The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

The Elegant Book

You emerge on the other side of this book intellectually on par with the most cutting edge physicists of today: Well, minus all the complex mathematical equations and technical jargon of course. However, from a conceptual platform, you are able to visualize the kind of ground breaking ideas that have driven quantum physics into a brave new world of our reality. The author has a gifted ability to simplify complex physical concepts with sensible and intuitive examples that meshes seamlessly with our notions of common sense; that too, without "dumbing down" the key complexities of the theories put forth. It is a testament to his great reputation indeed, for Brian Greene, the author, a prominent mover and shaker in the field of Superstring Theory, to be able to construct a conceptual world for the lay person without burdening the readers with complex formulas and mathematics. The book commences on the exploration of Einstein's notion of relativity, followed by the foundations of quantum physics, with both these fields having occupied physicists for the better half of the 20th century. Greene goes on to elaborate the frictions, paradoxes and inconsistencies arising from attempts of eminent scientists to reconcile these two extremely different scientific dogmas that both seem to define our reality. Enter String Theory, a revolutionary new discovery that turns physics as we know it on its head by not only merging general relativity and quantum physics into a single plausible framework, but also harboring new insights and implications on the nature of reality. These insights include a universe of 11 dimentsions, mathematical predictions for supersymmetry and the possibility of space-time ruptures, an area in which Greene has been most productive in, and for whose contributions he has been highly respected for. We see the 21st century as a kind of Renaissance for physics, as String Theory, with the ardent and novel outburst of myriad conceptual discoveries, has evolved in...