and give a complete explanation of such extraordinary events as big bang and black holes. No formulas or computation ; the text explains what is known and is accessible to whomever is interested.

Using Occam's razor Brian builds just the right foundation on which to discuss string theory. He doesn't get lost in digression but uses analogies and illustrations from the stock market or FBI explosive experts to explain and translate the truly weird concepts he is trying to convey.
This book is not an easy read from the point of view of it's content and I will be reading it a second and third time (at least). However, Brian's smooth writing style draws you along and after hammering your brain with impossible concepts, he will offer an analogy, which both clarifies the point and rests you.
A beginner can read this book because of the explanations given for the basic quantum physics and relativity concepts that string theory is based on. However, having a layman's background in these areas is helpful.

I have enjoyed Brian Greene's work for many years and had this in hard copy. I wanted to reread it in electronic form as a more convenient format. I found that I again became lost in thought as Brian lead me through M theory and hyperspace planes / dimensions. Admittedly, while appealing as a theory the concept of strings operating in Calabi-Yau manifolds while exhibiting frequency shifts can never be scientifically tested. Struggling with the Heisenberg principle with electrons, how can possibly test for strings assuming that principle remains operative?

However, I have read critics who consider his work as "pop science." While he does not go deeply in the the maths behind quantum mechanics, his intent was not to write a text book. One challenge we face, and have since the dawn of scientific method is the communication of new paradigms and complex concepts into a more digestible form for our societies. Only through engaging society in such a manner can be establish a broad base for priority change in terms of improved education, sustainable growth, investment in the long view of society, and to prepare the next generations to manage our scarce resources properly while pushing the scientific frontier forward. Authors and theorists such as Dr. Greene may error on the side of simplicity in this instance, but do it in the best, most beneficial and engaging manner possible. Excellent read which I highly recommend.

Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of superstrings was limited to passing references in magazine articles and that time the Enterprise hit one in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wondering if I needed to get superstring coverage added to my auto-insurnance, I picked up this book. Needless to say, this was the book for me. Through insider knowledge and well conceived analogies, the basic premise of superstrings comes through clearly. I finished the book knowing enough about superstrings to sound smart at the comic book store while in reality my head painfully throbs at the thought of a 11-D space-time continuim. Not a pretty picture. The highlight of the book was the primer on old school quantum mechanics and general relativity. I wish Mr. Greene had written the textbooks for some of my physics classes. He very deftly tells the story of 20th century physics, setting up the reader for the stringy things to come. After reading the book, I was left wondering if string theory is really the end all/be all of physics or cold fusion's distant cousin, but at least I don't have to change my car insurance.

Il gives an extensive overview of the various theories that have emerged in the last century to describe the motions of the planetes and of the basic particles: from deep space to subatomic scale. It is now possible for general relativity and superstring theory to converge and give a complete explanation of such extraordinary events as big bang and black holes. No formulas or computation ; the text explains what is known and is accessible to whomever is interested.

Using Occam's razor Brian builds just the right foundation on which to discuss string theory. He doesn't get lost in digression but uses analogies and illustrations from the stock market or FBI explosive experts to explain and translate the truly weird concepts he is trying to convey.
This book is not an easy read from the point of view of it's content and I will be reading it a second and third time (at least). However, Brian's smooth writing style draws you along and after hammering your brain with impossible concepts, he will offer an analogy, which both clarifies the point and rests you.
A beginner can read this book because of the explanations given for the basic quantum physics and relativity concepts that string theory is based on. However, having a layman's background in these areas is helpful.

I have enjoyed Brian Greene's work for many years and had this in hard copy. I wanted to reread it in electronic form as a more convenient format. I found that I again became lost in thought as Brian lead me through M theory and hyperspace planes / dimensions. Admittedly, while appealing as a theory the concept of strings operating in Calabi-Yau manifolds while exhibiting frequency shifts can never be scientifically tested. Struggling with the Heisenberg principle with electrons, how can possibly test for strings assuming that principle remains operative?

