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We Need to Talk About Kelvin: What everyday things tell us about the universe [Paperback]

Marcus Chown
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Book Description

2 Sep 2010

Look around you. The reflection of your face in a window tells you that the universe is orchestrated by chance. The iron in a spot of blood on your finger tells you that somewhere out in space there is furnace at a temperature of 4.5 billion degrees. Your TV tells you that the universe had a beginning. In fact, your very existence tells you that this may not be the only universe but merely one among an infinity of others, stacked like the pages of a never-ending book.

Marcus Chown, author of Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You, takes familiar features of the world we know and shows how they can be used to explain profound truths about the ultimate nature of reality. His new book will change the way you see the world: with Chown as your guide, cutting-edge science is made clear and meaningful by a falling leaf, or a rose, or a starry night sky...


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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Faber and Faber (2 Sep 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0571244033
  • ISBN-13: 978-0571244034
  • Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 114,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Review

A new popular science book that should be bought for its clever title alone! -- The Independent, September 16, 2009

Chown writes with ease about some of the most brain-bending of concepts. -- BBC Focus Magazine, October 2009

An elegant pop-physics pick'n'mix. -- The Guardian, October 17, 2009

Chown makes cutting-edge science clear and meaningful. His new book will literally change the way you see the world. -- Bookhugger, October 2009

For entertainment value, and driving pace, Kelvin never lets the reader down. -- www.popularscience.co.uk, October 2009 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Book Description

A hugely accessible and entertaining exploration of the science of the everyday world around us


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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It is clear why this outstanding, highly-original book is shortlisted for the Royal Society Prize for Science Books. Marcus Chown has a marvellous gift for rendering cutting-edge science extremely accessible and entertaining. His latest work 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. Highly recommended!

-Paul Halpern
Author, Collider: The Search for the World's Smallest Particles
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A science book that held my interest 29 Dec 2010
Format:Paperback
I have really enjoyed reading this book, which is saying something because I don't usually stick it out through popular science titles. No, I'm not an artist but a physics teacher!

Chown weaves a really interesting tale of how the everyday things we see, and take for granted, are a consequence of quantum behaviour. Into this he also threads biographical information about the great scientists who discovered the 'properties' of nature. He uses excellent mind-pictures of how particles interact and what distinguishes them from each other. Finally, I found a book that describes quantum spin in approachable (if not fully detailed) terms.

If this book was reprinted with diagrams, especially for some of the wave concepts, it would be unassailable (and worth 5 stars). However, minus diagrams, it sells at a very low price for such a good book. No, I did not drop off to sleep (see 1 star review) and yes I will be buying copies for my pupils.
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Very good in parts 16 Mar 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
There are good explanations of some of strangenesses of the physical world, though as with most books like this you get the idea that it really isn't telling you the real stuff. The real stuff is too complicated if you are not in the swim of modern physics.

I heard the author criticise Feynman because he said "If you think you understand qantum mechanics the you don't understand quantum mechanics." The author said this was not fair because anyone with a bit of application can understand quantum mechanics. The author had missed the whole point of Feynman's assertion. What he meant (I think) is that quantum mechanics is so strange that even those who are deep in its study know that their understanding is limited.

What this book CRIES OUT FOR is some diagrams. The author describes things which could easily be drawn, and which would make some parts much clearer.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars brain pain
Fantastically interesting book,but be warned your brain will inflate and eventually burst trying to get to grips with the subject matter covered. Read more
Published 14 months ago by scalrog
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't let the catchy title put you off
This is the first Marcus Chown book I have read and would now actively seek out other titles by him. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Eric Stephen
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be put off!
Great book that really makes you think and appreciate the unlikelihood of the universe even existing and the fact that somehow it does. Read more
Published on 19 April 2011 by CHoare
5.0 out of 5 stars A crescendo
There's something great about this book. I thought it got off to a poor start though, to the extent that I didn't even finish the first chapter, "The Face in the Window", on my... Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2011 by Josh
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb adventure through physics for the lay science person
A wonderful, straight-forward introductory guide to physics. Marcus Chown has a wonderful way of explaining concepts that might reasonably be described as complicated in a very... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2011 by Jamie891
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended
If you know anyone who has the slightest interest in Physics or someone you feel doesn't and should have, this book is for them. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2010 by RH
2.0 out of 5 stars A bit contrived and not well explained
The premise of this book is that everyday observations tell us about fundamental principles in physics. Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2010 by Yoness inc.
1.0 out of 5 stars I used this as a sleep aid
Rarely have i had problems reading a book until it's end. No doubt the authour is brilliant with his understanding of the subject matter but it doesn't come across well. Read more
Published on 17 Oct 2010 by Bfg
4.0 out of 5 stars Hard But Good
This is a very thought-provoking book, but you have to work at it. It's worth buying just for the new dimensions it opens up for you. Read more
Published on 27 Feb 2010 by K. Picken
5.0 out of 5 stars The slippery slope of reality
Barack Obama started his "Dreams from my father" with a
quote from Chronicles (29:15):" For we are strangers before them,
and sojourners, as were all our fathers". Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2010 by Simon Laub
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