Stephen Hawking’s phenomenal, multimillion-copy bestseller, A Brief History of Time, introduced the ideas of this brilliant theoretica...
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May 21, 2009
L.S.
rated it: 
This is my first time ever audio book. It is enjoyable, esspecially because of the voice - is calm. I am used to listening to scientific materials, most of them in form of debates. But listening to an audio book is nothing compared to reading - you cannot turn back the page or re-read a passage, you cannot make notes with a pencil on the page, you cannot highlight key definitions, aseertions, or conclusions in the text. Eye-sight is also a much more efficient tool in gathering information than t
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Oct 23, 2011
Христо
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Стивън Хокинг сбира “Вселената в орехова черупка”
http://www.knigolandia.info/2010/09/blog...
Бог е мъртъв, каза Ницше. Ницше е мъртъв, контрира Бог. Бог никога не е съществувал, затапи и двамата Хокинг. И биде светлина.
„Вселената в орехова черупка” е продължение на „Кратка история на времето”, но е далеч по-шарена и смилаема. След като описва основата на физиката във „Върху раменете на гиганти”, Хокинг ни довежда до последните й достижения (изключвам откритията More...
http://www.knigolandia.info/2010/09/blog...
Бог е мъртъв, каза Ницше. Ницше е мъртъв, контрира Бог. Бог никога не е съществувал, затапи и двамата Хокинг. И биде светлина.
„Вселената в орехова черупка” е продължение на „Кратка история на времето”, но е далеч по-шарена и смилаема. След като описва основата на физиката във „Върху раменете на гиганти”, Хокинг ни довежда до последните й достижения (изключвам откритията More...
Aug 05, 2011
Nick
rated it: 
Hawking is an exceedingly clear and occasionally quite funny writer, not easy when the topic is quantum physics, etc. I would be lying if I claimed to understand much of this book, especially in the audiobook format in which an exceedingly pleasant British voice hurls a flood of Hawking's words and concepts, one more challenging than the previous one. It might, repeat: might, have been possible to understand this material on a printed page, which in this case included a lot of nifty diagrams, o
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Jun 29, 2011
Bob
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This book doesn't do much to clarify Hawking's earlier work. There are more pictures and diagrams, but the narrative is overly abbreviated or unclear. Other books by other writers do a better job of describing the same material (and even Hawking's own theoretical contributions).
There are a few observations in this book that stood out as ways of conveying difficult concepts. Spacetime is best viewed not as passive background, for example, but as an active participant "in the dy More...
There are a few observations in this book that stood out as ways of conveying difficult concepts. Spacetime is best viewed not as passive background, for example, but as an active participant "in the dy More...
Nov 17, 2011
Bruno
rated it:
Mais um livro lido e dessa vez um bem mais técnico que os que estou acostumado a ler. Não que eu não goste, muito pelo contrário, adoro, mas é que normalmente leio sobre ficção fantástica e livros sobre esses assuntos; teoria do buraco negro, teoria da relatividade de Einstein, (E=MC^2), teoria das cordas e, para minha surpresa, a nova teoria das branas e p-branas, não são muito aceitos pelas pessoas “normais”. :)
Como digo, esses são assuntos pra você ler durante a viagem de ônibus par More...
Como digo, esses são assuntos pra você ler durante a viagem de ônibus par More...
Jun 03, 2011
Mike
rated it:
I really enjoyed A Brief History of Time and so was looking forward to The Universe in a Nutshell and its updated material. I was hoping it would be a "dumbed down" version of some of the high-end theoretical physics ideas that I haven't had the time or brain cells to keep up with.
While I'm sure the content is dumbed down from Stephen Hawking's level, most of it is covered at a level and speed that kept it out of my comprehension. To be honest I find a lot of modern theorie More...
While I'm sure the content is dumbed down from Stephen Hawking's level, most of it is covered at a level and speed that kept it out of my comprehension. To be honest I find a lot of modern theorie More...
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Jan 08, 2012
JonSnow
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Enjoyed reading this after reading Hawking's much earlier "A Brief History of Time". It contains much more information and advancements relevant to more recent times. It is a relatively simple read as far as physics books are concerned. One does not need formal education on the subject to grasp most of the concepts. There are times when you will have to re-read a passage, if you're like me, and still not 100% comprehend the true complexity. However, even though it was just a tad bit co
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Nov 25, 2008
Jefke
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In het nederlands: "Het Heelal". (gelezen in het Nederlands)
Indrukwekkend hoe de intelligentste man van deze tijd zo'n toegankelijk boek kan schrijven over een aantal anders moeilijk te begrijpen concepten uit de wetenschap.
