Are there other dimensions beyond our own? Is time travel possible? Can we change the past? Are there gateways to parallel universes? All of us ... read full description
reviews
Sep 17, 2007
Nathan
rated it: 
Michio Kaku apparently spent his childhood building super-colliders in his parents' garage. It paid off. He's clearly brilliant, and best of all, he's not lost his imagination. One sad fact of modern physicists is that precious few of them have any imagination, and are incapable of thought experiments and relative flights of fantasy. As Kaku has pointed out, fantasy fueled more great discoveries in science than pure science ever did on its own. In this book he uses what we know about quantum phy
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Aug 31, 2007
Carlos
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This is the book that allowed me to fool an entire room of graduate students into thinking I was utterly Brilliant. It is a really good crash course on just what the hell Quantum, String, Unified Field Theory ad Superstring actually are. Lays down the history and concepts in a way that makes sense and makes you get it.
Particularly savvy readers will start making the other logical leaps. If we are thinking energy vibrating along a 10-dimensional string, what does that say about the More...
Particularly savvy readers will start making the other logical leaps. If we are thinking energy vibrating along a 10-dimensional string, what does that say about the More...
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Jul 29, 2007
Steve
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If you've thought science is dull or perhaps too far beyond you, then please meet Michio Kaku. He writes about theoretical physics in a way that will fill you with wonder and possibility. He takes what would otherwise be very complex concepts and conveys them using metaphors that every average joe can understand. The number of a-ha moments I had reading this book were too many to count. What a terrific read.
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Jul 19, 2008
Ricardo
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It's up there, though not as accessible, as Hawking's "A Brief History of Time" and "The Universe in a Nutshell". Dr. Kaku does spend a considerable time walking the reader through how the theories of space-time and hyperspace arose and some of the historical and more mathematical stuff can be a little dense. However, the book opens really nicely with very vivid and amazing explanations of just how freaky hyperspace can be as well as the implications for the world of physics.
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Jan 11, 2009
gabrielle
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another amazing theoretical physics book for the general population. i've re-read this one several times too. Dr. Kaku is an inspiration.
this quote is one of my all time favorites:
"...We now believe that the mind of God is music reverberating through 10 dimensional hyperspace..." Dr. Michio Kaku
this book explores so many fantastic ideas- worm holes, parallel universes and things you only thought were possible in Sci-Fi TV/films.
it will challenge you More...
this quote is one of my all time favorites:
"...We now believe that the mind of God is music reverberating through 10 dimensional hyperspace..." Dr. Michio Kaku
this book explores so many fantastic ideas- worm holes, parallel universes and things you only thought were possible in Sci-Fi TV/films.
it will challenge you More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 26, 2009
Behrooz
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نویسنده این کتاب "میکیوکاکو"، جدیدترین فرضیه های علمی در مورد جهان پیرامون ما را مورد بحث قرار میدهد. نشان میدهد که این عالم نه سه یا چهاربعدی؛ بلکه در واقع ده بعدی است. در حقیقت اگر بشر بتواند فقط بعد پنجم را در اختیار گیرد، به تحولی به مراتب عمیقتر از کشف نیروی الکتریسیته که قرن گذشته را متحول کرد دست میابد. نویسنده نشان میدهد آنچه امروز برای ما ناممکن و جادویی است برای موجودی که بر دستکاری و کنترل بعد پنجم مهارت یافته کاری ساده و پیش پا افتاده خواهد بود. این کتاب از دانشمندی سخن می
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Jun 09, 2011
Derek
rated it:
Michio Kaku takes the reader on a crash course through the universe and beyond. What! Beyond! What could possibly be beyond our own known universe? Well ignorant coy fish/human beyond our universe lies infinite other universes with infinite different dimensions in each universe. And beyond universes? Hyperspace. an immeasurable realm that does not contain the feeble constraints of time and space found in our universe. How does one get to hyperspace? Worm holes of course, which hypothetically can
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Aug 27, 2009
Jwm
rated it: 
It was OK just because the science fiction at the end was a lot of fun.
