Einstein said that the most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it is comprehensible. But was he right? Can the quantum theory of fields and Einstein's general theory of relativity, the two most accurate and successful theories in all of physics, be united in a single quantum theory of gravity? Can quantum and cosmos ever be combined? On this issue, two of the world's most famous physicists--Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time) and Roger Penrose (The Emperor's New Mind and Shadows of the Mind)--disagree. Here they explain their positions in a work based on six lectures with a final debate, all originally presented at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge.
How could quantum gravity, a theory that could explain the earlier moments of the big bang and the physics of the enigmatic objects known as black holes, be constructed? Why does our patch of the universe look just as Einstein predicted, with no hint of quantum effects in sight? What strange quantum processes can cause black holes to evaporate, and what happens to all the information that they swallow? Why does time go forward, not backward?
In this book, the two opponents touch on all these questions. Penrose, like Einstein, refuses to believe that quantum mechanics is a final theory. Hawking thinks otherwise, and argues that general relativity simply cannot account for how the universe began. Only a quantum theory of gravity, coupled with the no-boundary hypothesis, can ever hope to explain adequately what little we can observe about our universe. Penrose, playing the realist to Hawking's positivist, thinks that the universe is unbounded and will expand forever. The universe can be understood, he argues, in terms of the geometry of light cones, the compression and distortion of spacetime, and by the use of twistor theory. With the final debate, the reader will come to realize how much Hawking and Penrose diverge in their opinions of the ultimate quest to combine quantum mechanics and relativity, and how differently they have tried to comprehend the incomprehensible.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Hawking, clever and playful as usual, sides with Bohr and the Copenhagen interpretation and builds a strong case for quantum gravity. Penrose, inevitably a bit dry in comparison, shares Einstein's horror at such intuition-blasting thought experiments as Schrödinger's long-suffering cat--and scores just as many points for general relativity. The math is tough going for lay readers, but a few leaps of faith will carry them through to some deeply thought-provoking rhetoric. Though no questions find final answers in The Nature of Space and Time, the quality of discourse should be enough to satisfy the scientifically curious. --Rob Lightner
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
US$ 4.00
Within U.S.A.
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Fast Shipping and good customer service. Seller Inventory # Holz_New_0691037914
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard0691037914
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 1st Edition. Hardcover, Condition: New, Unread, Spine Not Broken, , Dust Jacket Condition: As New, due to very slight rubbing on top, bottom edges of cover, (assumed) 1st Edition due to First Printing with Full # Print line10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 as printed on copyright page, No price marked on inside cover flap, Princeton University Press Book, Clean, Tight, Unread copy. Seller Inventory # ABE-1678908397266
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # think0691037914
Book Description Condition: new. Seller Inventory # FrontCover0691037914
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Dust Jacket Condition: New. Fifth Printing. New; Isaac Newton Institute Series Of Lectures; 9.1 X 6.6 X 1.1 inches; 150 pages. Seller Inventory # 34118
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. new in new dj. Seller Inventory # dd360
Book Description Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks191260
Book Description Condition: New. New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! 0.97. Seller Inventory # Q-0691037914
Book Description Condition: new. Book is in NEW condition. Satisfaction Guaranteed! Fast Customer Service!!. Seller Inventory # PSN0691037914