Cosmic Numbers: The Numbers That Define Our Universe

by James D. Stein

Our fascination with numbers begins when we are children and continues throughout our lives. We start counting our fingers and toes and end up balancing checkbooks and calculating risk. So powerful is the appeal of numbers that many people ascribe to them a mystical significance. Other numbers go beyond the supernatural, working to explain our universe and how it behaves. In Cosmic Numbers , mathematics professor James D. Stein traces the discovery, evolution, and interrelationships of the numbers that define our world. Everyone knows about the speed of light and absolute zero, but numbers like Boltzmann’s constant and the Chandrasekhar limit are not as well known, and they do far more than one might They tell us how this world began and what the future holds. Much more than a gee-whiz collection of facts and figures, Cosmic Numbers illuminates why particular numbers are so important—both to the scientist and to the rest of us.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Mathematics, Physics, History

228 pages, Unknown Binding

First published September 6, 2011

About the author

Dr. James D. Stein graduated from Yale in 1962 with a BA in mathematics and received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley in 1967. He is the author of more than 30 research articles on mathematics and the co-author of textbooks on mathematics and strategic management, as well as several books on mathematics and science for the general public. He has served on state and nationwide panels on mathematics education, blogged for Psychology Today and the Huffington Post. It was during the writing of How Math Explains the World that he had the idea that led to his writing The Paranormal Equation.

Reviews

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading about the physics of the early universe, but sometimes books leave out the math to support the science narrative. And for good reason, I am sure.

If you are looking for a bit of foundational math for cosmology, Stein provides it. Though I had to relearn a bit about calculus and dabble with Hilbert spaces and Reimann geometry, Stein's Explanations were easy to understand with a little study.

If you like a little challenge, this will be a stupendous book. It was for me. -Tom L.

[archive ☄ · Rating 4 out of 5]

"if the universe does not end, all the good things might continue. or come again."

what a unique book this was !! it took me quite some time to work my way through it, but every chapter was more enjoyable than the last. i have a decent background in astronomy/cosmology so much of the theoretical side of this book was familiar to me, but i loved learning some of the more obscure stories behind the discoveries.

even though this is a book about numbers, the mathematics did strike me as a little heavy. i found myself just smiling and nodding and turning the page anytime he started delving into the more intimidating-looking equations. his enthusiasm is infectious, however, and it was a genuinely good read - one i would recommend to anyone interested in the constants that shape our universe :")

[Jim Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stein's book is based on a wonderful idea, explaining the origins and meanings of famous cosmological numbers such as Planck's constant, absolute zero, the universal gravitational constant, Avogadro's number, the Schwarzchild radius... you get the idea. He gives us some biographical details about the discoverers of these concepts and how they fit into and support various aspects of science. Unfortunately his telling is scattered and not well organized; some serious editing was needed. The text would also have benefited greatly from diagrams to illustrate some concepts. Some of the stories are engaging, some are much less so. A great idea that could have been carried out much more effectively.

[Vivek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, specially for the scientifically inclined. It's one of those books you can read over & over again

[Meghan Singleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I think it helps to have some interest in numbers and number systems but is interesting regardless.

[Tom Lewellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Stein took the time to do some math was helpful. Sometimes authors discuss theory when a little more math might be helpful in understanding the science. So thanks. Nice Book.

[cooldash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting subject matter, but the execution leaves so much to be desired.

The book is devoid of diagrams that could help the reader to visualise the topic at hand. Instead, the author frequently falls back on inline equations embedded in long paragraphs. Fear not, reader: you can skip most of those paragraphs.

The pacing is wandering and unfocused in parts, with too many asides and tangents. There is clearly enough solid material that a good editor could have tightened this book up into a concise history of the discovery of each constant and its implications.

[Ric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve checked out a few books on important science and mathematical numbers in the past week and this one has been my favorite. A math and science background might be needed to really appreciate it. I really enjoyed the stories about historical science and math personalities that my college textbooks did not have.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rounded down to 3.
It was entertaining, but when I stepped back and asked myself, "What did I learn from this novel?" I had a bit of trouble remembering. I think it's because the book feels a bit scattered. Really, it just reinforced the concepts I already knew and added a tiny bit more.

[Sacry K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is too lazy to add graphs. :(

The content is nice but how could people describe things like these using pure words.

[Bryce Kerr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really like this one too much

[Matthew Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining history of numbers discovered that define the universe, and the people who did the discoveries. Easy to read, except when getting to the explanations of the equations included.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Histories of fundamental physical constants like G, c, 0 Kelvin, Avogadro's number, k, and so on makes for surprisingly riveting reading. If science teaching spent a little more time on its long and fascinating history there might be more sense and less nonsense in our world.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wee bit mathy for my tastes but good none the less.

[Randall Farmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay book, nothing special. Suitable for anyone not thrown by the occasional (and skippable) high school physics (non-calculus) equations.

[Marv · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this tome. It is always refreshing to read the works of brilliant individuals. Hope to see more of James Stein's work.

[Steve Schlutow · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't care much for this book. I was expecting something different, such as Marc Reese "Just Six Numbers", it wasn't close, thus a bit disappointed.

[Alberto Neto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a good introduction to the subject and his enthusiasm is evident. The book lacked some illustrations to accompany the mathematical developments.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs figures, pictures or diagrams.