Dr. Kaku alternates through two styles -- talking to the reader like they're completely retarded and then talking to them like they've taken a college physics class. I'm neither, I understood what he was writing, and was just insulted. The cornerstone of Hyperspace theory is that there were 10 dimensions for a fraction of a fraction of time in the first fraction of time of existence for this universe, but 6 of th More...
Dr. Kaku alternates through two styles -- talking to the reader like they're completely retarded and then talking to them like they've taken a college physics class. I'm neither, I understood what he was writing, and was just insulted. The cornerstone of Hyperspace theory is that there were 10 dimensions for a fraction of a fraction of time in the first fraction of time of existence for this universe, but 6 of th More...
Oct 09, 2007
Shawna
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This is one of the popular science books that got me so interested in doing physics in the first place. Accessible to me before I even took a physics class, it should be accessible to most anyone with interest. Very interesting questions raised about space and time/parallel universes/etc. New ideas (as of date published: 1994) are discussed in a non-technical way. Also, very well written and easy to read (with humor and everything!).
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Jun 25, 2008
Brian
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Kaku takes his readers on an amazing journey from Big Bang to the end of time. His uncanny ability to make even the most esoteric theories of cosmology understandable (at least from a high-level) makes Hyperspace an engaging read for any laymen pondering the wonders of the universe.
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Feb 12, 2011
Richard
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This book should be considered a primer to astrophysics as well as science fiction. Michio Kaku impressively imparts the basic laws of the universe, hyperspace, and a fascinating tour of inter-dimensional interaction in layman's terms. You won't find the bogus blather of a galaxy far...far away here, but rather the actual principles therorized and perscribed in movies like Star Trek or books akin to Beyond Mars Crimson Fleet.
This book is not only thought provoking, but draws you in More...
This book is not only thought provoking, but draws you in More...
Nov 20, 2008
Lydia
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Universes curled up into the size of a pencil eraser???!
Incredible brain food. Who needs religion when the world and its parts just keep going and going and going....?
Incredible brain food. Who needs religion when the world and its parts just keep going and going and going....?
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Oct 19, 2009
Jennifer
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Fantastic book that moves between science and science fiction. It manages to be technical and readable. It was a bit of a slow read for me, a couple of pages would have me pondering for hours.
"Instead of being overwhelmed by the universe, I think that perhaps one of the deepest experiences a scientist can have, almost approaching a religious awakening, is to realize that we are children of the stars, and that our minds are capable of understanding the universal laws that the More...
"Instead of being overwhelmed by the universe, I think that perhaps one of the deepest experiences a scientist can have, almost approaching a religious awakening, is to realize that we are children of the stars, and that our minds are capable of understanding the universal laws that the More...
Jun 28, 2008
Kerry
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Love this book - made me appreciate the universe and fueled my love of physics (again).
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Oct 09, 2011
Michael
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Accept no substitute. Whether you are a hardened theoretical physicist looking to have an idle read, or a new-to-the-field novice looking for a strong foundation, "Hyperspace" is the definitive work of superstring theory. Susskind and Hawking are powerhouses to be sure, but Kaku has a way of forcing concepts and pictures into your psyche, even if the raw mathematical concepts are beyond understanding.
Brilliant, elegant, and rarely long winded, "Hyperspace" might ch More...
Brilliant, elegant, and rarely long winded, "Hyperspace" might ch More...
Mar 21, 2010
Dan
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I don't remember this book particularly well. But I do remember that I liked it at the time. It got me thinking about interesting mathematical concepts before I learned them, formally, in classes.
That said, I think popular science writing is particularly bad. In that it misconstrues its subjects as to be almost entirely incorrect... May not be the case here, but I can't tell because I don't know physics that well.
