Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by scc9348
The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality by Richard Panek
4.0
This is now the third or fourth book I've read on the modern history of cosmology, particle physics, etc. I keep hoping that if I read enough of them, I'll eventually catch on. Some I learned in the book (which I dearly hope are reasonably accurate, even if garbled in writing):
* Only 4% of the universe is actually observable. The rest is dark matter and dark energy.
* I had heard before that there wasn't enough observed matter in the universe to keep it from imploding (exploding?), but I hadn't realized that the reason the universe doesn't actually crash down on us is because of dark energy as well as dark matter.
* This is connected to Einstein's E=mc squared. Matter and energy are the same thing, so it's ok not to be able to observe sufficient matter (or even dark matter) so long as there's enough energy to make up the difference.
* Physicists and astronomers are extremely clever at devising experiments and observations to test theories. (Well, I guess I knew that one before, but I was reminded of it.)
* Their research conferences are apparently way more lively than the economics and policy research ones I go to.
* Only 4% of the universe is actually observable. The rest is dark matter and dark energy.
* I had heard before that there wasn't enough observed matter in the universe to keep it from imploding (exploding?), but I hadn't realized that the reason the universe doesn't actually crash down on us is because of dark energy as well as dark matter.
* This is connected to Einstein's E=mc squared. Matter and energy are the same thing, so it's ok not to be able to observe sufficient matter (or even dark matter) so long as there's enough energy to make up the difference.
* Physicists and astronomers are extremely clever at devising experiments and observations to test theories. (Well, I guess I knew that one before, but I was reminded of it.)
* Their research conferences are apparently way more lively than the economics and policy research ones I go to.