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pedropacheco 's review for:
Reality is Not What it Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity
by Carlo Rovelli
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.