I'm somewhat surprised that I left this off my goodreads li More...
That said, I think popular science writing is particularly bad. In that it misconstrues its subjects as to be almost entirely incorrect... May not be the case here, but I can't tell because I don't know physics that well.
I'm somewhat surprised that I left this off my goodreads li More...
Apr 21, 2011
Steven
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I purchased this a number of years ago when I played with the potential relevance of quantum theory and other scientific theories for an understanding of politics. In the end, I gave up the quest, as it was clear to me that the only gain was in metaphoric analysis--and metaphor is not that compelling to me. This is one of the popular volumes that I read. Issues addressed? Hyperspace, parallel universes, the tenth dimension. . . . This ended up not being for me. For others, though, it represents
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Aug 25, 2011
Kristen
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Picked this up at my local library book sale. Written in 1994, its probably somewhat outdated now, but the basic explanations of quantum theory and string theory are probably still relevant (atleast as far as I know!) I have tried to get through Hawking and Brian Greene's Fabric of the Cosmos with little success. I find Michio Kaku's writing to be more accessible and his analogies enlightening. Do I now understand Quantum Wave Theory? No. But I atleast feel I have the tiniest glimmer of a genera
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Apr 14, 2010
Wesley
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This book by Michio Kaku talks about his theories on hyperspace and whether it exists or not. I personally found this book to be very boring. I had read his first book and found it to be very interesting and thought provoking. This one, however, proved to be quite dull and uninteresting. He seemed to just be rambling on and on. I never really was able to find a unifying theme behind the entire thing.
I would reccomend this anyone who is a die-hard of Kaku, but not many people other than th More...
I would reccomend this anyone who is a die-hard of Kaku, but not many people other than th More...
Jan 02, 2010
Jim
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Michio Kaku’s Hyperspace is a tour de force of much of what is known and what is yet unknown concerning the fascinating field of theoretical physics. Published in 1994 with a plethora of other volumes from a rather august company of physicists such as Kip Thorne and Murray Gell-Mann on the burgeoning science of Heterotic String Theory, Dr. Kaku’s book adds an interesting twist by exploring the multidimensionality of the new thinking. Its material is now a bit dated in its approach to the pursuit
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Aug 03, 2008
Rachel
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Ahem.
If this is what physicists work on all day, I got ripped off in high school.
Okay, so half of this book is dedicated to "things we might be able to do in a million years IF we don't blow ourselves up before then and IF our math is correct" (that million, by the way? not an exaggeration). But before this book I didn't understand how a theory can become a theory just "because the math works." Frankly, I still don't--entirely--but my understanding is More...
If this is what physicists work on all day, I got ripped off in high school.
Okay, so half of this book is dedicated to "things we might be able to do in a million years IF we don't blow ourselves up before then and IF our math is correct" (that million, by the way? not an exaggeration). But before this book I didn't understand how a theory can become a theory just "because the math works." Frankly, I still don't--entirely--but my understanding is More...
Oct 16, 2008
Laurel
rated it:
I finished a book! It is this one.
At first I was not really a fan of this book, but it got better and better the whole way through, and was pretty much awesome by the end. At the beginning, I found the pop culture references to be excessive, and wanted it to get on down to the business of explaining the physics of ten-dimensional space. Then, it inserted a math picture accompanied by words that did not adequately explain the math picture to me. Stepping outside my own physics-educate More...
At first I was not really a fan of this book, but it got better and better the whole way through, and was pretty much awesome by the end. At the beginning, I found the pop culture references to be excessive, and wanted it to get on down to the business of explaining the physics of ten-dimensional space. Then, it inserted a math picture accompanied by words that did not adequately explain the math picture to me. Stepping outside my own physics-educate More...
Aug 16, 2008
Tony
rated it:
Wow! I guess it's taken me about 7 months to finish this book. It would have taken less time to take a course in Theoretical Physics.
