Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics by Jim Al-Khalili

May 06, 2013 soul rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Книгата е много ценна не само с количеството информация, побрано в скромния й обем, а и заради начина на поднасянето й. Определено си личи опитът на проф. Ал-Халили като лектор и комуникатор.
Твърдения, чоплили години наред умовете на учените, изглеждащи абсурдни, нелогични или като забавни задачки-закачки, са обяснени подробно, но стегнато, достъпно и остроумно и заедно със съпътстващата ги сложна материя стават разбираеми дори за хора, приключили с физиката и математиката още в гимназията.
Усещ...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Robert Slaven rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, non-fiction

As I've said countless times lately, I received this book in a GoodReads giveaway.

With the popularity of shows like "The Big Bang Theory" it's not surprising that books of this sort are making their way increasingly into the awareness of the reading public. In a nutshell, I think this book tries to cover too much ground in too little time. For most of the topics covered a 300-page book just for one topic is not usually sufficient so to attempt to summarize this much material in 220 pages for 9...more As I've said countless times lately, I received this book in a GoodReads giveaway.

With the popularity of shows like "The Big Bang Theory" it's not surprising that books of this sort are making their way increasingly into the awareness of the reading public. In a nutshell, I think this book tries to cover too much ground in too little time. For most of the topics covered a 300-page book just for one topic is not usually sufficient so to attempt to summarize this much material in 220 pages for 9 such topics is a breathtakingly complex undertaking. That said, it is reasonably executed given the Herculean nature of the task. Rather than critique further let me try to guide the reader part by part.

Chapter 1 is rather an outlier. Potentially interesting but with a distinct mathematical bent that will leave many readers scratching their heads. Do NOT judge the book based on the first chapter. Just politely skip it if it gives you flashbacks to statistics class.

Chapters 2-4 work together as examples from classical physics. They stand alone but comprise a skippable grouping of their own if they don't sit well with you.

Chapters 5-7 represent Einstein's General and Special Relativity. As concepts they are massively intriguing but again, if they don't appeal then they are a skippable grouping.

Chapter 8 is really more philosophical than physical.

Chapter 9 is the most referred to bit of physics in the past 50 years in popular culture. If you read nothing else then read this.

Chapter 10 is for the UFO crowd.

Chapter 11 is a bit of a throw away. Perhaps a tease for a next book.

In summation, I think that like any book of this type it's straddling a fine line. As someone who has been reading books of this ilk since he was 10 it's just a rehash of topics I've read half a dozen times before. There's no new information here. For the uninitiated I think it tries to be too broad in scope and will leave a lot of head scratching. I will say though that with the exception of the first chapter the author has successfully eradicated the mathematics from these topics. That in itself is an accomplishment not to be sneezed at.(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Jaylia3 rated it 5 of 5 stars

Quantum physicist and author Jim al-Kahli explains early on that the nine paradoxes of this book aren't really paradoxes because though they seem counterintuitive they can be resolved with careful reasoning, and then he proceeds to take the reader through those sometimes mindbending steps in ways I could actually grasp, though sometimes my understanding could only flicker in and out of existence like some kind of quantum particle. The oldest are Zeno's paradoxes about motion and the most recent...more

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Nov 02, 2012 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Ever wonder if it is possible to time-travel, why the night sky is not brighter, why it is impossible to build a perpetual motion machine, or why we have not had any communication from intelligent beings from other planets? This little book by Jim Al-Khalili, a quantum physicist at the University of Surrey, answers these and several other difficult questions in easy to read language with no equations.

Paradoxes are puzzles that are logical brainteasers, and the author utilizes them in his effort...more Ever wonder if it is possible to time-travel, why the night sky is not brighter, why it is impossible to build a perpetual motion machine, or why we have not had any communication from intelligent beings from other planets? This little book by Jim Al-Khalili, a quantum physicist at the University of Surrey, answers these and several other difficult questions in easy to read language with no equations.

Paradoxes are puzzles that are logical brainteasers, and the author utilizes them in his effort to bring physics to a broader audience; that is, to show that not only can physics be fun, but that once you understand the nature of a paradox, everything becomes much more clear.

The author treats nine classic physics quandaries and a few more philosophical conundrums with comprehensible analysis, showing that they are not actually unresolveable, but merely difficult problems subject to resolution with careful thinking. His explanations, such as why you can’t go back to the past and kill your grandfather, are witty as well as illuminating. (Like other physics popularizers, he includes the wonderful 1923 limerick by Reginald Buller in his text), viz:

There was a young lady named Bright
Who traveled far faster than light.
She went out one day
In a relative way
And returned the previous night.”

