Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
This book single handedly got me into physics and back into reading non-fiction.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
I confess that I was a little underwhelmed by Rovelli's [b:Seven Brief Lessons on Physics|25734172|Seven Brief Lessons on Physics|Carlo Rovelli|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443551746l/25734172._SY75_.jpg|42912214] - not really through any fault of the author, simply that I read enough popular science that it was a little too introductory for me. Here, though, the physicist has produced a truly great science book on the history and current state of research on quantum gravity - or, to be more precise, the theory of Loop Quantum Gravity, which seems to be more promising that String Theory.
In writing that is somehow both wonderfully poetic and extremely clear, Professor Rovelli spends the first half of the book giving an overview of the history of scientific thought, going all the way back to Democritus (Oh! Imagine the world we would live in had his works not been suppressed and destroyed, ideas not rediscovered until Newton!), through Copernicus and Galileo, Newton, Faraday and Maxwell, Einstein, and many others, before coming into the quantum age. He often manages to foreshadow his points, preparing the reader ahead of time so the information is more readily absorbed, and giving real world examples of the utility of these great discoveries.
When he pivots to the hard work of explaining quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, the author warns that things are about to get tricky - and they do - but his continued clarity manages to transfer at least a semblance of understanding of this difficult field.
I certainly know more about the subject than I did before - if only the broad points - and feel my brain has expanded, which is just what I want from a pop sci book.
Highly recommended.
In writing that is somehow both wonderfully poetic and extremely clear, Professor Rovelli spends the first half of the book giving an overview of the history of scientific thought, going all the way back to Democritus (Oh! Imagine the world we would live in had his works not been suppressed and destroyed, ideas not rediscovered until Newton!), through Copernicus and Galileo, Newton, Faraday and Maxwell, Einstein, and many others, before coming into the quantum age. He often manages to foreshadow his points, preparing the reader ahead of time so the information is more readily absorbed, and giving real world examples of the utility of these great discoveries.
When he pivots to the hard work of explaining quantum mechanics and quantum gravity, the author warns that things are about to get tricky - and they do - but his continued clarity manages to transfer at least a semblance of understanding of this difficult field.
I certainly know more about the subject than I did before - if only the broad points - and feel my brain has expanded, which is just what I want from a pop sci book.
Highly recommended.
challenging
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
This book is non-fiction and focuses on the search for a theory on quantum gravity, a field of physics that I am very interested in. I haven't read as many non-fiction physics books as I would have liked to since I find it takes longer to get through them than fiction books, but I always feel so inspired by reading them. Reality Is Not What It Seems by Carlo Rovelli is no exception.
It was written so well as to give the reader an introduction into the world of quantum gravity, the challenges facing finding a theory, how loop quantum gravity could work and how we even got to the point of needing to find this theory. Rovelli wrote the first part like a story which took the reader through the ages, starting at ancient Greece and finishing with what is still unknown today.
I would say that though this book is described as being for those who don't know physics too well, I even struggled to keep up with some parts, but it still was described quite well. I really enjoyed reading this and it gave me a basis to be able to read further into the subject and discover more of the topic. Some parts were written to be very technical, or at least more technical and less storylike, but I quite enjoyed the mix as it still seemed like I was learning lots.
I gave this book 5 stars because it is in an area of physics that I am really interested in and want to get into, and it was written really well to give me an introduction to this topic. I would recommend it to anyone interested in physics and wanting to read more on the topic! And I am definitely going to be reading Rovelli's other books.
It was written so well as to give the reader an introduction into the world of quantum gravity, the challenges facing finding a theory, how loop quantum gravity could work and how we even got to the point of needing to find this theory. Rovelli wrote the first part like a story which took the reader through the ages, starting at ancient Greece and finishing with what is still unknown today.
I would say that though this book is described as being for those who don't know physics too well, I even struggled to keep up with some parts, but it still was described quite well. I really enjoyed reading this and it gave me a basis to be able to read further into the subject and discover more of the topic. Some parts were written to be very technical, or at least more technical and less storylike, but I quite enjoyed the mix as it still seemed like I was learning lots.
