The Elegant Universe
In this refreshingly clear book, Brian Greene, a leading string theorist, relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind the search for the ultimate theory. String theory, as the author vividly describes, reveals a vision of the universe that is sending shock waves through the world of physics. Thrilling and revolutionary ideas such as new dimensions hidden within the fabric of space, black holes transmuting into elementary particles, rips and punctures in the space-time continuum, gigantic universes interchangeable with minuscule ones, and a wealth of others are playing a pivotal role as physicists use string theory to grapple with some of the deepest questions of the ages. With authority and grace, The Elegant Universe introduces us to the discoveries and the remaining mysteries, the exhilaration and the frustrations of those who relentlessly probe the ultimate nature of space, time, and matter.
Stats for nerds
20recommend
40mentions
31people
2008–2024years
63% recommend35% neutral3% critical
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- At one point, I considered going into theoretical physics (this would have been in the late 70s to early 80s), but got seduced by computers instead. If I had stuck with physics, I might have jumped on the string theory bandwagon and now, in retirement, find myself regretting that I'd wasted my life on it. You never know.
I will say that when I read "The Elegant Universe" I really enjoyed the early chapters that explain relativity and quantum mechanics and why they are incompatible. I don't think I ever finished the later parts of the book, nor did I read any of the "sequels". I was not very impressed with the NOVA adaptation. Too much glitz, too much Greene.
- Depends how much time you want to spend on it. I first learned about this topic in Brian Green's book The Elegant Universe back in 2005 or so. At the time there was a glut of popular science books on the topic (Lee Smolin had an excellent book titled The Trouble with Physics which made an excellent counter argument to Green's string theory-heavy title).
If you want to go much deeper, Roger Penrose wrote The Road to Reality which is a much much harder read (I was never able to complete it after 3 separate attempts).
- I know it’s probably asking too much but I wonder what the world would look like if academic papers were actually fun to read.
Brian Greene is probably considered a pariah around here but I really enjoyed reading his book The Elegant Universe.
- The elegant universe
- That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:
Something Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll
The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo
The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman
The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel
Lost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder
The First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg
Hyperspace - Michio Kaku
Not Even Wrong - Peter Woit
The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin
About Time - Paul Davies
Time Reborn - Lee Smolin
The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene
The Hidden Reality - Brian Greene
The Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene
Quantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott
The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo
Three Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin
Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd
Higgs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott
Analogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell
Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky
Engineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel
Engineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel
The AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel
Hackers & Painters by our very own Paul "pg" Graham
Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy
The Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder
Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier - Katie Hafner & John Markoff
Artificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy
Ghost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick
The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick
The Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick
Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
It's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong
Ultramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes
Charles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly
Report From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler
The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout
Re-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin
The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries
Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin
Marketing High Technology - William H. Davidow
Marketing Warfare - Al Ries
The Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema
Crossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore
How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard
Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
- Something Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll[1]
Lost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder[2]
The First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg[3]
Hyperspace - Michio Kaku[4]
Not Even Wrong - Peter Woit[5]
The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin[6]
About Time - Paul Davies[7]
Time Reborn - Lee Smolin[8]
The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene[9]
The Hidden Reality - Brian Greene[10]
The Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene[11]
Quantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott[12]
The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo[13]
Three Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin[14]
Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd[15]
Higgs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott[16]
[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Something-Deeply-Hidden-Emergence-Spa...
[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Math-Beauty-Physics-Astray/dp/15...
[3]: https://www.amazon.com/First-Three-Minutes-Modern-Universe/d...
[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Hyperspace-Scientific-Parallel-Univer...
[5]: https://www.amazon.com/Not-Even-Wrong-Failure-Physical/dp/04...
[6]: https://www.amazon.com/Trouble-Physics-String-Theory-Science...
[7]: https://www.amazon.com/About-Time-Einsteins-Unfinished-Revol...
[8]: https://www.amazon.com/Time-Reborn-Lee-Smolin/dp/0544245598/
[9]: https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensi...
[10]: https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Reality-Parallel-Universes-Cos...
[11]: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375412883/ref=dbs_a_def_r...
[12]: https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Space-Gravity-Structure-Unive...
[13]: https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Speaks-Numbers-Reveals-Natur...
[14]: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Roads-Quantum-Gravity-Smolin/dp...
[15]: https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Universe-Quantum-Computer...
[16]: https://www.amazon.com/Higgs-invention-discovery-God-Particl...
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