You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
It is for me an easy read and it does what it says on the cover - take you on a journey to Quantum Gravity. It is elegantly written - I suspect the original in Italian is also elegantly written too. It made me want to reread the biography of Dirac and some of the texts of Feynman.
It is a good layman's introduction to the world that Rovelli has worked in during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
It is a good layman's introduction to the world that Rovelli has worked in during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
As Einstein allegedly said, things should be made as simple as that but not simpler. That's exactly what Rovelli has done while explaining the journey from Greek philosophers' musings on nature of reality to the the implications of loop quantum gravity. Highly recommend.
Amazingly well written even when the subject matter became extremely opaque and felt like it was sometimes slipping through my fingers. There were some points where I was feeling like I didn’t fully understand, but then, to my surprise, afterwards I was able to recall quite well what was meant and how the concepts fit together. Really genuinely great book which totally challenged my world-view and made me feel like I understood a hell of a lot more. Quantum mechanics seems fundamentally un-understandable, but this book made me feel like I at least had a sort of analogic grasp. Is that a real word? It is now.
The book served its function of a very accessible and systematic introduction to quantum gravity.
challenging
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
What an amazing, mind-bending book.
Somehow, Carlo Rovelli managed to explain a handful of complex theories and concepts in less than 250 pages, all through beautiful writing. When he says that this is a journey to Quantum Gravity, he means it. We go from the very early beginnings of atomism (the idea that the universe is composed of atoms) in Ancient Greece, all the way to the vanguard of theoretical physics. For someone who's used to most of the concepts talked about in this book, it was still a great joy to read them explained this way. Rovelli has a way of conveying these already fascinating ideas in an even more fascinating way. And even though the explanations are simple, the core messages still come through.
By presenting analogies and a series of examples, we get to understand what Quantum Physics truly is. I've seen many videos and read many articles and some books on the subject, but many elementary (pun intended) ideas still eluded me. Rovelli managed to explain them to me. We get a brief history lesson on Ancient Greece, a brief explanation of Newtonian physics, a brief explanation of Einstein's General (and Special) Theory of Relativity, a brief history lesson and explanation of Quantum Physics and a brief introduction to the new questions that plague modern physicists (such as managing to combine Einstein's theories with Quantum Mechanics).
Finally, we get an overview of one of the most recent theories regarding the problem of Quantum Gravity (Quantum Loop Gravity) and, even though this was the most complex and mind-bending part, it was still extremely interesting and, above all, highly enjoyable.
Truly recommend it for everyone with even the slightest interest in physics.
Somehow, Carlo Rovelli managed to explain a handful of complex theories and concepts in less than 250 pages, all through beautiful writing. When he says that this is a journey to Quantum Gravity, he means it. We go from the very early beginnings of atomism (the idea that the universe is composed of atoms) in Ancient Greece, all the way to the vanguard of theoretical physics. For someone who's used to most of the concepts talked about in this book, it was still a great joy to read them explained this way. Rovelli has a way of conveying these already fascinating ideas in an even more fascinating way. And even though the explanations are simple, the core messages still come through.
By presenting analogies and a series of examples, we get to understand what Quantum Physics truly is. I've seen many videos and read many articles and some books on the subject, but many elementary (pun intended) ideas still eluded me. Rovelli managed to explain them to me. We get a brief history lesson on Ancient Greece, a brief explanation of Newtonian physics, a brief explanation of Einstein's General (and Special) Theory of Relativity, a brief history lesson and explanation of Quantum Physics and a brief introduction to the new questions that plague modern physicists (such as managing to combine Einstein's theories with Quantum Mechanics).
Finally, we get an overview of one of the most recent theories regarding the problem of Quantum Gravity (Quantum Loop Gravity) and, even though this was the most complex and mind-bending part, it was still extremely interesting and, above all, highly enjoyable.
Truly recommend it for everyone with even the slightest interest in physics.
challenging
medium-paced
Great book! It does get quite dense when he begins talking about loop quantum gravity but he does do his best to bring this complex theory down for the everyday non-physicist science enthusiast. Loved it!
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
A beautifully written account of quantum gravity from the point of view of a rival theory to string theory. I found the ideas and evidence quite persuasive while feeling that the author made his case in the true spirit of science - stating evidence and stating explicitly that this was an explanation of one theory among many. There were also some very eloquently written passages on the very nature of science itself.