I gave this book 5 stars because it is in an area of physics that I am really interested in and want to get into, and it was written really well to give me an introduction to this topic. I would recommend it to anyone interested in physics and wanting to read more on the topic! And I am definitely going to be reading Rovelli's other books.
Some of the material definitely required a re-read or two. But on the whole the weaving of thinkers of the past and modern day highlight the age old quest of mankind to understand the world and our role in it. Rovelli covers a great deal of topics ranging from classical physics to quantum mechanics to quantum gravity (currently still in progress). The text has an approachable quality to readers who dont have advanced degrees in physics but is still interested in the science behind them.
How can you be a reader and not be dazzled by the concept of time? I certainly am, and mesmerized by the mysteries it holds. Time is what piqued my interest in reading this, though my interest in time comes from literature rather than physics. Fortunately, Carlo Rovelli is first a poet, only second a physicist. I'd be surely hopeless to grasp any of these concepts were the order reversed.
This is not "A Brief History of Time," and Rovelli is not Stephen Hawking. Anyone who struggled through that book knows what I mean when I say that that is a good thing.
Layman that I am, the theory of quantum mechanics is a bit like diving into the North Atlantic. The lack of emotion leaves me a bit cold, the sharks circling my body in the array of scientific terms and detail sends me into a panic. Thankfully, Rovelli has plenty of emotion to offer, which comes out in his writing.
Like his later book, the Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated "The Order of Time" (I listened to this one as well, which may have made grasping some of the concepts a bit more difficult than it otherwise would have been), Rovelli waxes poetically about time here, about the discoveries of men like Issac Newton and Albert Einstein. You know, gravity and the atom and all that. It's readable, or, rather, listenable, and that's no small feat.
So props to Carlo Rovelli. He takes the subject of quantum gravity and makes it understandable to a mass audience. Worth a read if you've got the time.
This is not "A Brief History of Time," and Rovelli is not Stephen Hawking. Anyone who struggled through that book knows what I mean when I say that that is a good thing.
Layman that I am, the theory of quantum mechanics is a bit like diving into the North Atlantic. The lack of emotion leaves me a bit cold, the sharks circling my body in the array of scientific terms and detail sends me into a panic. Thankfully, Rovelli has plenty of emotion to offer, which comes out in his writing.
Like his later book, the Benedict Cumberbatch-narrated "The Order of Time" (I listened to this one as well, which may have made grasping some of the concepts a bit more difficult than it otherwise would have been), Rovelli waxes poetically about time here, about the discoveries of men like Issac Newton and Albert Einstein. You know, gravity and the atom and all that. It's readable, or, rather, listenable, and that's no small feat.
So props to Carlo Rovelli. He takes the subject of quantum gravity and makes it understandable to a mass audience. Worth a read if you've got the time.
A very nice read. The science is clear and new, choosing to explain one of the theories of quantum gravity most feared by pop science writers in very clear, intuitive terms.
Indeed, instead of going for the famous string theories, it goes for quantum loops instead: a more conservative, and, perhaps, more elegant theory. And it doesn't just jump into it, dedicating the first half of the book to laying up the background necessary, making sure the reader is comfortable with all of it.
It has a few philosophic musings that would feel a bit out of topic on books of this kind, but they are on point and pertinent, and usually helpful.
Over all, it is all one can hope from a popular science book
Indeed, instead of going for the famous string theories, it goes for quantum loops instead: a more conservative, and, perhaps, more elegant theory. And it doesn't just jump into it, dedicating the first half of the book to laying up the background necessary, making sure the reader is comfortable with all of it.
It has a few philosophic musings that would feel a bit out of topic on books of this kind, but they are on point and pertinent, and usually helpful.
Over all, it is all one can hope from a popular science book
As with Seven Brief Lessons, I really enjoy the way Rovelli explains different concepts in physics, his obvious passion for the subject and the blend of explanation with comments on philosophy and life in general. A very challenging and interesting read.