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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
A really good book and overall quite clear about subject matter that can be very confusing for non-physics people. This went a little deeper than some books about quantum physics and really distinguishes it from other theories in a way that isn't too over your head. It takes away the infinity of earlier theories and makes concepts like quantum distances and black hole physics finite. A Good read.
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
I don't think this is what I was looking for when I picked it up. I have studied quantum mechanics before, but a good chunk of this went over my head. I enjoyed the history and philosophy more than the explanations of quantum gravity, something I never thought I'd be saying. Entirely possible writing style plays into this.
I love Carlo Rovelli. His writing is so beautiful, and this book was a great explanation of the history behind quantum gravity.
Zakochany w świecie Rovelli pięknie uprawia fizykę, uprawiając poezję. Dużo w tym spokoju.
This book was amazing. I only took physics up to higher level and I understood it with a lot of thinking, so it might be a struggle without A level physics.
Really portrays a sense of wonder about the world and the reality we live in, and the parts that we don't perceive. Gave a nice history of scientific discoveries about the universe related to physics from Italy BC to the present day and what's still potentially to come. Really inspiring book - would recommend it if you've got the grit to slog through some tough chapters and happy to re-read some of the pages to really hammer it home.
Really portrays a sense of wonder about the world and the reality we live in, and the parts that we don't perceive. Gave a nice history of scientific discoveries about the universe related to physics from Italy BC to the present day and what's still potentially to come. Really inspiring book - would recommend it if you've got the grit to slog through some tough chapters and happy to re-read some of the pages to really hammer it home.
Really awesome book. For me, as a novice in most of the modern concepts of physics, it was an eye-opening. But this book will definitely require reread in a year or so to realign thoughts and understanding. Or I may read another book on the same subject but from a different perspective.
Carlo Rovelli is exactly the kind of science writer I've been searching for all these years. His [b:Seven Brief Lessons on Physics|25734172|Seven Brief Lessons on Physics|Carlo Rovelli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1443551746s/25734172.jpg|42912214] has been a keystone for me in my quest to understand modern physics; in this one, he takes on the role of storyteller, tracing the historical origins of quantum ideas back as far as Democritus. Just like any great narrative, this one's full of delicious foreshadowing and plot twists and nail-biting cliffhangers - while never losing sight of the people driving it. At every step of the journey, Rovelli succeeds at bringing a poetic and philosophical bent to complex mechanistic ideas without compromising the science itself. The fact that I felt like I could just barely grasp how loop quantum gravity theory complements (and in some cases, combines) the paradigms that preceded it is incredible, considering its formalisms are lightyears beyond me. And the late sections on thermal time and information theory were tantalizing; I can't wait to get more into the meat of those concepts in [b:The Order of Time|36442813|The Order of Time|Carlo Rovelli|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1516424407s/36442813.jpg|56537968] next month.
For any fans of hard science - written for the laymen, this is an excellent book. It starts in ancient Miletus almost 2,600 years ago and bridges some of the fundamental discoveries in physics (and astronomy) into a beautiful tapestry of what is now known as quantum gravity. Carlo Rovelli writes in an engaging style that is both refreshing and highly logical - unveiling each new discovery in the context of its own place in history and the impact at that time, and today.
Be prepared to think differently about our preconceived notions of both space, and especially time. Mr. Rovelli pushes the boundaries away from traditional thinking (if, as an example, String Theory can be considered traditional), but at the same time it's abundantly clear that he loves science, the scientific method, and still retains that sense of awe one can get when just looking up and asking "I wonder why?"
I guess the most obvious praise for this book would be that I sat down for a few minutes just to peruse the Forward, and essentially read it through cover to cover. It was a wonderful experience.
Be prepared to think differently about our preconceived notions of both space, and especially time. Mr. Rovelli pushes the boundaries away from traditional thinking (if, as an example, String Theory can be considered traditional), but at the same time it's abundantly clear that he loves science, the scientific method, and still retains that sense of awe one can get when just looking up and asking "I wonder why?"
I guess the most obvious praise for this book would be that I sat down for a few minutes just to peruse the Forward, and essentially read it through cover to cover. It was a wonderful experience.