The Matchbox That Ate a Forty-Ton Truck: What Everyday Things Tell Us about the Universe [Hardcover]

"The Matchbox that Ate a Forty-ton Truck," by Marcus Chown, partakes more heavily of simile than of prestidigitation, especially in Part One on atoms. The book is a charming view of what common observations of the world around us tells or implies about the realities of physics. However, as one might expect from a volume that purports to explain particle physics, solar physics and the Big Bang theory in 216 pages, a lot is left out of the story.

I felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of descriptive illustrations in Part One. At times I was more caught up in the visualization of these than I was in discovering the underlying principle the author was discussing by their use. If nothing else, the experience made it much clearer to me why professional physicists prefer to think and communicate in formulae rather than in words; at some point in time word descriptions simply become too ponderous.

The remaining two parts were very clever. Part Two presents the research on the creation of the elements, carrying the reader through the thinking process that ultimately brought understanding, not only of chemical origins, but of solar anatomy and physiology. Part Three discusses the development of the Big Bang theory and some of the issues that have arisen because of it--the need for a theory of quantum gravity being one of them.

My favorite part of the entire book is the last chapter, "Earth's Full, Go Home." Here the author presents the range of speculation about intelligent life in the universe and why, putative UFOs aside, we have yet to have incontrovertible evidence of extraterrestrial life. Some of the more recent suggestions are quite interesting. I'm just not sure of how much they--or in fact of any of the earlier theories--are just reflections of where we are as a species ourselves. It's also amazing to me that we care; we do have tremendous issues on our own planet with which to deal, and the existence or nonexistence of aliens seems paltry by comparison.

All in all, the book is a good introduction to how physics is done. The questions that every day phenomenon present to an inquiring mind and the ways that such minds approach their solution is clearly demonstrated by the book. The fact that science is a collaborative effort is revealed by the history of the research and the "tweaking" of various theories. It becomes evident through the narrative, too, that sometimes turning things upside down can produce sensational results.

Marcus Chown has a marvellous gift for rendering cutting-edge science extremely accessible and entertaining. His latest work, "The Matchbox that Ate a Forty-Ton Truck," is a brilliant excursion through everyday life, showing what we might learn about the universe from things we see around us, including our own reflections in window glass, the variety of chemical elements, darkness at night and so forth. From simple phenomena, Chown transports readers on spectacular journeys through the realms of quantum physics, cosmology and other topics in modern science, explaining difficult concepts in a clear, methodical fashion. He weaves each tale with fascinating and humorous anecdotes about pivotal figures such as Fred Hoyle, Wolfgang Pauli and many other scientific luminaries, as well as literary references to Blake, Whitman, Poe and others. "Matchbox" will truly ignite your interest in science! Highly recommended!

-Paul Halpern
Author, Collider: The Search for the World's Smallest Particles

I find it interesting that an author who lays a claim to having skill with coming up with useful analogies between the physics and everyday things can do so with such ineptness. It's particularly unfortunate in this case, because the book is actually enjoyable to read, and touting the analogies sets the reader up for disappointment.

That said, Chown does present an up-to-date view of the current understanding of the universe, as well as providing lots of interesting historical information, with respect to the development of our current understanding as well as the people involved. I learned the names of at least a half-dozen scientists that I'd never even heard of, and yet who were pivotal in advancing the art and science of physics. Not just minor players, but major contributors without whom science would not be where it is today.

In addition, Chown writes in a "voice" that is very pleasant and easy to read. His enthusiasm for the subject is obvious and helps engage the reader. I would definitely categorize the book as a "page-turner". :)

It's just too bad that the book is littered with analogies such as the one presented in the title. The book elaborates on that analogy in the leaf notes as well as in the very first pages, so I'm not giving anything away when I complain that comparing the miracle of one solid object being ejected from another solid object a tiny fraction its size (that's right...in spite of the book's title, the analogy in the book is actually about the truck being produced by the matchbox, not consumed) with the real-world phenomena of some non-material effect (electromagnetic radiation) being produced by some material object (electrons) smacks of sensationalism rather than illumination.

EM waves, in spite of their sometimes-particle-nature, aren't the same kind of "thing" as real things at all. It's barely sensible to make size comparisons in the first place, but to act like we should be surprised that those size comparisons show great disparity between physical things and non-physical things seems very contrived to me. It certainly doesn't seem to add anything to the discussion; I find it fascinating enough that an electron can emit energy in the form of EM radiation. There's no need to make up some awkward analogy to get me interested, and I felt a bit insulted after discovering what the analogy was.

Frankly, I think the book could be improved simply by omitting all the analogies. Few add much, if at all, and the rest do more IMHO to distract from the real meat of the text, which much of the time is meaty enough all on its own.

It's also unfortunate that, not once but twice, Chown manages to misquote Arthur C. Clarke, who wrote that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Chown insists on replacing the word "technology" with "civilization", even though doing so really does not change the overall understanding at all, never mind improve the point that Chown is making when he does so.

It makes me wonder how many other inaccuracies are in the book that I don't have the necessary experience to detect.

Nevertheless, there are some books that I feel like I've wasted my time when I've finished them, or which I cannot be bothered to finish at all. This book is definitely NOT one of those.

It's entertaining, informative even to those who already have a casual interest in the science of physics, and from a literary point of view, well-written. It's not the first, or even in the top ten books someone ought to read on the topic. But once you've gotten through the best, this book still has something to add, and can do so in a enjoyable way.