The author's musings on the tension between determinism and free will are especially enlightening. As a special bonus, he also provides an intelligible solution to the famous “Monte Hall” problem that bothered game show fans for years, in the process giving us a painless lesson in probability calculation.

Evaluation: This book is deceptively profound, appearing simple because the writing is so lucid. The author, in addition to having a resume that would make most scientists blush, is a regular radio and television science commentator - not surprising given his flair for rendering the abstruse lively and accessible. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the philosophy of science.

Rating: 3.5/5
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Oct 23, 2012 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars

To earn an engineering degree many years ago, I took a lot of math and science courses. I struggled with the advanced mathematics, but I loved the sciences, especially physics, and I've been keen on science ever since. My home library includes many science books, running the gamut from cosmology to quantum mechanics. I don't always understand everything that I read, but I'm always fascinated by a well written book on science. And "Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics" is a well written...more To earn an engineering degree many years ago, I took a lot of math and science courses. I struggled with the advanced mathematics, but I loved the sciences, especially physics, and I've been keen on science ever since. My home library includes many science books, running the gamut from cosmology to quantum mechanics. I don't always understand everything that I read, but I'm always fascinated by a well written book on science. And "Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics" is a well written book. Author Jim Al-Khalili's writing style reminded me a bit of the old TV series "Connections" and "The Day the Universe Changed," both hosted by science historian James Burke, who demonstrated how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events were built from one another successively in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of modern technology. Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics uses an analogous approach in presenting famous paradoxes by describing the background of the paradox, the personalities involved, and how the solutions to the paradox have evolved. It's a very effective approach that makes the book very readable, even for laymen.

A few words about the writing style and technical level of the book: this isn't "Paradoxes for Dummies," but it doesn't require a degree in physics to understand and enjoy, just a love of science and learning. The book begins by describing the different types of paradoxes, then focuses on paradoxes in physics which can be resolved with some fundamental scientific knowledge and basic mathematics. The first chapter includes some well known paradoxes that can be resolved without any science. Two of my favorites were the "Riddle of the Missing Dollar," a brainteaser that has been forwarded in emails countless times; and the "Monty Hall Paradox," which I've seen many times, but I'm still amazed at the answer, which is derived through simple logic (hint: if Monty offers you a trade, take it!).

As much fun as the first chapter was, the real meat is in the remaining chapters, where the author presents famous paradoxes that have baffled people for years. As an example, one of my favorites is Chapter 3 - "Olbers's Paradox." The paradox is familiar to most people as "Why does it get dark at night?" The paradox is credited to 19th century German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers, although Olbers was not the first to ask the question. The author takes us back to ancient Greece to describe the state of astronomy and the prevailing theories about the Earth's place in the universe, then progresses through the following centuries as knowledge of our universe increases. Olbers proposed an answer, which we now know was incorrect, but he had no way of knowing about the Big Bang and the subsequent expansion of the universe. Surprisingly, the first credible answer was proposed by American writer/poet Edgar Allan Poe in 1848!

Another of my favorites was Chapter 7 - "The Grandfather Paradox." This chapter included one of the more readable discussions of time travel that I've read. And based on the latest theories of a Quantum Multiverse, you could actually go back in time and kill your grandfather, and not prevent your birth in your own time.

Each chapter follows a similar format, with the background of a famous paradox receiving as much attention as the solution itself. The book is a goldmine of fascinating information that covers a broad range of the sciences, as it examines some of the major paradoxes and conundrums that have baffled people for years.

Note: I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review, which I have done to the best of my ability.(less)

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Oct 01, 2012 Erik Malvick rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, vine, print-copy, non-fiction

But contrary to information on the cover or in the preface and introduction, you need to have some intuition about the science behind these "paradoxes" as the author seems to always fall a bit short on really bringing the subject down to the level of every reader.

The concept here is that the author (a physics professor in the UK) presents 9 "paradoxes" of science and describes how they really aren't paradoxes using science, especially modern science to break them down. About 3 of the paradoxes c...more But contrary to information on the cover or in the preface and introduction, you need to have some intuition about the science behind these "paradoxes" as the author seems to always fall a bit short on really bringing the subject down to the level of every reader.

