The Constants of Nature: The Numbers That Encode the Deepest Secrets of the Universe (Vintage)

Reality as we know it is bound by a set of constants—numbers and values that dictate the strengths of forces like gravity, the speed of light, and the masses of elementary particles. In The Constants of Nature, Cambridge Professor and bestselling author John D.Barrow takes us on an exploration of these governing principles. Drawing on physicists such as Einstein and Planck, Barrow illustrates with stunning clarity our dependence on the steadfastness of these principles. But he also suggests that the basic forces may have been radically different during the universe’s infancy, and suggests that they may continue a deeply hidden evolution. Perhaps most tantalizingly, Barrow theorizes about the realities that might one day be found in a universe with different parameters than our own.

John D. Barrow is professor of mathematical sciences at the University of Cambridge. His previous books include The Book of Nothing, Theories of Everything, The Artful Universe, Between Inner Space and Outer Space, The Universe That Discovered Itself, and The Origin of the Universe. He lives in England.