However, I have read critics who consider his work as "pop science." While he does not go deeply in the the maths behind quantum mechanics, his intent was not to write a text book. One challenge we face, and have since the dawn of scientific method is the communication of new paradigms and complex concepts into a more digestible form for our societies. Only through engaging society in such a manner can be establish a broad base for priority change in terms of improved education, sustainable growth, investment in the long view of society, and to prepare the next generations to manage our scarce resources properly while pushing the scientific frontier forward. Authors and theorists such as Dr. Greene may error on the side of simplicity in this instance, but do it in the best, most beneficial and engaging manner possible. Excellent read which I highly recommend.

Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of superstrings was limited to passing references in magazine articles and that time the Enterprise hit one in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Wondering if I needed to get superstring coverage added to my auto-insurnance, I picked up this book. Needless to say, this was the book for me. Through insider knowledge and well conceived analogies, the basic premise of superstrings comes through clearly. I finished the book knowing enough about superstrings to sound smart at the comic book store while in reality my head painfully throbs at the thought of a 11-D space-time continuim. Not a pretty picture. The highlight of the book was the primer on old school quantum mechanics and general relativity. I wish Mr. Greene had written the textbooks for some of my physics classes. He very deftly tells the story of 20th century physics, setting up the reader for the stringy things to come. After reading the book, I was left wondering if string theory is really the end all/be all of physics or cold fusion's distant cousin, but at least I don't have to change my car insurance.

This work provides a great view of modern theoretical physics for those interested beyond TV programs and the popular press. It discusses details in sufficient depth to make you feel you are glimpsing into the realm of expertise, but avoids the mathematical complexity that most of us do not have the tools to grasp. I only hope that, one day, Professor Greene updates the book to incorporate the most recent research.

Anyone who is the least bit curious about the Cosmos or any of the complex and confusing modern day theories and science. This is a must have book. No one explains the complex better than Brian Green.(and Neil deGrasse Tyson)

Was as described and shipped promptly. Am a chemist and first time in 40 years I've been able to grasp some of the more challenging concepts. great communicator/scientist. Not for someone looking for the cliff notes version of quantum mechanics

Pretty much an excellent review of the "standard model" & "string theory". He repeats himself often with slightly different analogies which helped me grasp the concepts (I'm NOT a scientist)! But this also caused the "pace" of the book to be a bit slow; but persevere, it certainly is thought provoking.

Well written and mostly comprehensible to non scientists. At the end he drifts into what can only be wild speculation. And a bit into notions that can only be described as contradictory. Change without time? Give me a break. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the book, for the most part. I read it while on an elliptical trainer at the gym; so you can infer it doesn't require lots of concentration.

This book may not be perfect. It's certainly not an easy read for a layman like me, but after re-reading a few of the more complicated parts, I really began to understand many of the concepts that, previously, I had only heard of in passing. I found it illuminating and entertaining.

The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene is written in clear concise language and gives an excellent account of the development of theories of the Universe. It is easily read and is non-mathematical in its approach. The author has included the latest ideas of string theory and is an active researcher in this field. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to gain an understanding of cosmology.

If you want an explanation of string theory and the math and physics of the very small, this is the go-to book. Brian Greene has made string theory comprehensible to just about anyone with a moderate interest in math and physics.

I'd recommend this book to anyone with an interest is cosmology and the modern theories of the universe. Anyone who has read "Heart of Darkness" by Ostriker and Mitton, a book about the very large, would be interested in this book and vice versa.

The book is full of simple, insightful explanations and diagrams, with plenty of references for those that want to explore the subject further. You are walked through the ideas of special and general relativity, quantum mechanics and string theory without any formalism in a clear and easy to follow way. A truely impressive feat. A glossary of physics terms is also included, though you probably won't need to refer to it to read this book.

Really a great book, its intro introduces the reader for the mysteries of the universe, and it doesn't explain in a complicated way. A great book for anyone interested in the theories of the unexplained.

The book itself is fantastic - it offers much more of knowledge in simple, clearly understandable way. I enjoy to read every sentences of it.
Little annoying smudge on the clear surface, a technical problem: *the indexes to the endnotes don't work* in my ebook version (on my newest Kindle Paperwhite). Why?...
But the book is worthy to read it, again and again.

