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4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
This is a great historical look at how the Big Bang theory started. Singh does a great job at relating historical events in an interesting way, and also adding some science into the mix that is understandable. The book starts with the earliest creation myths, and takes us on a historical journey through cosmology with people such as Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, and Einstein. He also spends a great deal of time on more direct contributors to the Big Bang theory such as Lemaitre, Gamow, Alpher, amd Penzias.
The books strongest point is when Singh is discussing the emerging Big Bang theory against the rival Steady State theory. The epilogue is also quite informative, giving examples of what is currently going on in cosmology, and the hurdles still remaining for the Big Bang theory. Overall, a really good read.
The books strongest point is when Singh is discussing the emerging Big Bang theory against the rival Steady State theory. The epilogue is also quite informative, giving examples of what is currently going on in cosmology, and the hurdles still remaining for the Big Bang theory. Overall, a really good read.
Excellent explanation of the beginnings and evolution of Western science. Physics, cosmology, and other scientific disciplines are lined out and set forth in very understandable and relatable ways. Simon Singh's love of science, admiration for its pursuit, and humor at human foibles comes through in every page.
Not only is this book hugely enjoyable but hugely educational. I feel like a better, more informed person for having read it.
Not only is this book hugely enjoyable but hugely educational. I feel like a better, more informed person for having read it.
Fabulously simple in its writings, this books combines scientific discoveries and anecdotes about the scientists which lead to the Big Bang model of the universes beginnings
informative
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
informative
I love Simon Singh's work, and although I knew a lot of the material when it comes to cosmology, I still learned a great deal about the history of it. I've always liked the stories of how we got here from there.
Having enjoyed the author's documentary about Fermat's last theorem, I was prepared to enjoy this book. It did not disappoint.
Singh's background is in particle physics, which I think comes through particularly well in this book. He has an obvious deep respect for the intellects and achievements of the scientists he profiles, probably stemming in no small part from his sophisticated understanding of the problems they had to solve. Even more spectacularly, he is able to make the scientific method into a sort of character onto itself. He celebrates the slow, messy process of discovery like only a true scientist can. If you let your average Ivy League hack loose on material like this, the result would be a mess. In Singh's hands, it is magical.
The book has a great narrative structure, presenting our understanding of the cosmos as a sort of jigsaw puzzle which is gradually revised, filled in and completed by generations of astronomers. Household names like Galileo, Einstein, Lemaître and Hubble are given long treatments, but so are characters that were largely forgotten once the novelty of their discoveries passed. The end result feels fair to all involved, even those who argued in favor of theories that were later proved wrong. I was particularly intrigued with how the geocentric model, which feels so obviously wrong to us today, actually made a lot sense given what the ancients knew about the world, and was initially able to make more correct predictions about planetary motions than the early heliocentric models.
Singh does stumble, if infrequently. I understand that in order to make the Big Bang cosmology understandable the reader needs to understand phenomena like Doppler shift and stellar parallax. However, in this book the analogies used to explain these things are sometimes very clumsy and non-intuitive. A sentence would often start with "Imagine a such and such with a so and so radius sitting in a blah blah blah..." and by the next line I would be completely lost. There are also some equations and math in the book, all of which I was able to understand easily, but whose inclusion felt unnecessarily pedantic.
But these are minor quibbles. Altogether this is a fun read and a great introduction to the topic. Better, I think, than A Brief History of Time, even if the two books differ somewhat in scope. Recommended.
Singh's background is in particle physics, which I think comes through particularly well in this book. He has an obvious deep respect for the intellects and achievements of the scientists he profiles, probably stemming in no small part from his sophisticated understanding of the problems they had to solve. Even more spectacularly, he is able to make the scientific method into a sort of character onto itself. He celebrates the slow, messy process of discovery like only a true scientist can. If you let your average Ivy League hack loose on material like this, the result would be a mess. In Singh's hands, it is magical.
The book has a great narrative structure, presenting our understanding of the cosmos as a sort of jigsaw puzzle which is gradually revised, filled in and completed by generations of astronomers. Household names like Galileo, Einstein, Lemaître and Hubble are given long treatments, but so are characters that were largely forgotten once the novelty of their discoveries passed. The end result feels fair to all involved, even those who argued in favor of theories that were later proved wrong. I was particularly intrigued with how the geocentric model, which feels so obviously wrong to us today, actually made a lot sense given what the ancients knew about the world, and was initially able to make more correct predictions about planetary motions than the early heliocentric models.
Singh does stumble, if infrequently. I understand that in order to make the Big Bang cosmology understandable the reader needs to understand phenomena like Doppler shift and stellar parallax. However, in this book the analogies used to explain these things are sometimes very clumsy and non-intuitive. A sentence would often start with "Imagine a such and such with a so and so radius sitting in a blah blah blah..." and by the next line I would be completely lost. There are also some equations and math in the book, all of which I was able to understand easily, but whose inclusion felt unnecessarily pedantic.
But these are minor quibbles. Altogether this is a fun read and a great introduction to the topic. Better, I think, than A Brief History of Time, even if the two books differ somewhat in scope. Recommended.
informative
inspiring
reflective