Strange Matters: Undiscovered Ideas at the Frontiers of Space and Time

by Tom Siegfried

Twentieth-century physics was a long, strange trip indeed. Stranger still is what might lie ahead. In this startling book, science writer Tom Siegfried takes us into a weird world of quark nuggets, selectrons, quintessence, and quantum cosmology and introduces us to some of the most imaginative ideas being batted about by scientists today, from funny energy to mirror matter to two-timing universes. In addition, he reviews theories of the past both proven and unproven-offering us a grounding in our scientific history as well as an informed and intriguing look at the possibilities of tomorrow.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Dawn Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange Matters by Tom Siegfried was a great read. I only have a basic understanding of theoretical physics, so some of it was over my head. But Siegfried did a good job of making it as understandable as possible. And his analogies and wit made it fun.

This non-fiction book outlines what is currently known about physics and cosmology, then dives into what is theorized. And what is theorized is truly bizarre. This exploratory journey takes us into the elusive dark matter and dark energy, superstrings, multiple dimensions, the geometry of space, and so much more.

Whether you're looking to learn more about theoretical physics or are interested in igniting your sci-fi writing creativity (like me), then Strange Matters is an inspiring read.

[Steve Horton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite lucid for a book on particle physics.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Challenging to get into, this book throws out a great deal of unfamiliar vocabulary in the first few chapters but tends to pick up towards the middle. I struggled to get into the writing style but the ideas are fascinating, even if so few of them can possibly reflect the reality of our universe.

[Darwin Lau]

Finally a book on string theory, relativity, extra dimensions beyond spacetime, etc. in terms that I could understand!

[Mike Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book to read about the mystery of dark matter.

[Ken · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the latest physics subjects written by a science writer, not a physicist.