Items related to Left Hand of Creation: Origin and Evolution of the...
Consider the ghostly neutrino. This elementary, subatomic particle carries with it not only an uncanny reminder of a time eons ago when symmetries were perfect, but also a clue as to how they came to be broken. For every neutrino that now spins to the left, there was once one that spun to the right: these parallel twins were destroyed in the "Big Bang," that cosmic apocalypse that, most scientists now agree, created the universe. And this decay of symmetry is reflected in the building blocks of organic life as well. The helical structures of our own genetic material predominantly spiral to the left; few right-turning counterparts exist. The left hand of creation has a long reach indeed, extending from the beginning of time to the miracles of life we witness everyday.
In this provocative and widely praised volume, two internationally acclaimed astronomers show nonspecialist readers how the latest scientific research is helping to solve one of humankind's oldest riddles: the origins of the universe. In clear, nontechnical terms, John D. Barrow and Joseph Silk explain how the physics of elementary particles and the scenarios of cosmology converge in theories that illuminate the beginnings, the evolution, and the possible future of our world and its seemingly infinite neighbors. In the process, they lead us along an amazing path of discovery. We examine the black body radiation still detectable in space today (once the predominant constituent of the universe, now a cosmic fossil of the primeval fireball), explore the Milky Way (with more stars swirling around its center than people who ever lived on Earth), and find that all we see around us is inextricably linked to the exceedingly remote past.
As it traces the origins and development of the universe, The Left Hand of Creation asks some compelling questions. What was the beginning of time like? Was it a time of chaos or of smooth transition? Was it unfathomably hot or inconceivably cold? In attempting to answer these and other questions, Barrow and Silk effortlessly cover the entire spectrum of modern theory, making even the most arcane and difficult accessible to the layperson. They offer succinct, readable accounts of such cutting-edge fields of inquiry as quantum physics, quark theory, particle physics, and astronomy, to name but a few. And they also introduce us to the scientists whose collective genius made modern cosmological study possible in the first place. There is Edwin Hubble, whose Red Shift Theory proved that the universe is expanding; the eighteenth-century English clergyman John Michell, whose revolutionary ideas about gravity predicted the discovery of black holes by American physicist John Wheeler some two centuries later; and, of course, the titanic figure of Einstein, whose Theory of Relativity looms behind virtually every breakthrough in modern physics. This edition includes a new introduction that considers the most up-to-the-minute advances in cosmology, such as the discovery of fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation and the use of space telescopes to explore the distant universe in breathtaking detail.
A book for anyone who has ever contemplated how the world came to be, or has simply awestruck by a starry sky at night, The Left Hand of Creation offers a treasure trove of insights and explanations.
In this provocative and widely praised volume, two internationally acclaimed astronomers show nonspecialist readers how the latest scientific research is helping to solve one of humankind's oldest riddles: the origins of the universe. In clear, nontechnical terms, John D. Barrow and Joseph Silk explain how the physics of elementary particles and the scenarios of cosmology converge in theories that illuminate the beginnings, the evolution, and the possible future of our world and its seemingly infinite neighbors. In the process, they lead us along an amazing path of discovery. We examine the black body radiation still detectable in space today (once the predominant constituent of the universe, now a cosmic fossil of the primeval fireball), explore the Milky Way (with more stars swirling around its center than people who ever lived on Earth), and find that all we see around us is inextricably linked to the exceedingly remote past.
As it traces the origins and development of the universe, The Left Hand of Creation asks some compelling questions. What was the beginning of time like? Was it a time of chaos or of smooth transition? Was it unfathomably hot or inconceivably cold? In attempting to answer these and other questions, Barrow and Silk effortlessly cover the entire spectrum of modern theory, making even the most arcane and difficult accessible to the layperson. They offer succinct, readable accounts of such cutting-edge fields of inquiry as quantum physics, quark theory, particle physics, and astronomy, to name but a few. And they also introduce us to the scientists whose collective genius made modern cosmological study possible in the first place. There is Edwin Hubble, whose Red Shift Theory proved that the universe is expanding; the eighteenth-century English clergyman John Michell, whose revolutionary ideas about gravity predicted the discovery of black holes by American physicist John Wheeler some two centuries later; and, of course, the titanic figure of Einstein, whose Theory of Relativity looms behind virtually every breakthrough in modern physics. This edition includes a new introduction that considers the most up-to-the-minute advances in cosmology, such as the discovery of fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background radiation and the use of space telescopes to explore the distant universe in breathtaking detail.
A book for anyone who has ever contemplated how the world came to be, or has simply awestruck by a starry sky at night, The Left Hand of Creation offers a treasure trove of insights and explanations.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
About the Authors:
John D. Barrow is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Sussex, England, and is the author of Theories of Everything, The World Within the World, with Frank Tipler, The Anthropic Cosmological Principle, and Pi in the Sky. Joseph Silk is Professor of Astronomy and of Physics at the University of California Berkeley. He is the author of The Big Bang: The Creation and Evolution of the Universe (1989).
From Publishers Weekly:
About the Authors:
John D. Barrow is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Sussex, England, and is the author of Theories of Everything, The World Within the World, with Frank Tipler, The Anthropic Cosmological Principle, and Pi in the Sky. Joseph Silk is Professor of Astronomy and of Physics at the University of California Berkeley. He is the author of The Big Bang: The Creation and Evolution of the Universe (1989).
A new introduction rounds out this look into the origin of the universe and the breakthroughs in modern cosmology by two astronomers. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherWilliam Heinemann
- Publication date1984
- ISBN 10 0434047600
- ISBN 13 9780434047604
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages268
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Left Hand of Creation: Origin and Evolution of the Expanding Universe
Published by
William Heinemann Ltd
(1984)
ISBN 10: 0434047600
ISBN 13: 9780434047604
Used
Hardcover
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Ex-library book with stamps on the first page, it is also likely to have a small shelf number sticker on the spine. Ripped/damaged jacket. The dust jacket of this book is slightly damaged/ripped, however, this does not affect the internal condition. Seller Inventory # CHL8984362
Buy Used
US$ 2.95
Convert currency
Stock Image
The Left Hand of Creation the Origin and Evolution of the Expanding Universe
Published by
Heinemann
(1984)
ISBN 10: 0434047600
ISBN 13: 9780434047604
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. 1984 heinemann first Uk edition hardback; VG ex-library book, from the now-closed Maze prison library, with dealer's certificate of veracity; Maze books are generally less used than public library books, have few library markings and the unclipped dj has been protected in a plastic sleeve; UK dealer, immediate dispatch. Seller Inventory # 10915
Buy Used
US$ 4.41
Convert currency
Seller Image
The Left Hand Of Creation: The Origin And Evolution Of The Expanding Universe
Published by
Heinemann
(1984)
ISBN 10: 0434047600
ISBN 13: 9780434047604
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Hardback. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. First UK edition hardback, 1984, with unclipped jacket. In overall very good used condition with only slight signs of age, handling and storage - dust jacket a touch rubbed (now protected); boards clean and crisp. Binding tight and appears little read. Internally clean, no annotation or inscriptions; text and illustrations bright and clear throughout. Includes the publishers Request For a Review slip. Not an old library book. Seller Inventory # 210807
Buy Used
US$ 20.52
Convert currency