The concept here is that the author (a physics professor in the UK) presents 9 "paradoxes" of science and describes how they really aren't paradoxes using science, especially modern science to break them down. About 3 of the paradoxes came about during the Greek philosophy era while the remaining are more modern tackling concepts related to Thermodynamics and Relativity.

Of course, when one puts it that way the book may not seem very entertaining, but when the "down to earth" nature of the paradoxes is discussed, we find that we are really talking about time travel, implications of killing your grandfather, or whether we are truly the only life forms out there. If you have any interest in the types of things you might find on the Discovery Channel, History Channel, PBS, or the BBC in their various shows and miniseries on science, you'll probably enjoy this book.

My only real problem with the book was that the author often emphasized how he was going to make things understandable for the average reader. Well as an engineering PhD with a decent background and interest in physics, I found the descriptions intended to simplify the science often a bit confusing and leaving more questions than the ones originally posed. Perhaps I am not the ideal reviewer, but I hate book. Even many of the examples, could have been made more simple without seeming insulting. He does talk quite a bit about statistics, but some of those statistical features aren't ones we are used to using on a daily basis. I do for some seismological items, but not everyone does. The author assumes a lot of background knowledge on that topic.

Now, this doesn't mean the book is bad. I did learn from the book, and it was entertaining. I think the most valuable feature of the book is that the author did do a good job of bringing relativity down to a level that people should be able to understand. If you can recall any features of the laws of motion and how to relate velocity to time and length, you'll come out with at least a grasp of what relativity is about. Given that the author teaches relativity to undergraduates that shouldn't be a surprise. Having a bit of knowledge on the subject myself, I was a little disappointed that he hinted at some of the "mores" of relativity without explaining much.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to someone who has had some high school physics or even television based physics knowledge but perhaps the knowledge is buried down in there. The book will trigger your memory. You won't need other references, and if you can take the author's descriptions as real without questioning his validity you'll be ok. Of course, in questioning the validity, you'll need a bit more knowledge, but that questioning can make the book more fun, too.(less)

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Feb 06, 2013 Anna Phoenix rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science, non-fiction, overdrive, 2013, 02-february, reviewed, calibre

Before I picked up this book (by chance a few days ago), physics was a big mystery to me. I knew it was behind the way the world works, but all those symbols and numbers and lofty theories have always been somewhat intimidating.

Then I read this. Now, I can't begin to explain anything that went on inside this book, but I understood the explanations. And laughed a lot. I was surprised to find that physics is really closer to philosophy than I thought, and the "silly" questions that have been known...more

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May 14, 2013 NibbledToDeathByCats rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, reviewed

What do you do when a friend recommends a science book to you, and a few chapters in, you realise that it has nothing to teach you? ..and the writing style is bland, and the author is at one time skipping over important distinctions, and at another muddling simple ideas with rambling? You trudge on, and change your purpose from one of learning to one of gathering ammunition for a scathing book review! Let's go!

As it turned out, I couldn't make myself finish this book in one effort. I made it all...more What do you do when a friend recommends a science book to you, and a few chapters in, you realise that it has nothing to teach you? ..and the writing style is bland, and the author is at one time skipping over important distinctions, and at another muddling simple ideas with rambling? You trudge on, and change your purpose from one of learning to one of gathering ammunition for a scathing book review! Let's go!

As it turned out, I couldn't make myself finish this book in one effort. I made it all the way to chapter 9 before giving up in frustration — the chapter title was Laplace's Demon but the chapter had precious little to say about Laplace's original formulation, and instead skipped over into a modern reinterpretation, and discussed that instead. Did I mention the rambling? See also chapter 7. So I set the book down, marked it abandoned, and read some other stuff. After a few days, I finally decided to just finish it and put it behind me; only had a few chapters to go, anyway.

If it had only been a matter of picking a book below my level of understanding, I would rate it three stars — that's not the book's fault afterall, and I did enjoy chapter 1, and did learn a couple of things here and there — but it wasn't just that. It was all-around mediocrity and wishy-washy writing. I've read clearer explications of most of the topics in this book elsewhere; James Coleman and Brian Greene both come to mind on the topic of relativity. Some instances of intellectual sloppiness stood out, too. In chapter 5, one of Einstein's famous thought experiments is confusingly retold: If you fly at the speed of light holding a mirror before you, can you see your reflection? The text then goes on to consider the question of flying near the speed of light, not at the speed of light, no mention of the discrepency. It might seem a quibble, but they are two different questions. An example of an outright error is in chapter 10, where in reference to infrared light, the parenthetical clarification "(heat)" is given. The conflated identification of infrared radiation as heat radiation has dogged popular understanding of physics for two centuries, and I was surprised to see a professional physicist commit the error. (All electromagnetic radiation transmits heat, not just infrared.)

