The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
by Brian Greene
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
Where's the love? Add this book to your favorite list.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2865)
I'm a scant hundred pages into this incredible book, and I'm finding that I need to make notes to keep track of the concepts (which are beautifully explained, but still present a challenge to my right-dominant brain). My notes thus far:
Chapter 1: Tied Up with String
Greene explains that Einstein's theories of special relativity and general relativity resolved conflicts involving the motion of light and the effects of gravity, respectively, but now general relativity and quan...more
Chapter 1: Tied Up with String
Greene explains that Einstein's theories of special relativity and general relativity resolved conflicts involving the motion of light and the effects of gravity, respectively, but now general relativity and quan...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who wants an introduction to string theory but is willing to read critically
I cannot imagine a better spokesperson for string theory. Brian Greene writes of string theory like a Shakesperean poet might write of roses. He is a fervent believer and weaves a sweet tale that may very well convince you that we are on the doorstep of the Grand Unified Theory.
A through, mostly accessible, and always biased intro to string theory. Some concepts are merely described without any attempt at proof or background, but perhaps this is inevitably in a book trying to introduce layme...more
A through, mostly accessible, and always biased intro to string theory. Some concepts are merely described without any attempt at proof or background, but perhaps this is inevitably in a book trying to introduce layme...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in March, 2008
The Elegant Universe is a layman's introduction to string theory - it tries to be to string theory what Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time was for physics at large many years ago. There are almost no equations and there are many metaphors and analogies to help explain advanced physics concepts.
So let's get that part out of the way first. Greene has good writi...more
So let's get that part out of the way first. Greene has good writi...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
people who appreciate the Universe
This book presents the latest breakdown of empirical existance with string theory- it's really well written and it sugguest how the fundimentals of all existing things come together in a very similar way as our understanding of music (little vibrations). I love this subject because, where the goal of civilization is to appreciate life in some form of organized chaos, some well spoken theorists have the ability to put things into perspective in such a way that the world seems to teem with possi...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
I feel like I should be able to say something more intelligent about this book than it made me realize how complicated the field of theoretical physics really is, but that’s about what I got. Greene does a good job of highlighting some of the tensions in modern theoretical physics, and the history of the development of these conflicts – Einstein’s theory of special relativity resolving tensions between Newton’s laws of motion and Maxwell’s laws of electromagnetism, while showing the re...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
recommended to Junx by:
ArcoSapphire
recommends it for: Anyone with a love of cosmology or learning in general
recommends it for: Anyone with a love of cosmology or learning in general
In a phrase: Lots of science for the layman.
In a bunch of paragraphs: There was quite a bit of information in this book. I enjoyed it immensely, though being able to understand that which was being explained probably helped out quite a bit. Superstring Theory, while contentious within the scientific community (that's the feeling I get, at least) is a fascinating subject. I'm in no position to argue the actual merits of such a complex theory but I found it fascinating that we can even begi...more
In a bunch of paragraphs: There was quite a bit of information in this book. I enjoyed it immensely, though being able to understand that which was being explained probably helped out quite a bit. Superstring Theory, while contentious within the scientific community (that's the feeling I get, at least) is a fascinating subject. I'm in no position to argue the actual merits of such a complex theory but I found it fascinating that we can even begi...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2007
"he gives the nonspecialist at least an illusion of understanding"
my right-brained nature had a hard time with this title, regardless of its popular appeal. i was initially drawn to greene via a conversation i had which linked buddhism and branches of science - specifically physics. there is a title floating around out there somewhere which reproduces a dialogue between a buddhist monk and his physicist son (or the other way around). the book, supposedly & among other things...more
my right-brained nature had a hard time with this title, regardless of its popular appeal. i was initially drawn to greene via a conversation i had which linked buddhism and branches of science - specifically physics. there is a title floating around out there somewhere which reproduces a dialogue between a buddhist monk and his physicist son (or the other way around). the book, supposedly & among other things...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2005
Brian Greene has a knack for image and metaphor, which makes his explanations of superstring theory and symmetry (not the same as what we learned in Geometry class in 10th grade) almost deceptively comprehensible. An enjoyable read (that I admittedly have yet to finish) it provides a comprehensive view of the state of string theory as it existed 7 years ago. There are major books out there right now that question the viability of string theory, so if you're looking for the *most* up-to-date in...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2003
This book blew my mind countless times as I read through it, so much so that I could usually only read 10-20 pages in one sitting. I had physics in high school, watched Cosmos and tons of other programs on the universe/relativity/quantum physics etc. so I have always had an interest but not enough to have that be my profession - nor am I smart enough in that way. Books like this let you visit that world for a while and this author does a fantastic job explaining general and advanced physics, Ein...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
7 comments
Read in September, 2006
I left Christianity a few years ago and swore off religion altogether; however, after reading this book, string theory has become tantamount to religion in my life. Brian Greene writes beautifully about particles, planets, and the origins of our universe as we know it today. It is a heavy book- I don't recommend it for anyone who wants a quick, easy read. It took me almost two months to get through, but I learned a tremendous amount and came away in complete awe of the world and the forces at wo...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
I would like to add my kudos for Greene's book. It is a great piece of work that is truly fascinating and informative. This isn't just for the science geek. It's also for those who enjoy philosophy, cosmology, theology, and mind benders. You will truly need to warp your perception of what you once thought you knew. This is not the physics I learned in school. If it had been, I'd have paid more attention. (This is the perfect book to challenge your mind and keep it active.)