Hawking wijdt uit over zwarte gaten, tijds dilatatie en waarom het heelal waarschijnlijk geen begin en einde heeft (in tijd en ruimte) maar toch niet oneindig is (noch in ruimte, noch in tijd).
Hij legt op een heel bevattelijke manier de thermodynam More...
Indrukwekkend hoe de intelligentste man van deze tijd zo'n toegankelijk boek kan schrijven over een aantal anders moeilijk te begrijpen concepten uit de wetenschap.
Hawking wijdt uit over zwarte gaten, tijds dilatatie en waarom het heelal waarschijnlijk geen begin en einde heeft (in tijd en ruimte) maar toch niet oneindig is (noch in ruimte, noch in tijd).
Hij legt op een heel bevattelijke manier de thermodynam More...
Jun 09, 2011
Dan
rated it:
I had a hard time understanding most of this book. Maybe I'm not smart enough. Maybe I just couldn't slow down and go back (I was listening to the audiobook) and really think about stuff. Maybe I wasn't devoting enough attention to it (I was driving and preparing fossils). Maybe the fact that I accidentally reversed the playlist before syncing it with my iPod made it too confusing, by constantly having to skip back to listen in the proper order. Maybe it was one or more of those reasons why
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Jul 22, 2008
Lynn
rated it:
Yes, I'm a dork, and in addition to reading grammar books for fun, I also read science books. I've been told that Stephen Hawking is not as complicated to read as one might assume. While I did learn a lot from this book, I also was left with a lot more questions. Furthermore, the illustrations were either confusing or totally unnecessary.
Dec 17, 2009
Saeed
rated it:
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nemidad
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age bekham kholase benevisam nemishe
chon hamash bahale
bekhonid bad nist
kheili bahale in ketab
rastesho bekhaiin man in ketabo az yeki pichondam
nemidad
nachar shodam
kheili bahale
jahan dar poste gerdo
age bekham kholase benevisam nemishe
chon hamash bahale
bekhonid bad nist
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Jan 28, 2012
Viktor
rated it:
книга важча для сприйняття рядовому пролетарію ніж "коротка історія всесвіту",
в даному витворі більше уваги приділено квантовій механіці: невизначеність Гейзенберга і кіт Шрьодінгера :)
але написано це так просто і чітко, що просто дивуєшся.
знайшов два дуже влучні відгуки:
Sanday Times:
"Эта книга обручает детские чудеса с гениальным интеллектом. Мы путешествуем по вселенной Хокинга, перенесение туда силой его разума"
і від New York Times:
" More...
в даному витворі більше уваги приділено квантовій механіці: невизначеність Гейзенберга і кіт Шрьодінгера :)
але написано це так просто і чітко, що просто дивуєшся.
знайшов два дуже влучні відгуки:
Sanday Times:
"Эта книга обручает детские чудеса с гениальным интеллектом. Мы путешествуем по вселенной Хокинга, перенесение туда силой его разума"
і від New York Times:
" More...
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Oct 02, 2009
Jake
rated it:
I audiobooked this one and it was amazing, however I don't think I could have ever read it in its entirety.
I presume my feeling of this book would be vastly different if I had attempted to make sense of the complex maze that it would have been to read this from cover to cover. By listening to it there is opportunity to get lost in amazement of what you do not understand instead of being overwhelmed and frustrated by it. It was for me, unusually philosophically satisfying. Now this c More...
I presume my feeling of this book would be vastly different if I had attempted to make sense of the complex maze that it would have been to read this from cover to cover. By listening to it there is opportunity to get lost in amazement of what you do not understand instead of being overwhelmed and frustrated by it. It was for me, unusually philosophically satisfying. Now this c More...
Jul 10, 2009
Jeff
rated it:
A good book if you want a brief overview of the present state of physics. I especially liked the final chapters on branes and time travel.
Of the three Hawking books I have read (A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, A Briefer History of Time) I think this ranks #2. It is informative and understandable, but Briefer History is more accessible and more up-to-date.
If you want a book that deals more with the mathematics of physics (without presenting any actua More...