To quickly summarize, this is not a good book if your goal is a clarified understanding of physics. It skips, muddles, discurses. It is largely regurgitation of popular physics topics that have been explicated better by other authors in the past.
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Apr 18, 2013 Clivemichael Justice rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, history

I'm no physicist that's for sure. I get the story but not the math. And some of what he describes is theory. At the risk of pissing someone off I'll state that his first conjecture in Chapter 10 regarding life elsewhere seems a little myopic, given the number of crop circles that are obviously made by some other form of life/energy or who knows. Sorry no one with a board in the night can make patterns like those... Another possibility exists as well that perhaps these other potential life forms...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Lisa marked it as to-read

Shelves: first-reads

I won this on First Reads.

I take reading and reviewing books very seriously. Due to deaths and major family health issues, I have not been able to dedicate time or energy towards reading or reviewing. I do not want to do either half heartedly, so I will have to post this for now and will come back when things slow down. At that time I will update this with a proper review.

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Oct 27, 2012 Cormac Zoso rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-won-in-give-aways

**No spoilers within**

Plenty of reviews around here for this fine little book and there's nothing I can add really except that the author does a great job of explaining the ideas behind and possibilities beyond some of the more common and well-known paradoxes in physics. I've always found physics an interesting area but have never had much of a scientific mind. I'm reasonably intelligent so if someone who knows can explain the ins-and-outs of the situation, I can usually grasp the concept.

Jim A...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Birgit rated it 4 of 5 stars

Let's solve puzzles - those that are easily mistaken for truly unsolvable paradoxes. Physicist Jim Al-Khalili is doing exactly that in his book Paradox, namely unraveling some of the biggest riddles of science, from Maxwell's Demon to Schrödinger's Cat straight to the Paradox of the Twins.
This is exactly the kind of book which on one hand sounds immensely fascinating, while on the other hand has a high potential to dip into heavy technical jargon. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised that...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Nenia Campbell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: weird-science, true-story-bro, arc-stands-for-a-readers-xmas, x-2012s, the-meaning-of-life-is-42, reviewed, crème-de-la-crème, first-reads

Consider the following scenario.

Imagine three tour guides. The first tour guide parks the bus, and immediately says, "Everyone out!" He takes you to the touring site, lights up a cigarette, and says, "Here we are. Have fun. Go nuts. Ask me if you have any questions, and make sure you return here by 4:45." Then he goes to sit on a bench and smoke, leaving you to your own devices.

The second tour guide takes you to the site and lectures at you for the entire duration of the tour. The information is...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Deidre rated it 3 of 5 stars

Probabilities, puzzles, and problems abound in Jim Al-Khalili's book Paradox: The Nine Great Enigmas is Physics. If ever there was a book to prompt your brain to run in circles it's this one which offers conundrum after conundrum, rapid fire. Your enjoyment of this book will likely depend on how interested in quantum mechanics, physics, philosophy, and metaphysics you are. I've read a bunch of different reviews of the British version, those who have a physics background find it too simplistic, t...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Abdullah Al-uthman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: physics

I was influenced by Prof. Jim Al-Khalili's style after watching some of his documentaries on BBC. Based on this opinion, I decided to pick up his book, and I gladly say that I was not mistaken. Prof. Jim in this book tackles nine of the most paradoxical enigmas in physics; mostly revolving around relativity theory, quantum mechanics and some of thermodynamics.

I must say, his style in writing this book is utterly amazing. He takes his time explaining every little detail so he doesn't leave the r...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Laura Zimmerman rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway. I am NOT a physics or math sort of person and I entered the drawing because I hoped the book would be a Physics Made Easy sort of read.

Probably because I'm not a physics or math person, it was difficult for me to read this book and stay interested. Rather than staying engaged I found myself nodding off as I read. My hope of having these concepts in physics explained in a way that made sense to me was unfulfilled, which resulted in quickly losing...more

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Dec 14, 2012 Teresa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, science

Well, I haven't quite finished this yet, but here's a short review anyway. :)

I've been intrigued with paradoxes since high school but the only volume I'd read on the topic was "Vicious Circles and Infinity: an Anthology of Paradoxes" by Patrick Hughes and George Brecht, so I was delighted to see a new book on the topic, and one that seeks to show us solutions that prove that the paradoxes are not really such.