Let me also add, t...more
Let me also add, t...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2004
This is a book I’ve been meaning to read for years, and after enjoying Fermat’s Enigma, I thought I’d enjoy this as well. I was slightly wrong. The book is about String Theory, a present day Physics theory that attempts to tie contemporary mathematics theories and physics theories into the long-searched-for Grand Unifying Theory – a single, scientific model that explains the workings of the universe. Interesting stuff, but there are two fundamental problems with the book. First, unli...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2000
recommends it for:
people that feel like they want to understand string theory
Greene does a good job of setting up the background behind the question that string theory is supposed to answer (namely the accuracy of and mismatch between special relativity and quantum mechanics). And he presents a good description of string theory as well, as far as I am aware. However, I don't think that people who read this book and say they understand string thoery REALLY understand string theory. They understand Greene's description of it.
Understanding his description is a good sta...more
Understanding his description is a good sta...more
Like this review?
yes
1 comments
Read in May, 2007
What this book is: an engaging overview of the history, context, and basic framework of string theory, with emphasis on scientific aesthetics and the value of personal persistence.
What this book is not: a detailed, mathematically rigorous look at string theory, with emphasis on objectivity and scientific validity.
I enjoyed this book very much, both for the fascinating subject matter and for Greene's entertaining style. He does a good job of helping the reader visualize many of the more...more
What this book is not: a detailed, mathematically rigorous look at string theory, with emphasis on objectivity and scientific validity.
I enjoyed this book very much, both for the fascinating subject matter and for Greene's entertaining style. He does a good job of helping the reader visualize many of the more...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
I feel like finishing this book was an accomplishment. Greene does a good job of presenting complicated concepts at an understandable level, but there were still parts of The Elegant Universe, such as the chapter on quantum geometry, that were beyond my comprehension. Those parts of the book took me a while to get through. Although making the topic of string theory approachable to everyone was one of Greene's goals, I feel like the math and physics background I have as a computer engin...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Not for the faint of sciencey-heart. Greene's "accessible" introduction to string theory is accessible right up to the actual chapter ON string theory, which requires more concentration than I have. His overview of relativity, general and specific, however, is brilliantly clear, with lots of good examples. I'm working on an article about his rhetorical constructions and the trope of accessibility...I'll finish it some day. Scifi fans will recognize some of their favorite terms in this ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2006
recommends it for:
people interested in physics
A very interesting book about string theory. I never knew that much about it before, and Greene does a good job of making it understandable. There are definitely some parts that are challenging. Having a basic understanding of physics helps, I'm sure -- I can't imagine reading it without it!
I began reading Greene's other book (Fabric of the Cosmos) first, then read this one, then picked up Fabric again. Because so much of the same material is covered in Fabric, I would probably recommend...more
I began reading Greene's other book (Fabric of the Cosmos) first, then read this one, then picked up Fabric again. Because so much of the same material is covered in Fabric, I would probably recommend...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in February, 2006
Let's get this straight: just because an author can talk about complex physics in non-mathematical terms doesn't mean he or she can communicate any understanding of that physics. But--and this is what makes popular science books worth reading--an author can tell us about that physics (or biology, or chemistry, etc.) She or he can explain why a certain subject is interesting, why people might be compelled to argue about it, and how scientists approach science, both practically and ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
I can't claim to understand everything, but this book does a very good job at explaining the complete strangeness of the universe at its most basic levels. The book is laugh-out-loud funny in spots, both because of Greene's ability to illustrate difficult concepts in clever ways and because the things that science have discovered are so strange.
If the standard model of the 20th century is hard to comprehend, string theory with it's curled up dimensions is even harder. Most of string theory...more
If the standard model of the 20th century is hard to comprehend, string theory with it's curled up dimensions is even harder. Most of string theory...more
Like this review?
yes
5 comments
Read in January, 2008
I read this book while taking a course (for non-physics students) called Modern Physics in Perspective, which centered on string theory. I learned so, so, so much in this class & the book helped a lot. If you're reading this book unassisted, be aware that there are some very confusing sections that you'll need to read a few times. Sometimes his analogies are a bit too inane. Also, I've discovered that many physicists have an unhealthy obsession with their research pet projects- I'd advise th...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