Of the three Hawking books I have read (A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, A Briefer History of Time) I think this ranks #2. It is informative and understandable, but Briefer History is more accessible and more up-to-date.
If you want a book that deals more with the mathematics of physics (without presenting any actua More...
Mar 10, 2010
Bob
rated it:
Likes: Though a little out-dated, this is a great book for anyone who wants to be immediately introduced to the current state of theoretical physics. Hawking gets his conceptual points across with broad enough strokes that you follow his reasoning, even if you couldn't make out the equations behind it.
Dislikes: It's a little difficult to separate what is meant as metaphor and what is established scientific fact. Hawking often breezes over the reasons for making the main assumpt More...
Dislikes: It's a little difficult to separate what is meant as metaphor and what is established scientific fact. Hawking often breezes over the reasons for making the main assumpt More...
Mar 10, 2009
Lee
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For the average lay-person, such as myself, this one is a little hard to keep up with at times.
I'll admit it; my brain is nutshell-like, and therefore, Hawking's rate of explanation required me to review some concepts several times.
But just because you got a bachelor of arts to avoid that math requirement like I did, don't let that stop you from trying to grasp at least 50% of what Hawking is saying here. Absorbing a fraction of genius is better than absorbing none at More...
I'll admit it; my brain is nutshell-like, and therefore, Hawking's rate of explanation required me to review some concepts several times.
But just because you got a bachelor of arts to avoid that math requirement like I did, don't let that stop you from trying to grasp at least 50% of what Hawking is saying here. Absorbing a fraction of genius is better than absorbing none at More...
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Jun 04, 2011
Phil
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Very interesting book. Even though when it came to lengthy scientific explanations and formulas the little monkey playing the cymbals inside my head got a little rambunctious and I had to direct my attention to him, I still got the gist of it. I was disappointed in his findings on time travel though. One of my more disturbing fantasies is to go back in time, change things somehow, then come back to now and see how things are different. Wouldn't that be fun? Hawkings says in this book though
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Jun 23, 2010
Amanda
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Hawking is a genius. And a frequent Simpsons character. I am not a stupid person. And have never been a Simpsons character. Even though this book is supposed to explain physics to a general audience (ie. dumb it down), I do believe most of this went way over my head.
Don't get me wrong, it's a really excellent book for science geeks, minor or major. It even won a science book award in 2002. And Hawking does dumb stuff down the best that he can. The entire book didn't flummox me, just More...
Don't get me wrong, it's a really excellent book for science geeks, minor or major. It even won a science book award in 2002. And Hawking does dumb stuff down the best that he can. The entire book didn't flummox me, just More...
May 10, 2011
Ron
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I read this book while in rehab, during my recover from total paralysis caused by Guillain-Barré Syndrome. I could not turn the pages myself, so I made a pest of myself by calling out to whatever staff member was walking by my hospital room. On night, I called Shirley, who worked mostly in the kitchen, as she walked by my room.
Before she got to my bedside, I managed to turn the page by myself. We both were amazed and happy! This was a big milestone in my recovery, and I will never More...
Before she got to my bedside, I managed to turn the page by myself. We both were amazed and happy! This was a big milestone in my recovery, and I will never More...
Apr 06, 2010
J.
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I have to read one of these books once in awhile to keep up with some of the developments and thinking of science today. It is wonderful that a person like Stephen Hawking is able to communicate some very comples ideas and thoughts in a way that the average reader can read them and not only that, can have a fair chance at understanding mosst of it.
This is an excellent book for those interested in science. But remember, science did not create the universe, it only describes it.
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This is an excellent book for those interested in science. But remember, science did not create the universe, it only describes it.
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Jul 28, 2011
Mike
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Very readable, but not necessarily comprehensible. Even with my background in physics (circa 1986), there are some mind-boggling concepts here. Hawking does a good job of pointing out that all the various theories are simply models that make testable predictions about how the universe behaves. But even with two- and three-dimensional analogies and illustrations, it's difficult to conceptualize what these theories might actually be saying about the true nature of the universe. Worth the effort
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Sep 15, 2011
Adam
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Many reviewers say they get confused when reading this book. To aid understanding, I recommend readers simply toss out everything they think they know about the universe before diving in.
The problem I kept facing while reading was that the universe as per Hawking didn't match the universe as per, well, me. My concepts of infinite time and space, gravity spinning planets around stars, and time flowing at a constant rate were centuries old. Sir Isaac Newton conceived them when an ap More...
