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"For readers too young for Astrophysics for Young People in a Hurry, this whimsical and well-founded picture book takes a leaf from a cookbook to show readers how the universe came into being. To bake a universe, you'll need a heaping pile of nothing. That's right, not a single thing! Just make sure you have enough. When you are happy with your amount of nothing, gather it all up and pop it on a baking tray. Alec Carvlin's breaks down the Big Bang...
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"Most historians study the smallest slivers of time, emphasizing specific dates, individuals, and documents. But what would it look like to study the whole of history, from the big bang through the present day--and even into the remote future? How would looking at the full span of time change the way we perceive the universe, the earth, and our very existence? These were the questions David Christian set out to answer when he created the field of...
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Taught by Professor Gary Felder of Smith College, this course covers the history of the early universe starting with the Big Bang and continuing to the formation of the first stars and galaxies hundreds of millions of years later. Professor Felder also looks ahead to the ultimate fate of the universe and speculates on what may have happened before the Big Bang.
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"A contrarian scientist wrestles with the big questions that modern physics raises, and what physics says about the human condition Not only can we not currently explain the origin of the universe, it is questionable we will ever be able to explain it. The notion that there are universes within particles, or that particles are conscious, is ascientific, as is the hypothesis that our universe is a computer simulation. On the other hand, the idea that...
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"Michio Kaku, renowned theoretical physicist and author of Hyperspace and The Future of Humanity, tells the story of the greatest quest in science. When Newton discovered the laws of motion and gravity, he unified the rules of heaven and earth. From then on, physicists have been discovering new forces and incorporating them into ever-greater theories. But the major breakthroughs of the 20th century--relativity and quantum mechanics--are incompatible,...
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"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 ground-breaking science, he not only helps us grasp his often mind-boggling theories (his website gives...
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A luminous companion to the phenomenal bestseller Astrophysics for People in a Hurry. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has attracted one of the world's largest online followings with his fascinating, widely accessible insights into science and our universe. Now, Tyson invites us to go behind the scenes of his public fame by revealing his correspondence with people across the globe who have sought him out in search of answers. In this hand-picked...
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The marvellous complexity of the Universe emerges from several deep laws and a handful of fundamental constants that fix its shape, scale, and destiny. There is a deep structure to the world which at the same time is simple, elegant, and beautiful. Where did these laws and these constants come from? And why are the laws so fruitful when written in the language of mathematics?00Peter Atkins considers the minimum effort needed to equip the Universe...
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Every year, scientists make new revolutionary discoveries about the universe's composition, history, and origin. Presenter Adam Hart-Davis makes these findings accessible and fun as he tours advanced facilities and explains how technology is shaping our understanding of the universe. Features twelve-page viewer's guide, gallery of Apollo astronauts, and more.
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Is the apparent 'grand design' of our universe evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion, or does science offer another explanation? Delve into the mind of Stephen Hawking as he attempts to answer some of life's biggest questions. Is there a god? What is the meaning of life? And why does the universe exist? From Newton's discovery of gravity to the latest advances in quantum physics, Hawking will explore some fascinating territory...
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"Before the discovery of quarks, we hadn't imagined anything smaller than protons and neutrons. Are quarks the end of the line, the smallest imaginable objects in nature? Can the universe be divided into infinitely smaller units in the same way the universe is ever-expanding? Alan Lightman explores these questions in his characteristic accessible and lyrical prose, considering the igniting element behind consciousness, the origin of life, the anatomy...
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How did the universe begin? Where do galaxies come from? Where do the material particles we are made of come from? Today we have only provisional answers to such questions, but this will improve dramatically over the next ten years, predicts astronomer Gribbin. He focuses on what we think we know about ten issues and explains how cutting-edge research may yield solutions in the very near future. He explores ideas concerning the creation of the universe,...
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A heart-pumping exploration of the biggest explosions in history, from the Big Bang to mysterious activity on Earth and everything in between The overwhelming majority of celestial space is inactive, and will remain forever unruffled. Similarly, more than 90% of the universe's 70 billion trillion suns had non-attention-getting births and are living out their existences in a steady predictable fashion. But when cosmic violence does unfold, it changes...
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"Today we know what no previous generation knew: the history of the universe and of the unfolding of life on Earth. Through the astonishing combined achievements of natural scientists worldwide, we now have a detailed account of how galaxies and stars, planets and living organisms, human beings and human consciousness came to be. And yet . . . we thirst for answers to questions that have haunted humanity from the very beginning. What is our place...
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"Nathan, a young Navajo boy from Phoenix, Arizona, goes on an epic hero's journey."--Kirkusreviews.com
"When Nathan goes to visit his grandma, Nali, at her mobile summer home on the Navajo reservation, he knows he's in for a pretty uneventful summer, with no electricity or cell service. Still, he loves spending time with Nali and with his uncle Jet, though it's clear when Jet arrives that he brings his problems with him. One night, while lost in...