Still, this was bathroom reading, so it was always going to be slow going (ha!).
Potty humor aside, I love Michio Kaku. This book is part biography, part history of physics, and part analysis and applications of quantum physics.
The book is divided into three parts: history of 10th dimensional physics (from foundations to More...
Jan 13, 2008
Ben
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Trust me, just keep reading. However, unless you have a decent background in theoretical physics (that is, unless you already understand it), you probably won't really grasp the first couple hundred pages. Awash in Yang-Mills field and Reimann metric tensors, the finer point of the physics and mathematics (and Kaku admits much of the math is beyond him) are lost on me. If you want relativity and quantum theory for the lay audience, I think Hawking's A Brief History of Time is a better bet.
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Aug 29, 2010
Joe
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Eh. I bought this book about 5 years ago and I had been excited to read it ever since. Well, finally getting around to it, I was pretty disappointed.
It's a good attempt at addressing this interesting subject of higher dimensional physics but the execution leaves something to be desired.
My biggest gripe was the fact that Kaku attempted to distill centuries of physical concepts into a few cutesy analogies but they end up unclear at best and patronizing at worst.
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It's a good attempt at addressing this interesting subject of higher dimensional physics but the execution leaves something to be desired.
My biggest gripe was the fact that Kaku attempted to distill centuries of physical concepts into a few cutesy analogies but they end up unclear at best and patronizing at worst.
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Jun 19, 2011
Jeannie
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This book was a personal challenge to me, as I have had no formal education in Physics, and very average mathematics skills. However, I have, for my entire life, loved Futurology. After hearing Dr. Michio Kaku give a lecture on PBS, I knew he would be the Scientist able to explain theoretical physics to this lay person.
"Hyperspace" takes us up to the 1990's as to where science is sitting on such fascinating subjects as Dimensions (up to 10 with the Super String Theory co-foun More...
"Hyperspace" takes us up to the 1990's as to where science is sitting on such fascinating subjects as Dimensions (up to 10 with the Super String Theory co-foun More...
Mar 17, 2011
Jason
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Michio Kaku would be one of my leading candidates if there were ever a "Contact"-like scenario in which a single person were chosen to represent all humankind when meeting beings from some other world.
Hyperspace makes concepts such as tesseracts, higher dimensions, and string theory mildly accessible to science laymen such as myself. This is an intriguing and stimulating read. I honestly couldn't put it down.
Hyperspace makes concepts such as tesseracts, higher dimensions, and string theory mildly accessible to science laymen such as myself. This is an intriguing and stimulating read. I honestly couldn't put it down.
Dec 16, 2008
Nick
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One of my favorite physics books of all: this book is a great introduction to hyperspace and relativity. The middle gets somewhat technical for those not science inclined, but overall a fantastic read.
I particularly enjoyed Kaku's story of building a particle accelerator as a child (really!) Inspired me to (unsuccessfully) try to do the same when I was in highschool (good learning experience though.)
I particularly enjoyed Kaku's story of building a particle accelerator as a child (really!) Inspired me to (unsuccessfully) try to do the same when I was in highschool (good learning experience though.)
Jun 15, 2010
Dan
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Kaku has an uncanny ability to be able to convey physics in a way that would be lucid to the average person. I also feel as if the complexities of his profession weren't necessarily "dumbed down", but more that he has an unyielding desire to share the discoveries of the scientific comunity with the rest of the world.
While I didn't quite understand everything in this book, the information that I was able to absorb was rather fascinating! I have a better understanding of Ei More...
While I didn't quite understand everything in this book, the information that I was able to absorb was rather fascinating! I have a better understanding of Ei More...
Feb 25, 2009
Michael
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Kaku manages to cover everything in as little time as possible, from the origins and alternatives to the great string theory itself, with a satisfying amount of mathematical basis for an introductory book. By the end he even manages to apply it all to man's role in the universe, a grand and admirable book with imagination, history, and theory!
