From the Bookshelf of Science and Inquiry…
Find A Copy At
Group Discussions About This Book
*
December 2016 - Wizards, Aliens
By Betsy , co-mod · 5 posts · 69 views
By Betsy , co-mod · 5 posts · 69 views
last updated Jan 25, 2017 01:23AM
*
November 2016 - Neurotribes
By Betsy , co-mod · 9 posts · 107 views
By Betsy , co-mod · 9 posts · 107 views
last updated Nov 27, 2016 08:47PM
showing 1 of 1 topics
view all »
Other topics mentioning this book
What science book is your most recent read? What do you think about it? Pt. 2
By Betsy , co-mod · 633 posts · 1017 views
last updated Mar 22, 2019 03:22PM
What Members Thought
This was very short & I didn't expect too much. Unsurprisingly, this was a facile overview, but there were also some pretty dense concepts & too many attempts at poetry or philosophizing on his part at times. It assumes a fair amount of prior knowledge & the theme was uneven. History or current knowledge? He concentrates on one or the other depending. The practical applications were sometimes mentioned, often frustrating in their brevity. For instance, quantum mechanics gave us the transistor is
...more
Independent of your knowledge or admiration for physics, I would recommend this book. Someone working in frontiers of modern physics can learn how to explain mind bending concepts with just enough detail to encourage further investigation. Those who prefer a root canal to physics may find that there is more to physics than writing up a lab report on a subject that 1000s have done before.
A few chapters I thought could have been better or other ideas substituted, but in general I found this one o ...more
A few chapters I thought could have been better or other ideas substituted, but in general I found this one o ...more
Excellent explanations.
A very short but interesting meditation on the current state of our knowledge of the universe and its fundamental properties. Non mathematical and non qualitative, Rovelli relies on metaphor and analogy to communicate much of the content. This is often disturbing when he address familiar areas of physics, where one's reaction is sometimes, "wait a minute, that's not really what's happening." Still, a good approach for the general readership. Recommended with reservations.
Chapter by chapter
The ...more
Chapter by chapter
The ...more
I would love to read something more in depth from Rovelli, but this was a great taster. I'd recommend it to someone without a science background, except for the last chapter, which I would recommend to everyone.
...more
I felt that the last essay went off the rails but good apart from that.
May 29, 2016
Chris Stanford
marked it as to-read
May 30, 2016
SarahC
marked it as to-read
Jul 25, 2016
Carlos Hill
marked it as to-read
Aug 13, 2016
Erica
marked it as to-read
Feb 12, 2018
KLS
marked it as to-read
Jul 03, 2019
Britt Aamodt
marked it as to-read
Jun 03, 2021
Lance
marked it as to-read
Mar 09, 2025
Hollyy
marked it as to-read