In terms of explaining the latest advances of physics, Brian Greene's "The Elegant Universe" is irreproachable: easy to read, rigorous and as elegant as the model of Universe he describes so well. I hadn't studied physics since 1974 and the amount of knowledge reading his book allowed me to acquire with little effort was fabulous.
"The Elegant Universe" would certainly deserve a SIX STAR rate were it not for a fact that is neither his nor his book's fault.
When Greene takes for granted that reality as perceived by man is 3D, he also, unconsciously perhaps, ignores exactly the small but significant percentage of human beings that, throughout the centuries, not to say millennia, have repeatedly reported just the opposite, that is, that reality is more than the 3D experience our material senses can perceive.
Such a materialistic and unquestionably biased approach, not questioning the strong reasons science once had to adopt it, is responsible today for theoretical physicists feeling themselves as lonely adventurers climbing nature's knowledge peak, having no one higher up to suggest the correct direction to take.
Experimental physicists are standing at a quite lower position in the peak climbing path than they could be today due to the limitations of material instrumentation available for probing nature's intimate reality. Assuming everything is material, they simply dwell in the same biased position a Neanderthal man would be when faced with a computer running a sophisticated software. The Neanderthal man would be tempted to believe the software had been produced by the computer, the same way scientists are led to assume that the mind is produced by the brain. Such a biased belief deprives modern science from using the most sophisticated and powerful probing instrument ever available to man, which is man's own mind.
Mystics, prophets, mediums, channelers, no matter how one calls them, are just human beings whose mind has the capacity to travel in other dimensions. Despite their lack of scientific understanding, they are surely higher up on nature's knowledge peak climbing path than theoretical physicists are. No matter that they may not be solidly grounded on the rock of the peak, but rather floating somewhere around. The fact that cannot be ignored is that they are the only living beings physicists can count upon to guide their climbing quest for truth.
It is an absolute shame and an incredible loss for science that so few scientists perceive such an absurd sate of things.

_The Elegant Universe_ is the most illuminating popular physics book I've ever read. For years I've struggled (episodically, I grant you) with understanding special relativity, but after reading the first 50 pages of Brian Greene's book, I think I finally have it. His crystal-clear use of language and his enlightening illustrations make it hard for the reader _not_ to "get it." Why does time slow down and space become foreshortened as velocity increases? For the same reason that we get wood from trees: Because. It's baked in the cake of our four-dimensional reality. I'm only a third of the way through his book, but I'm already sorry it's going to end.

Great book. Very interesting and enjoyable. The concepts seem to be less clear than in Greene's "Fabric of the Cosmos".

The two books seem to cover much of the same ground, but I have a more difficult time following Elegant Universe. Still...this is one of the best shots I have at understanding string theory with my non-math mind.

I enjoyed very much reading through this wonderful journey in Physics. Everything is explained with deep understanding of the founding principles as well as the minor details.
Having myself a master degree on Physics I was quite familiar with many of the ideas in this book. But actually no previous profound education is required to read it and get good comprehension of what we currently think our Universe looks like.
Highly recommended to everyone.

It has all been said -- brilliant, remarkable, superb, astonishing, absorbing, a standard, extraordinary... Thus there is not much for me to add -- except this work is proving to be a great reference for my reading of later published items by Brian Greene.

Short and sweet, if you are interested in the 'state' of the universe, things like superstrings, etc read this book. One of the best 'low math' books I have read in while (and I read a lot of them). A very easy read.
Not too much technical detail, though. If you need more, you will need another book.

Greene just flatly makes me excited about physics. I couldn't stop reading because I was so eager to get to the next fascinating concept. When I finished this, I immediately bought The Fabric of the Cosmos so that the joy could continue.

Having 2 degrees in mathematics, I was already somewhat familiar with some of the most basic (if you could call them basic) concepts discussed here. This book significantly expanded my knowledge of relativity, quantum mechanics, and superstring theory. Just as important, it brought questions to my mind.