While I don't fully understand some of his explanations, I appreciate the insight into t...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Peter Mcloughlin rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mathematics, general-science

a passable intro to weird paradoxes in physics. It talks about Olbers paradox of the dark night sky, If the universe is infinite and stars are randomly distributed there should be stars in every direction and the night sky should be blazingly bright it is not because even if the universe is infinite we can only see a finite part of it because of the big bang light hasn't reached us from parts of the universe. the book goes on with zeno's paradox, relativity and time travel paradoxes, Schroeding...more

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Jan 20, 2013 TheMadHatter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, non-fiction, science

The title of the book I actually read was "Paradox: The nine greatest enigmas in science" by the same author. However, given they both have the same ISBN (So I can't add my copy) and the book I read was pretty much enigmas in physics, I am going to post here and assume this is just a publisher's discretion thingo between different country releases :-). Almost like Americans calling the first Harry Potter book a sorcerer's stone (rather than the philosopher's).

I really enjoyed this book. I read t...more The title of the book I actually read was "Paradox: The nine greatest enigmas in science" by the same author. However, given they both have the same ISBN (So I can't add my copy) and the book I read was pretty much enigmas in physics, I am going to post here and assume this is just a publisher's discretion thingo between different country releases :-). Almost like Americans calling the first Harry Potter book a sorcerer's stone (rather than the philosopher's).

I really enjoyed this book. I read the first 3/4 of the book before Xmas and then got caught up in the Xmas rush and the book unfortunately found its way under about 10 other books before I managed to find it again and finish it. And I am glad I did. The reason I mention this is that I don't want the duration it took me to finish this book to be indicative of the quality. This was a REALLY engaging book.

I really struggle finding books I enjoy in this genre. They are either too simplistic and aimed at people with minimal physics knowledge or they are dry textbooks that don't capture the passion and enthusiasm and dare I say humor that encompasses my world of physics. This book though was perfect. It contained paradoxes that I was familiar with (Grandfather, Twin, Fermi's, Schrodinger's Cat, Monty Hall, Zeno's, my fave Olbers' and a few others) but gave each topic enough depth to convey the main message and the underlying physics. The writing style was easy to read and that was backed up by the credibility of the author as a particle physicist. I loved the humor in the book and actually annoyed my husband by reading out paragraphs to him during long holiday car trips (sucks to be him!).

I will definitely be tracking down more of the author's work and hopefully some online lectures he has given. If he is as engaging in person as he is in the written form, then he has a new fan in me. This is a must read for anyone who has an interest in physics - from beginner to enthusiast. Even people with a sound knowledge of physics will find this a good refresher on the topic.(less)

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Jan 26, 2013 Dale Furutani rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, philosophy, science

I felt one or two of the paradoxes weren't sufficiently explained which was rather disappointing, but for the most part it was a very interesting read. The author often comes across as elitist, always jumping at the chance to remind the reader he's a physicist, and you are not. However, I did enjoy the fact that he wasn't afraid to offer his personal opinion on scientific mysteries, but always made sure to preface them as his own subjective opinions. I really enjoyed that personal element.

All in...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Long Nguyen rated it 5 of 5 stars

For the most part (and the author admits it) the topics he reviews are not actual paradoxes. As the book progresses, the concepts get more and more contemporary until the last few chapters when we approach the quandaries of quantum physics. We get a sampling of philosophical implications towards the end, which more than makes the reading worth it. His conclusions are practically driven even as he is cautiously optimistic. A good introduction to aspects of physics, worth reading but does need a l...more

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Oct 20, 2012 Staci rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not really my cup of tea, but a few of the examples I could actually understand. I am only giving it a 2 star as I believe the author limits his audience by his writing style not necessarily the topic.

My rating system is as follows:

5 stars - Excellent, Worth Every Penny, Made It Into My Personal Library!
4 stars - Great book, but not a classic.
3 stars - Good overall, generally well written.
2 stars - Would not recommend based on personal criteria.
1 star - Difficult to read, hard to finish, or did...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Sylvie rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone wanting a fun intro to the world of complex physics concepts

Shelves: first-reads

This is the first book explaining relativity in a manner I can understand! Jim Al-Khalili can find words we are familiar with but most importantly examples drawn from daily experiences to make the most difficult and complex scientific concepts seem easy to understand.

