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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
Good stuff. I kind of trailed off at the end, but that's my own fault; I've read too much (?) science this year and too much overlap means less reason to keep pace. Simon Singh is a good author though, and the book is recommended. Especially for anyone who says things like "it's *just* a theory..."
This translates to a short history of the cosmos. A complex theory like that of big bang builds on a lot of knowledge, so the author begins with the ancient greeks and move forward from there. The book is written with humour, insight into human nature and endless fascination about the universe. There is enthusiasm in every sentence. However, the book ends with the final proof that there really was an explosive start to the universe, which somehow feels a bit anti-climatic. "Wasn't there more?" Of course there's more, just not in this book. Nonetheless, a terrific read for any lay reader with a sound curiousity about the world we live in and where it came from.
I really enjoyed this book, especially after reading Singh's work on the history and proof of Fermat's Last Theorem. Singh is the perfect lay writer of science and science history. His prose flows quickly and he selects wonderful examples that explain more obscure topics. His books, and writers like him, should be assigned reading in high schools, and even middle schools, to expose kids to the wonders of science that often come across as boring and useless in typical science classes. These types of work would be a great boast to STEM, and even the arts (STEAM), showing the importance, beauty and value of writing, communicating, and philosophizing.
I guess people would assume I'd give this five stars. If I didn't know about the Big Bang and physics, I most likely would have. My rating is more a mark of how I felt about the book. It was too beginner, even though I'm certainly not a scientist. I've read a bunch and have taken several high school & college physics and astronomy classes. So, when Singh was talking about physics, the text seemed to move too slowly. Now, if I wasn't familiar with the topic, it would have been perfect. But, to be honest, I did learn some interesting physics in the book, e.g. the actual cause of redshift is related to the stretching of spacetime rather than a doppler shift effect (p. 270), how to create carbon from helium within a star (pp. 390-396), and that lithium and boron were produced around the same time helium was being created out of hydrogen (p. 398).
As for the history of science, this is where Singh excels beyond most. I loved the history, the little tidbits, the emotions and the battles behind the theories, equations and discoveries. There were so many intriguing things from the ancient world to today. I wish there had been more of these, but the book probably would have been twice as long! (The author mentions that in a Q&A appended to my edition, noting that his first draft had lots of neat items and it was about 1,000 pages long!). I'm also sad that the excitement of the public in response to these types of scientific discoveries seems to be fading, especially in the West and very especially in the US. Most people just don't seem to think science or the larger world is as exciting as spectator violence or reality TV.
I hope that writers like Singh can help put excitement and interest back in peoples' minds, and more importantly, their hearts. This is what captured me as a small boy and it has carried me to today. The wonder of a small child is something to try to grasp for each day.
I guess people would assume I'd give this five stars. If I didn't know about the Big Bang and physics, I most likely would have. My rating is more a mark of how I felt about the book. It was too beginner, even though I'm certainly not a scientist. I've read a bunch and have taken several high school & college physics and astronomy classes. So, when Singh was talking about physics, the text seemed to move too slowly. Now, if I wasn't familiar with the topic, it would have been perfect. But, to be honest, I did learn some interesting physics in the book, e.g. the actual cause of redshift is related to the stretching of spacetime rather than a doppler shift effect (p. 270), how to create carbon from helium within a star (pp. 390-396), and that lithium and boron were produced around the same time helium was being created out of hydrogen (p. 398).
As for the history of science, this is where Singh excels beyond most. I loved the history, the little tidbits, the emotions and the battles behind the theories, equations and discoveries. There were so many intriguing things from the ancient world to today. I wish there had been more of these, but the book probably would have been twice as long! (The author mentions that in a Q&A appended to my edition, noting that his first draft had lots of neat items and it was about 1,000 pages long!). I'm also sad that the excitement of the public in response to these types of scientific discoveries seems to be fading, especially in the West and very especially in the US. Most people just don't seem to think science or the larger world is as exciting as spectator violence or reality TV.
I hope that writers like Singh can help put excitement and interest back in peoples' minds, and more importantly, their hearts. This is what captured me as a small boy and it has carried me to today. The wonder of a small child is something to try to grasp for each day.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Highly readable and informative science history. There are so many interesting stories about so many interesting scientists, theories, debates, and pieces of evidence (though half the “fun” character anecdotes sound apocryphal). Almost all of it was new to me, and I think would be for any average reader. Maybe a serious cosmology/physics/astronomy student would know a lot of it already.
The only drawback to me was the Epilogue. I wish I didn’t even read it. It presents so many unknowns (like pre-bang, dark matter, dark energy), so many absurd faux-accurate numbers (like 10^-43 seconds) and highlights so much crossover with the Church angle, that it made me start second guessing a lot of the supposed settled science from the first 500 pages of the book. I ended up feeling pretty skeptical of a lot of the theories and numbers we have as the state of the art, since it sounds like so much is more or less made up to fill in holes along the way. I had that sort of feeling about theoretical physics in general already before the book, and I don’t feel much better about it now unfortunately.
The only drawback to me was the Epilogue. I wish I didn’t even read it. It presents so many unknowns (like pre-bang, dark matter, dark energy), so many absurd faux-accurate numbers (like 10^-43 seconds) and highlights so much crossover with the Church angle, that it made me start second guessing a lot of the supposed settled science from the first 500 pages of the book. I ended up feeling pretty skeptical of a lot of the theories and numbers we have as the state of the art, since it sounds like so much is more or less made up to fill in holes along the way. I had that sort of feeling about theoretical physics in general already before the book, and I don’t feel much better about it now unfortunately.
This is by far one of the best science books. Loved all the quirky facts.
Excellent book, does a great job of explaining the science and the personalities behind it.
informative
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
I absolutely love this book! It’s written in a very accessible way to help the scientist and non scientist alike to understand the subject matter and was a really enjoyable read.
It first starts by laying the foundations of scientific theories and takes you on an adventure through the scientific journey of time to how the current model of the universe was arrived at. I find it amazing how the scientific method was developed and how we built on the work of others to arrive at the theories we have today!
I also loved that the book went into detail with an introduction to the scientists involved in developing the theories and mentioned about their lives which I always find interesting. I learnt so much reading this book and really glad I took the time to read it!
The end of chapter summaries were great too which I think greatly add to reinforcing what you’ve learnt throughout the chapter. There was also amazing use of many wonderful diagrams to further help cement understanding and the balance between picture and words details and outlines the concepts of Big Bang formation beautifully without the use of intense mathematics and extensive formulas! Which I think is a real testament to the author for communicating science in such a brilliant way to be understood by all. Great book!
It first starts by laying the foundations of scientific theories and takes you on an adventure through the scientific journey of time to how the current model of the universe was arrived at. I find it amazing how the scientific method was developed and how we built on the work of others to arrive at the theories we have today!
I also loved that the book went into detail with an introduction to the scientists involved in developing the theories and mentioned about their lives which I always find interesting. I learnt so much reading this book and really glad I took the time to read it!
The end of chapter summaries were great too which I think greatly add to reinforcing what you’ve learnt throughout the chapter. There was also amazing use of many wonderful diagrams to further help cement understanding and the balance between picture and words details and outlines the concepts of Big Bang formation beautifully without the use of intense mathematics and extensive formulas! Which I think is a real testament to the author for communicating science in such a brilliant way to be understood by all. Great book!