Reviews

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

Only show reviews with written explanations

tomleetang's review

4.0

I loved the first half of this book, which basically functions as an introduction to particle physics, the four basic forces, relativity and quantum mechanics. It's fascinating and very educational. The actual string theory part, however, seems extremely tenuous. Maybe if you comprehend the mathematical proofs it's more convincing, but to me it just feels like string theory is a shot in the dark; an unlikely answer to the tantalizing question of whether the universe can be united in one grand theory of everything.

jennaroseshannon's review

Go to review page

challenging informative lighthearted slow-paced

4.0

josiahrichardson's review

Go to review page

4.0

Read like an updated version of Michio Kaku's "Hyperspace." Had a lot of similar topics. Didn't make it any less interesting. A lot of this material will one day become grade school topics.

s0phiamk's review against another edition

Go to review page

I’m marking it as read for now as I have been reading this book for a while but I am so confused I can’t finish the rest so I think I will just re-read it

marcymurli's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

This is my first foray into reading science in quite some time. Greene's prose is lovely to read and I enjoyed the book quite a bit--especially the part when he historicizes physics so that it is easy for the reader to place Newton, Einstein, Hawking, and others in a trajectory that illustrates how one scientist built upon or altered the theories of another. While I have a general sense of what string theory and M theory is now, I am not able to articulate it on my own as of yet. But I do think that the readability of this book makes it an excellent entry into physics for the lay person. And I commend Greene on being able to create entertaining analogies that help such people understand such complex subjects.

noel_rene_cisneros's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Una clara y buena explicación de la historia de la física hasta mediados de los años noventa. Los capítulos finales Greene los dedica a la teoría de cuerdas.