He almost convinced me that at close to the speed of light, objects can actually BE, PHYSICALLY BE, of a different shortened measured lengths than if I measured the same object with my tape measure in my daily life world. I'm quite...more This is the first book explaining relativity in a manner I can understand! Jim Al-Khalili can find words we are familiar with but most importantly examples drawn from daily experiences to make the most difficult and complex scientific concepts seem easy to understand.

He almost convinced me that at close to the speed of light, objects can actually BE, PHYSICALLY BE, of a different shortened measured lengths than if I measured the same object with my tape measure in my daily life world. I'm quite convinced he is right and I am grateful I did not get to read a mathematical demonstration for this strange phenomenon. He does asks the right question any non-scientific person, me included, would ask: "does it mean the atoms that make up the [shortened] pole [traveling at close to the speed of light] are squashed together?
The answer is given that "according to relativity there simply cannot be any such thing as a truly rigid body" and Mr Al-Khalili goes on explaining about the speed of light traveling preventing objects from being aware of their extremities since information cannot be transferred from one end to another end faster than light... OK, Fine about awareness...
But what about these squashed atoms and physical shortened length?! Does that mean, at close to speed of light, objects lose integrity and all atoms start mixing up like a bad Star Trek teletransportation gone wrong?

It's not clear, and that would be my greatest critiscm of this book. Mr Al-Khalili is great in vulgarization until he probably hits a concept either too obvious for his physicist training or too complex maybe to detail and he goes on building on that concept where I had been a bit left behind. But then I have no scientific background so it might be harder for me to get it! And in a way it has the positive effect of making me curious so I want to learn more about this intriguing concept.

This is a book which I had to put aside a few times to munch on the new ideas introduced and highlight some more complex passage... And that makes for the best of books because these are the ones we remember. This "Paradox" book is then essentially a great introduction to the world of the laws of physics like thermodynamics and relativity and Mr Al-Khalili sense of humor, bits of poetry and storytelling makes for an amusing reading, both fascinating and educational.

I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway and I'm really happy I got to be introduced to this work as his was the best introduction to complex physics concepts that had always managed to elude me.(less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

Paradox is an interesting book that could have been much better with a stronger editorial hand. Al-Khalili really wants to share his knowledge and must be a very effective teacher, but a book is not a classroom. The chapters suffered from too many tangential discussions that while related to the topic at hand, were ultimately distracting asides to the path he was walking the reader down. In a classroom you could raise your hand and ask "I don't get it--how does this relate?" But in a book, you j...more

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Apr 12, 2012 Brian Clegg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There is something wonderful about paradoxes - and when I give talks to people about physics, I find it's the paradoxical bits, the ones that seriously bend your mind, that really get them going. That being the case, it's a no-brainer that Jim Al-Khalili's latest book is one to look out for. It's rather unfortunate that he defines paradox incorrectly at the start, saying it is 'a statement that leads to a circular and self-contradictory argument, or describes a situation that is logically imposs...more There is something wonderful about paradoxes - and when I give talks to people about physics, I find it's the paradoxical bits, the ones that seriously bend your mind, that really get them going. That being the case, it's a no-brainer that Jim Al-Khalili's latest book is one to look out for. It's rather unfortunate that he defines paradox incorrectly at the start, saying it is 'a statement that leads to a circular and self-contradictory argument, or describes a situation that is logically impossible' - no, that's a fallacy. The OED defines a paradox as 'a statement or tenet contrary to received opinion or belief, especially one that is difficult to believe' - but there is no suggestion in the main definition that a paradox has to be logically impossible. And that's why they're such fun, because they challenge our beliefs, but they really can be true.

What we get is nine fascinating paradoxes of science (mostly physics), with an gentle introduction using the famous Monty Hall problem (also known as Ferraris and Goats) and one or two other paradoxes of probability. Each chapter is based around one of these chunky paradoxes, but Al-Khalili uses the theme to lead us through all sorts of interesting background, either because we need it to understand the paradox itself, or simply because it's an opportunity to bring in some great material. So, for instance, we have the old infinite series paradox Achilles and the Tortoise as chapter 2, but we also discover the other known paradoxes of Zeno, including the delightful Arrow. Then there's Olber's Paradox - why is the night sky dark, Maxwell's Demon - opening up all the wonders of entropy, The Pole in the Barn for the spatial aspect of special relativity, The Twins Paradox for the time aspect of special relativity, The Grandfather Paradox if you can do backwards time travel, Laplace's Demon for determinism and chaos, Schrodinger's Cat (oh, how I hate that cat) - explained better than I've ever seen it, and Fermi's Paradox asking where all the aliens are. All in all, a great set, which uses these fascinating mind twisters to explore a lot of really interesting physics (and a spot of maths).

