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Brian Greene

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory Paperback – 1 Feb. 2000

by Brian Greene (Author)

4.6 3,402 ratings

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An accomplished professor of physics and mathematics unravels the complexities of superstring theory for the average reader in a lucid and entertaining account, using analogies from everyday life to explain the elegant underlying principles of the universe. Reissue. (A NOVA mini-series, airing on PBS in January/February 2003, hosted by Brian Greene) (Science & Mathematics)

Print length

448 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage Books
Publication date

1 Feb. 2000
Dimensions

13.34 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm
ISBN-10

0375708111
ISBN-13

978-0375708114
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Product description

About the Author

Brian Greene is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University. He lives in New York City.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Books; Reissue edition (1 Feb. 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375708111
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375708114
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.34 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 3,212,361 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 16,267 in Popular Science Physics
- 30,447 in Physics (Books)

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4.6 3,402 ratings

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Brian Greene

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Brian Greene received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes scholar. He is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and lives in New York City.

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customer

good book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 29 June 2023

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good book.

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Roger

A good introduction to the subject, but still difficult to understand

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 30 March 2014

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This book by Brian Greene, a professor of physics and mathematics, is focussed on string theory. Regrettably, it's a book I wasn't able to finish because I found it got more and more complicated as it progressed. It started off well with some excellent explanations of quantum theory and relativity, although most of this I was already familiar with. It then progressed to string theory, and the first few chapters, all covering new ground for me, were well presented. However, I started to get into difficulties as the author tried to explain how the five different string theories may all be variants of a single theory. I struggled to follow much of this and gave up part way through chapter 12, so I didn't make it to understanding M-theory. Consequently, I never got to read the subsequent chapters on black holes or cosmology.

I could have struggled on but one factor in the back of my mind was that the Kindle edition I was reading, which was purchased from Amazon in January 2014, was derived from a book published as long ago as 2000 so I felt it was likely that string theory would have moved on since then. Consequently, I was conscious that some of the more advanced concepts may have been updated or replaced in the intervening years and I might have been wasting my time trying to understand something that was no longer considered valid. These thoughts were somewhat demotivating.

But from what I learnt, or at least as it was understood in around 2000, string theory is highly theoretical, with only approximate (and usually multiple) solutions to what are sometimes just approximate equations. There is no strong experimental evidence to support the theory, and neither is the theory of much value in predicting experimental results. Nevertheless, the theory does try to make sense of, and rationalise, the numerous fundamental particles making up the standard model. It also seeks to unite quantum theory with general relativity and gravity. It therefore has the potential to solve problems that have faced physics since the quantum and general relativity theories were first formulated in the early 20th century.

It's undoubtedly a complex theory but Greene does a good job of explaining much of the basics. I particularly liked the way that for many tricky concepts he explained them from two different angles, often using analogies. Therefore, I found that if I didn't quite understand one explanation, there was often a second explanation from a different perspective that made more sense to me. I found this double attack approach very useful for enforcing many of the basic ideas.

String theory requires more dimensions than we are familiar with in our everyday lives, these extra dimensions being very small and curled up. It's difficult to visualise what this means but Greene provided an excellent (although simplified) explanation of these curled up dimensions using the example of an insect walking along a hose pipe, where the length of the hose pipe represents a dimension we're all familiar with, and which can be seen from afar, but the cylindrical cross-section of the hose pipe is a curled up dimension, only visible from close-up.

Although I didn't manage to finish it, I'm still awarding this book 4 stars because I doubt that many authors could better Greene's treatment of this difficult subject. His approach is entirely non-mathematical, which is a challenge for a theory based entirely on mathematics, yet he manages to present many complex ideas in an understandable manner.

Looking on Amazon today I discover that the 2000 Kindle edition I was reading has been replaced by a 2011 edition. A sample I downloaded looks very similar to what I've already read but I'm wondering if some of the chapters may have changed.

27 people found this helpful

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Very good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 21 July 2022

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I find string theory itself somewhat far-fetched and esoteric, but certainly a fascinating book and very well written.

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Matt Jenkins

An Excellent Look at String Theory

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 17 March 2011

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An excellent introduction to String Theory for the lay reader. As others have said it may help to have some prior knowledge of modern science, by which I mean if you have no scientific background and you have never read any popular science works on particle physics and relativity before, this may not be the best place to start (others have mentioned for example Stephen Hawking's A Brief History Of Time as perhaps a better place to begin). However, that said, for those readers willing to put in a little effort this is a great read.

Greene begins by looking at the bedrocks of modern physics, relativity and quantum theory before progressing on to the eleven dimensions of string theory. It is thanks to writers like Greene, who are able to explain, without resorting to complex mathematics, such difficult concepts that the layman can begin to get a feel for the wonders of the universe. A fascinating read.

"[An] important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations-and some of the characters-of string theory with clarity and charm."
-Scientific American

"In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, [Greene] sets a standard that will be hard to beat."
-New York Times Book Review

"[A] tour-de-force of science writing...peels away layers of detail and reveals the stunning essence of cutting-edge physics."
-Shing-Tung Yau, Harvard University; Fields Medallist, winner of the National Medal of Science

I also recommend two other works by Greene, The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality and The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos .

3 people found this helpful

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Lobotomised and despised

Wonderful subject and book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 18 September 2011

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If I wanted to study Superstring Theory, I would have bought maths and physics books, but before doing so, I would have bought this book - it is truly as complete as it could be without it ever becoming an academic book.

The book starts at the beginning of what is accepted theory -- Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are mature theories and have stood the test of all experiments. It then builds on these two pillars to explain the more modern Superstring Theory, bringing the reader to the edge of our scientific thinking.

There is no reliance on maths and formulae to explain the concepts (there are footnotes and appendices if you want that). Instead, the book makes excellent use of English and fun situational metaphors, and by the end you should have an intuitive sense of how the universe is (according to our finest understanding of it).

Throughout this book I got the sense that the author did his best to explain our current understanding of the physical reality in the way he would have liked it to have been explained to himself.

You will learn a lot from this book. Worth keeping.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 1 October 2022

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Jesus good book but very complicated

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oceanade

Just couldn't put it down

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on 16 March 2012

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I am not a scientist and I hated Maths at School I am an arty type - but this is the BEEKNEES
I started to read it and when I say read you have to take in a gulp of air at the size
it is a massive paperback tome at least three times the size of the regular ones
but don't let that put you off- seriously every sentence is a "gem"
My first reaction was to flee since I thought "I am never going to get through this or even understand it"
My advice is to start reading the first few pages and see how you go- you'll be hooked believe me
It is so cleverly written every word is carefully chosen, every concept simply explained and then reiterated
Why didn't I have science teachers like this - no wonder he won a major science award for this book its
a masterpiece helping the ordinary guy understand such complicated stuff. Brian Greene You ROCK!

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