Hiding in the Mirror: The Mysterious Allure of Extra Dimensions, from Plato to String Theory and Beyond - Hardcover

Lawrence M. Krauss

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0670033952 ISBN 13: 9780670033959

Publisher: Viking Adult, 2005

Synopsis

Beginning well before Plato’s allegory of the cave and continuing to modern scientific breakthroughs from relativity to quantum mechanics, as well as to pop cultural icons like Twilight Zone and Star Trek, human beings have imagined, even longed for, alternate realities. Lawrence M. Krauss, one of the most gifted and engaging of writer-scientists today, examines why we have often believed that the answers to the great questions about existence lie in the possibility that we live in a universe more complex than we can see or otherwise sense. Drawing on work by scientists, mathematicians, artists, and writers—from Einstein to Picasso to C. S. Lewis—Hiding in the Mirror explores whether extra dimensions simply represent abstract speculation or hold the key to a deeper understanding of the universe. Krauss examines popular culture’s embrace— and misunderstanding—of topics such as black holes, life in another dimension, string theory, and some of the daring new theories that propose that large extra dimensions exist alongside our own. This is popular science writing at its best and most illuminating—witty, fascinating, and controversial.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"An astonishing and brilliantly written work of popular science."
—Science a GoGo

"A brilliant, thrilling book . . . You’ll have so much fun reading that you’ll hardly notice you’re getting a primer on contemporary physics and cosmology."
—Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

About the Author:

Lawrence M. Krauss, an internationally award-winning physicist and author, is the Ambrose Swasey Professor of Physics and director of the Center for Education and Research in Cosmology and Astrophysics at Case Western Reserve University. He is the author of Atom, Quintessence: The Mystery of the Missing Mass, Beyond Star Trek, and The Physics of Star Trek. He is a frequent contributor to NPR and many newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times.

About this edition

• Publisher: Viking Adult
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0670033952
• ISBN 13: 9780670033959
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 276