Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time (Great Discoveries) - Hardcover

Kaku, Michio

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039305165X ISBN 13: 9780393051650

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2004

Synopsis

A dazzling tour of the universe as Einstein saw it.

How did Albert Einstein come up with the theories that changed the way we look at the world? By thinking in pictures. Michio Kaku leading theoretical physicist (a cofounder of string theory) and best-selling science storyteller shows how Einstein used seemingly simple images to lead a revolution in science. Daydreaming about racing a beam of light led to the special theory of relativity and the equation E = mc². Thinking about a man falling led to the general theory of relativity giving us black holes and the Big Bang. Einstein's failure to come up with a theory that would unify relativity and quantum mechanics stemmed from his lacking an apt image. Even in failure, however, Einstein's late insights have led to new avenues of research as well as to the revitalization of the quest for a "Theory of Everything." With originality and expertise, Kaku uncovers the surprising beauty that lies at the heart of Einstein's cosmos.

About this title

About the Author

Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist, famed futurist and acclaimed public speaker, is the author of numerous New York Times bestselling books including The Future of the Mind, Physics of the Future, and Physics of the Impossible. He hosts Science Fantastic, a nationally broadcast radio show, and lives in New York City.

Reviews

Thanks to Kaku's insight (he is a theoretical physicist) and his flair for explaining dense scientific concepts (he is a best-selling author), this brief book weaves Einstein's life and work into a seamless, hard-to-put-down narrative. The organizing metaphor is how Einstein thought in terms of simple physical pictures--speeding trains, falling elevators, moving clocks. Excellent for the neophyte or readers who want to refresh their knowledge about Einstein without being talked down to or bored.

Editors of Scientific American

Recent popular works about Einstein have magnified select details of his life, such as his tempestuous marriage to Mileva Maric (Einstein in Love, by Dennis Overbye, 2000) or his FBI file (The Einstein File, by Fred Jerome [BKL Ap 1 03]). Such topics are reduced to paragraphs in Kaku's presentation, for Einstein's life ranks second to his science here. Accordingly, Kaku divides his narrative into the three great segments of Einstein's scientific arc: the theory of special relativity in 1905; the theory of general relativity in 1916; and the balance of Einstein's intellectual life. The latter was spent searching for a unified field theory and saw the rise of his phenomenal celebrity, which his peers regarded as a dubious dissipation of genius. However, such lamentations were premature, according to Kaku, who explicates recent discoveries that show Einstein was only audaciously ahead of his scientific time, as usual. An expert in quantum mechanics and string theory, Kaku is an equally able popular writer, vividly evoking the pictorial imagination behind Einstein's revolutionary thinking. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 039305165X
• ISBN 13: 9780393051650
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240