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Product Description
Product Description
What is 'nothing'? What remains when you take all the matter away? Can empty space - a void - exist? This Very Short Introduction explores the science and the history of the elusive void: from Aristotle who insisted that the vacuum was impossible, via the theories of Newton and Einstein, to our very latest discoveries and why they can tell us extraordinary things about the cosmos. Frank Close tells the story of how scientists have explored the elusive void, and the rich discoveries that they have made there. He takes the reader on a lively and accessible history through ancient ideas and cultural superstitions to the frontiers of current research. He describes how scientists discovered that the vacuum is filled with fields; how Newton, Mach, and Einstein grappled with the nature of space and time; and how the mysterious 'aether' that was long ago supposed to permeate the void may now be making a comeback with the latest research into the 'Higgs field'. We now know that the vacuum is far from being empty - it seethes with virtual particles and antiparticles that erupt spontaneously into being, and it also may contain hidden dimensions that we were previously unaware of. These new discoveries may provide answers to some of cosmology's most fundamental questions: what lies outside the universe, and, if there was once nothing, then how did the universe begin?
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Don't be misled by the title: inconsequential this little book is not, and some of the most profound questions are addressed here by Frank Close. What is empty space? From what did matter originate? Where are physicists now in their understanding of the laws that govern our universe?
As well as finding possible solutions to at least some of these questions, a reading of Nothing left me reflecting that the giants of classical and modern physics, Newton and Einstein, weren't so off-the-wall after all, even when seemingly at their least inspired. Newton's insistence on the existence of ether anticipates the modern view that there is no such thing as 'empty' space - if all matter is removed then it is filled with energy, from which matter can be created at levels exceeding 2mc˛. (Elsewhere, in Close's words, 'an example of "ether" is an electric field.') Einstein's hypothesised Cosmological Constant (or Lambda force), meanwhile, which he considered his biggest mistake, may actually have been detected, even if its value is almost immeasurably small, and even if Lambda is no longer required to counterbalance gravitational attraction in an expanding universe (as opposed to the stable one of received opinion in 1915).
This is a challenging book from the very first chapter, in which early ideas about the vacuum are discussed. According to Close, the Aristotelian argument for the absence of a void expresses these in its clearest form, although I for one found Aristotle's reasoning more akin to word-play than irrefutable logic. Subsequent chapters tackle the next 2000 years' worth of ideas. Most of us non-physicists will probably be left reeling, but Close is attentive to the non-specialist, keeps his explanations jargon-free and uses wide-ranging analogies from impressionist art to roulette so that abstract (and bizarre!) concepts acquire more concrete form.
The text is accompanied by excellent graphics which illustrate, for example, how the angles of a triangle can total 270°, or how particles can materialise 'from nothing'. An absorbing, challenging and rewarding read, then, for anyone with an interest in current theory, CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the nature of the universe and the origin of everything in it.
As well as finding possible solutions to at least some of these questions, a reading of Nothing left me reflecting that the giants of classical and modern physics, Newton and Einstein, weren't so off-the-wall after all, even when seemingly at their least inspired. Newton's insistence on the existence of ether anticipates the modern view that there is no such thing as 'empty' space - if all matter is removed then it is filled with energy, from which matter can be created at levels exceeding 2mc˛. (Elsewhere, in Close's words, 'an example of "ether" is an electric field.') Einstein's hypothesised Cosmological Constant (or Lambda force), meanwhile, which he considered his biggest mistake, may actually have been detected, even if its value is almost immeasurably small, and even if Lambda is no longer required to counterbalance gravitational attraction in an expanding universe (as opposed to the stable one of received opinion in 1915).
This is a challenging book from the very first chapter, in which early ideas about the vacuum are discussed. According to Close, the Aristotelian argument for the absence of a void expresses these in its clearest form, although I for one found Aristotle's reasoning more akin to word-play than irrefutable logic. Subsequent chapters tackle the next 2000 years' worth of ideas. Most of us non-physicists will probably be left reeling, but Close is attentive to the non-specialist, keeps his explanations jargon-free and uses wide-ranging analogies from impressionist art to roulette so that abstract (and bizarre!) concepts acquire more concrete form.
The text is accompanied by excellent graphics which illustrate, for example, how the angles of a triangle can total 270°, or how particles can materialise 'from nothing'. An absorbing, challenging and rewarding read, then, for anyone with an interest in current theory, CERN's Large Hadron Collider, the nature of the universe and the origin of everything in it.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Nothing or void is an interesting and semingly simple topic. In fact, the vacuum is not void; it is filled with seething virtual particles. Vividly written, this book offers to examine the science of the nature of empty space and its implication for understanding the creation of cosmos.
In relation to the big-bang, there are very useful overview of the special/general theory of relativity and quantum theory. Modern physics suggests that it is possible that the universe could have emerged out of quantum fluctuation in the vacuum. Good read!
In relation to the big-bang, there are very useful overview of the special/general theory of relativity and quantum theory. Modern physics suggests that it is possible that the universe could have emerged out of quantum fluctuation in the vacuum. Good read!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Nothing" seems to be the simplest of all notions, apparently requiring no thought whatsoever. It is what remains where everything is taken away. But a closer scrutiny reveals that "nothing" is not trivial as it may first seem. Is it physically possible to achieve such a thing as the absence of all matter? Even if possible, is what remains a truly empty space? And what is space anyway - is it possible to talk about it in the absence of matter? It is these and related questions that this short book tries to answer. It takes the reader on a journey from philosophical and speculative ideas of classic antiquity, to the most advanced frontiers of modern theoretical and experimental Physics. For a book of its size it covers a lot of ground. It explains where the notion that "the nature abhors vacuum" comes from, and how it took almost two thousand years to refute it by actually creating the first known artificial vacuum. The book explains how the ideas about the vacuum have evolved over the centuries, and in particular what an effect the discoveries of quantum mechanics and general relativity have had on it. Today we believe that even the perfect vacuum is strictly speaking not completely empty, and it is a rather complicated and complex entity. The book concludes with some of the current Physics speculations and how they may pertain to our ideas about "nothing."
The book is written in an interesting and easy-flowing style, and it does not overwhelm the reader with technical details and arcane jargon. There are hardly any equations in it, and the ones that are present are straightforward and used in order to illustrate a point that otherwise would be too cumbersome to describe. Overall, this is a very good book with a fresh and engaging perspective.
The book is written in an interesting and easy-flowing style, and it does not overwhelm the reader with technical details and arcane jargon. There are hardly any equations in it, and the ones that are present are straightforward and used in order to illustrate a point that otherwise would be too cumbersome to describe. Overall, this is a very good book with a fresh and engaging perspective.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Difficult to Fathom
Was originally written as a stand alone book called "The Void" which unfortunately means this isn't as lucid as some of the other "A Very Short Introduction" books I've read. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mike Andrew Dawson
One of the best books I have read lately!
Read it twice! Will read it again! If u like physics - a great pocket-format for keeping you not to fall asleep on the plane!
Published 10 months ago by Casual reader
Good but not as good as his book on Antimatter
Frank Close has written another excellent popular text. Not quite as good as his book on Antimatter, but still full of insights for novice and expert alike.
Published 11 months ago by Robert Shaw
Good for what it is but does not cover the subject well
If you are interested in a very Eurocentric predominantly physics-based technical approach that almost ignores any non-European thinking you might like this. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2010 by Savita
A disappointment
I enjoy reading books at a popular science level regarding particle physics, quantum mechanics, string theory, and cosmology. Read more
Published on 26 Nov 2009 by J. D. Stevenson
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