As is almost inevitably the case, there were one or two factual eyebrow-lifters. We are told, for example, that the Andromeda Galaxy contains 500 million stars - I think we're talking hundreds of billions, not a mere half billion. And the explanation of Maxwell's demon seems to suggest that flipping bits takes energy as opposed to the actual cause, which is erasure of information. But my only real problem with Paradox is that Al-Khalili writes like a physics professor (which he is), rather than like a science writer. His style can be a little plodding, and definitely patronising. So for instance the 'explanation' of the quantum Zeno effect is in essence to smile and tell us not to worry our little heads about it: 'I don't think I will pursue this line of thought in any more detail here, just in case you are nervously wondering what you've let yourself in for.' In that case, why mention in in the first place?

Again I would contrast Al-Khalili's suggestion that we leave thinking about quantum theory to the big boys: 'However carefully it is explained to the non-physicist, quantum mechanics will sound utterly baffling, even far-fetched.' with another physics professor, Richard Feynman: 'It is my task to convince you not to turn away because you don't understand it. You see, my physics students don't understand it either. That is because I don't understand it. Nobody does... The theory of quantum electrodynamics describes Nature as absurd from the point of view of common sense. And it agrees fully with experiment. So I hope you can accept Nature as She is - absurd.' Feynman's version is inclusive; Al-Khalili emphasizes that there are physicists and there is you, the common herd of readers. This is even rubbed in on the cover of the book. It's not by Jim Al-Khalili, it's by Professor Jim Al-Khalili - a bit like those dubious medical books where the author always has M. D. after their name.

Does the writing style spoil the content? Absolutely not. And I ought to stress that Paradox is by no means unreadable, just not in the professorial rank when it comes to science writing. The fact remains that the idea of building the book around paradoxes is great, the subject matter is excellent and the exploration of different aspects of physics is fascinating. This is a book that many popular science enthusiasts will lap up.

Review first published on www.popularscience.co.uk and reproduced with permission(less)

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Nov 11, 2012 John rated it 1 of 5 stars

this book was far less satisfying than it could have been. I was expecting a much more technical treatment of its chosen topics but only got a notional awareness. Having studied these various paradoxes in college physics ill just have to go back and revisit this material mathematically.

Readers should expect only superficial coverage of topics in laymen's terms wrapped in TV courtroom strength logic. Understanding imparted by this book may provide fodder for coffeeshop conversation but could not...more

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May 18, 2013 Russell Warfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really enjoyed this. Despite the absolutely mind-bending content, Al-Khalili talks you through it all with a lightness of touch, and a charming self-deprecating humour. Ranging from explanations about why the night's sky is dark, how approaching light-speed affects distances, time travel paradoxes, and the apparent absence of aliens, Al-Khalili takes quantum physics and turns it into something more philosophical and, more importantly, readable. Digestible, and kinda-sorta graspable, I learned a...more

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Nov 13, 2012 Blaise Eby rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Paradox: The Nine Greatest Enigmas in Physics" was an acceptional novel explaining theories and their answers. This book builds up the difficult of the enigmas from a few quick riddles to some of the epic fought-over paradoxes in history. This novel is specifically enjoyable for a logical problem solver or anyone who simply loves to read a good riddle. I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.

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Nov 10, 2012 Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance rated it 4 of 5 stars

One of my favorite words. How could I pass up this book, with a title like that? Even if, when I really thought about it, I knew it would probably be way over my head. Way, way over my head.

And, of course, it was.

But that's okay. I loved it anyway. The little bit that I understood.

You are probably much smarter than me and you will absolutely adore it.

I'm pretty sure.

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Jan 10, 2013 Wm Pope rated it 4 of 5 stars

Turned out to be a very good book. Presents just enough detail and really good analysis of some of the more interesting issues in physics. Worth reading for the lucid description of quantum uncertainty in Chapter 9.

The early chapters start slowly, presenting some well known puzzles to brief the reader on the logical and analytic style of the author. Almost lost me but I am very glad that I stuck with it.

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