The problem I kept facing while reading was that the universe as per Hawking didn't match the universe as per, well, me. My concepts of infinite time and space, gravity spinning planets around stars, and time flowing at a constant rate were centuries old. Sir Isaac Newton conceived them when an ap More...
Aug 11, 2008
When I was, I don't know, Jr High age (maybe my sister can remember the timing of this better than me), my dad took us to go hear Stephen Hawking give a lecture somewhere. I think I remember him telling jokes through his computer. That's all. I actually remember nothing concrete about anything he taught, except that he was married and got divorced later and was currently single. I thought, "What a idiot (and jerk) his wife is. To leave the most brilliant man on earth, and when he has a terr
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May 04, 2008
Esmeralda
rated it:
Hawking's ideas are rooted in the work of Newton and Einstein.
All galaxies were once unified. But the galxtic cluster fuck is now in a state of constant expansion.
Newton & Agustine had conceptualized time as an independent constant, absolute seprate from physical reality. Einstein's work concerning the mathmatical description of black holes was part of the process of viewing time in a different manner.
One experiment using clocks I vaguely recollect was putting two clocks in c More...
All galaxies were once unified. But the galxtic cluster fuck is now in a state of constant expansion.
Newton & Agustine had conceptualized time as an independent constant, absolute seprate from physical reality. Einstein's work concerning the mathmatical description of black holes was part of the process of viewing time in a different manner.
One experiment using clocks I vaguely recollect was putting two clocks in c More...
Apr 27, 2008
Kat
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This book is actually quite a bit different from "A Brief History of Time", which had both pros and cons. The book is set up so the first two chapters are "essential" information to understanding the rest of the chapters, and then you can pick and choose which chapters to read when, as opposed to "Brief History" which was strictly chronological. I ended up reading it cover to cover anyway.
Pros: Newer theories in astrophysics and fun new ideas explored ( More...
Pros: Newer theories in astrophysics and fun new ideas explored ( More...
Jan 06, 2008
John
rated it:
Hawking is just about unparalleled in his ability to share the beauty and wonder of science. His description of how we discovered the universe is expanding is wondrous. We all know the practicality of science; it produces all this nifty technology. Yet most people can't appreciate the rich wonder and satisfaction of it, largely thanks to boring science classes in school and clinical science writers. Hawking is a gift to science in this regard. He's also a bit funnier than most, which helps liven
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Sep 11, 2007
Stephen Hawking, science's first real rock star, may be the least-read bestselling author in history--it's no secret that many people who own A Brief History of Time have never finished it. Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell aims to remedy the situation, with a plethora of friendly illustrations to help readers grok some of the most brain-bending ideas ever conceived./ Does it succeed? Yes and no. While Hawking offers genuinely accessible context for such complexities as string theory and the
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Nov 10, 2011
The Universe in a Nut Shell is a brilliant book by Stephen Hawking explaining the universe and explaining some of the theories involved in the universe, such as String Theory, M-Theory, and so on. As well as explaining who originated the theories and when.
Personally I enjoyed reading The Universe in a Nut Shell because it was written well and explained well. For example, Stephen Hawking goes into great I also enjoyed it because I love theoretical physics and quantum mechanics.
Personally I enjoyed reading The Universe in a Nut Shell because it was written well and explained well. For example, Stephen Hawking goes into great I also enjoyed it because I love theoretical physics and quantum mechanics.
Mar 05, 2011
Manderson
rated it:
Pretty mind-blowing. Did you know that time is pear-shaped? Yeah, me neither. For a while I could kind of pretend that I understood the theories that Hawking was talking about, but at a certain point I was just like, woah, I think you lost me at general relativity. But I appreciated that he made the effort for us non-positivist earthlings. He writes kind of like one would expect Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory to write, with a quirky and dry sense of humor. It's certainly nice to know th
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Feb 17, 2011
Alyssa
rated it:
Eh. This is an okay book. If you are looking for a book that provides good information about the universe I'd say go ahead and read this book! I personally didn't like this book because I couldn't understand it. I only read the first 100 pages. I wasn't going to make myself suffer through another 100 pages. I just really didn't like it. But, It wasn't the worst book in the world. I can say that Stephen Hawking is one of the smartest man on earth. Maybe I would've liked it if he described and exp
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