Edge of Infinity

by Paul C.W. Davies

hardcover

Genres: Science, Physics, Nonfiction

194 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Paul Charles William Davies AM is a British-born physicist, writer and broadcaster, currently a professor at Arizona State University as well as the Director of BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science. He has held previous academic appointments at the University of Cambridge, University of London, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, University of Adelaide and Macquarie University. His research interests are in the fields of cosmology, quantum field theory, and astrobiology. He has proposed that a one-way trip to Mars could be a viable option.

In 2005, he took up the chair of the SETI: Post-Detection Science and Technology Taskgroup of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Reviews

[Andrés Astudillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro verdaderamente me encantó. Los primeros cinco capítulos pueden ser un poco cansados, en el sentido de que son más que todo la geometría de la naturaleza del universo. Se explica esto porque la teoría de la relatividad general, es básicamente la descripción geométrica para presentar un espacio-tiempo curvo, en relación con la fuerza de gravedad; ese fue uno de los regalos de Einstein, quitarnos esa venda. Posteriormente, el libro empieza con mucha fuerza a hablar del colapso gravitatorio, por ende, se mencionan a los quásar, a los agujeros negros, a las estrellas de neutrones, y particularmente a las singularidades desnudas. Sumamente denso, literalmente denso, a veces complicado, pero verdaderamente aclara todo tomando la física teórica de Hawking, la matemática de Penrose, los espacios de De Sitter, las metáforas de Hoyle; este libro debería ser considerado básico para comprender el impacto verdadero del colapso gravitatorio. Luego, el libro habla sobre la singularidad desnuda probable en la que nació el Universo, y finalmente, da una reflexión breve sobre la historia de la tecnología, lo cual se convierte en una clase de historia, y también se promulga un debate teológico. Recomendado.

[Maecentric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Im just finishing the book now, and have to say its disappointing towards the end. The first 2/3s are a really well done and accessible deep dive into the nature of infinity in mathematics, blackholes and of course the singularities inside of the them. Most of the book is about the singularity - a non place, a mathamaticaly small point of infinite density, that falls outside our laws of causation and physical law.

We dont know how they act or what they are, so why not leave it at that?

Instead Paul Davies does what you'd expect him to do towards the very end. He spends the last two chapters wagging his finger at religious people and at the notion of god that such a concept will obviously conjure up. He spends paragraph after paragraph extolling science and its endless capacity to solve such problems, while mischaracterizing theology and the history of religion.

Im not religious at all, but its clear he's trying to stuff the singularity into a physicalist(or materialist) framework, or at least implies it will end up there, which of course is his own dogma.(He refers to religious dogma endlessly towards the end.)

What realy gets me is when he characterizes the singularity as being "the chaotic" variety, described by hawking in the 60s. Meaning, the universes that come out of it come from absolute chaos, and their properties are compleatley random. He describes our early universe this way. This is just an untruth and I don't know if its due to being written in the 80s, but he leaves out all of the current debates around fine tuning(which he latter wrote a book about) so many properties of the universe are finely tuned for the universe to have life supporting structure. The most bewildering are the strength of gravity and the low entropy state of the early universe. Now, fine tune ing dosent necessarily equal god, maybe a multiverse or who knows what, but how can he exclude the topic in discussing the nature of the singularity?

[Remo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otra de las maravillas de Paul Davies, que es autor de más maravillas. En este libro, el autor nos habla mucho de Relatividad General, pero, como siempre, de una manera que hace el viaje divertido. Nos acercamos lo máximo posible a los agujeros negros, estudiamos la posibilidad de la existencia de singularidades desnudas (agujeros negros sin horizontes de sucesos) y lo relacionamos todo con el posible origen del Universo. Es un viaje fantástico por la frontera de la Cosmología que conocemos. Muy entretenido, muy bien escrito, muy asequible (para lo que viene a ser la Cosmología, claro).

[Bernie4444 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Close your eyes as Paul Davies illustrates the “naked” singularity

Subtitle “Where the universe came from and how will it end”

From Chapter 1:
The singularity may represent the limits of science itself – the interface between the natural and supernatural.

The book goes on to explain the history and what we know of the singularity with a copyright of 1981.

I still find the writing fascinating and useful; although physics has moved on.

[Alec Vangelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5, tirando a 5/5 estrellas.

¡Librazo de divulgación! Lo que más me encantó de esto es que se hablara más a fondo sobre las singularidades, más que nada las singularidades desnudas. Gran parte del libro se trata de eso.
Y es increíble ver cómo ha evolucionado la investigación sobre el Universo, desde el tiempo en que salió esta obra hasta hoy en día, el conocimiento que se tenía entonces y lo que se ha acrecentado ahora. ¡Fantástico!

[Johnny Myles · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too old now. Some of the theories here have been disproved or modified. Still some interesting concepts.

[J.D. Steens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Davies book on the cosmos (one of many he has written)focuses on the infinity of space and time. Davies points the reader in the accustomed direction by taking space and time back to the origins of the cosmos. Space and time are captured by what he calls a "singularity," the point at which gravitational pull is so compacted that the movement of matter across space and time comes to a halt. But then Davies jumps back before this singular event and speculates - if you can call it that - what might have existed before and, even, what might have existed cyclically forever. These writers on cosmic history operate at stratopheric heights and force the reader to jump out of the known and tangible world to explore within a totally new paradigm. Davies can be frustrating at times. For example, he illustrates mathematically that infinity is not a relevant concept, yet he doesn't clearly establish how that conclusion applies to actual, physical space and time. He also says universal space doesn't have an edge because it's curved, so that a infinitely-lived traveller through space might end up at the same spot as he or she started out, yet Davies doesn't accommodate the reader's question that a curved round object off hand seems to have something that lies beyond, e.g., with a ball comes a "not ball." On the whole, however, Davies does a good job of taking a novice into a whole new realm of thought and imagination.

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro me hizo alucinar!! Lo leí en primer año de universidad.

[Raul Carpio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy agradable de leer, buena iniciación a la física avanzada.

[Jose Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi primer contacto con los agujeros negros. Es una pasión que ya nunca más te abandona.

[Laura L. Van Dam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Davies es un excelente divulgador, y varios libros de esta colección, incluyendo este y otros del mismo autor, y uno de Martin Gardner contribuyeron a confirmar mi interés adolescente en dedicarme a una carrera científica.
Aunque ya no leo divulgación porque el nivel me resulta tedioso, sí uso partes de este y otros libros para dar clases de física y compruebo que a los alumnos en general, les gusta mucho este autor.