13.8: The Quest to Find the True Age of the Universe and the Theory of Everything

Yale University Press, New Haven, London, UK, 2015. – 188 p. – ISBN: 0300218273, 1848319185 The twentieth century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behavior of very large things, and quantum theory the behavior of very small things. In this landmark book, John Gribbin—one of the best-known science writers of the past thirty years—presents his own version of the Holy Grail of physics, the search that has been going on for decades to find a unified “Theory of Everything” that combines these ideas into one mathematical package, a single equation that could be printed on a T-shirt, containing the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. With his inimitable mixture of science, history, and biography, Gribbin shows how—despite skepticism among many physicists—these two great theories are very compatible, and point to a deep truth about the nature of our existence. The answer lies, intriguingly, with the age of the universe: 13.8 billion years.**Contents**Prologue__**How Do We Know the Ages of Stars?**__2.898 – Prehistory: Spectra and the nature of stars0.008 – At the heart of the Sun7.65 – Making ‘metals’13.2 – The ages of stars__**How Do We Know the Ages of the Universe?**__31.415 – Prehistory: Galaxies and the Universe at large575 – The discovery of the expanding Universe75 – Sizing up the cosmic soufflé13.8 – Surveys and satellites Yale University Press, New Haven, London, UK, 2015. – 188 p. – ISBN: 0300218273, 1848319185 The twentieth century gave us two great theories of physics. The general theory of relativity describes the behavior of very large things, and quantum theory the behavior of very small things. In this landmark book, John Gribbin—one of the best-known science writers of the past thirty years—presents his own version of the Holy Grail of physics, the search that has been going on for decades to find a unified “Theory of Everything” that combines these ideas into one mathematical package, a single equation that could be printed on a T-shirt, containing the answer to life, the Universe, and everything. With his inimitable mixture of science, history, and biography, Gribbin shows how—despite skepticism among many physicists—these two great theories are very compatible, and point to a deep truth about the nature of our existence. The answer lies, intriguingly, with the age of the universe: 13.8 billion years. Contents Prologue How Do We Know the Ages of Stars? 2.898 – Prehistory: Spectra and the nature of stars 0.008 – At the heart of the Sun 7.65 – Making ‘metals’ 13.2 – The ages of stars How Do We Know the Ages of the Universe? 31.415 – Prehistory: Galaxies and the Universe at large 575 – The discovery of the expanding Universe 75 – Sizing up the cosmic soufflé 13.8 – Surveys and satellites