A User's Guide to the Universe : Surviving the Perils of Black Holes, Time Paradoxes, and Quantum Uncertainty

"A User's Guide to the Universe: Surviving the Perils of Black Holes, Time Paradoxes, and Quantum Uncertainty" walks the curious lay reader through the intricacies of physics as it applies to many different situations, some realistic and some completely theoretical and "out there." I was extremely excited to receive this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers; it was on my Amazon.com Wish List and I had planned to purchase it for my birthday, but was lucky enough to snag it through the program. I eagerly checked my mailbox every day and once I received the book, began reading it immediately. Imagine my surprise when I realized this is actually a book one can read anywhere--on the couch, on breaks at work, in the bathtub, in bed, etc. The writing is remarkably easy to understand and flows along quite readily. At some points, the concepts did go beyond my grasp--for instance, in chapter two, when the authors began discussing light particles and Schrodinger's cat. However, the book propels the reader along so that if the reader does not fully grasp a concept, it does not matter--the reader can still understand enjoy the book, as I did. The authors discuss such topics as: special relativity (the speed of light and characteristics of such), quantum "weirdness" (qualities of light particles and quantum mechanics), randomness, the standard model of atoms and particles, time travel (which will make you go "wow"), makeup and characteristics of the universe, the Big Bang, extraterrestrials, and other stuff (dark matter and miscellaneous). Throughout the text, author-generated sketches are interspersed to inject humor and some concepts; I especially enjoyed the sketches of the fundamental particles. The authors do make an abundance of jokes--there are multiple jokes on every page. I do feel they could have excised some of the jokes and the book would have been just as interesting. Overall, it is an interesting read, especially for someone who took one physics class ten years ago.

if You Head Off In A Spaceship Traveling At Nearly The Speed Of Light, What Horrors Await You When You Return? Can You Change Reality Just By Looking At It? Is It Possible To Build A Star Trek–type Transporter Or A Working Time Machine? Why Would We Build A Billion-dollar Particle Accelerator That Nostradamus And The Mayan Calendar Have Clearly Predicted Will Destroy Earth? Can You Be In Two Places At Once? Or Three? Or Three Thousand? If You, Or Someone You Know, Live In The Universe, You Can't Afford To Remain In Ignorance Any Longer. You Need To Know The Answers To These Questions—and Most Of Them Will Surprise You.

in a User's Guide To The Universe, Physicists Dave Goldberg And Jeff Blomquist Make Good On Two Promises: You'll Get Answers And You Won't Have To Decipher Any Equations To Understand Them. (well, Maybe Just One Very Short And Very Familiar Equation.)

this Quirky And Fun Book Takes You On A Fascinating Tour Of The Universe As We Know It By Asking (and Answering) Weird And Provocative Questions On Subjects As Diverse As Special Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, Randomness, Time Travel, The Expanding Universe, And Much More.

you'll Discover:

• How Fast A Light Beam Travels If You're Running Beside It

• Whether God Does, In Point Of Fact, Play Dice With The Universe

• What Happens If You Fall Into A Black Hole

• What Lies Outside The Universe

• What Happened Before The Big Bang

• What Dark Matter Might Be

• And Much, Much More

complete With The Funniest Footnotes You've Ever Seen In A Physics Book And Dozens Of Charmingly Absurd Yet Helpful Illustrations, a User's Guide To The Universe Turns Mind-blowing Science Into Enjoyable, Comprehensible, And Fascinating Reading.

publishers Weekly

with A Large Measure Of Humor And A Minimum Of Math (one Equation), Physics Professor Goldberg And Engineer Blomquist Delve Into The Fascinating Physics Topics That Rarely Make It Into Introductory Classes, Including Time Travel, Extraterrestrials, And Quantum Weirdness To Prove That Physics' Reputation For Being Hard, Impractical, And Boring Is Wrong By At Least Two-thirds: Hard? Perhaps. Impractical? Definitely Not... But Boring? That's Where We Really Take Issue. Breaking Up Each Topic Into Common Sense Questions (how Many Habitable Planets Are There? What Is Dark Matter? If The Universe Is Expanding, What's It Expanding Into?), The Duo Provides Explanations In Everyday Language With Helpful Examples, Analogies, And Blomquist's Charmingly Unpolished Cartoons. Among Other Lessons, Readers Will Learn About Randomness Through Gambling; How A Star Trek-style Transporter Might Function In The Real World; And What May Have Existed Before The Big Bang. Despite The Absence Of Math, This Nearly-painless Guide Is Still Involved And Scientific, Aimed At Science Hobbyists Rather Than Science-phobes; It Should Also Prove An Ideal Reference Companion For More Technical Classroom Texts. 100 B&w Photos.
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Answers to science's most enduring questions from ""Can I break the light-speed barrier like on Star Trek?"" and ""Is there life on other planets?"" to ""What is empty space made of?"" This is an indispensable guide to physics that offers readers an overview of the most popular physics topics written in an accessible, irreverent, and engaging manner while still maintaining a tone of wry skepticism. Even the novice will be able to follow along, as the topics are addressed using plain English and (almost) no equations. Veterans of popular physics will also find their nagging questions addressed, like whether the universe can expand faster than light, and for that matter, what the universe is expanding into anyway. - Gives a one-stop tour of all the big questions that capture the public imagination including string theory, quantum mechanics, parallel universes, and the beginning of time - Explains serious science in an entertaining, conversational, and easy-to-understand way - Includes dozens of delightfully groan-worthy cartoons that explain everything from special relativity to Dark Matter Filled with fascinating information and insights, this book will both deepen and transform your understanding of the universe. --([source][1]) [1]: https://www.amazon.com/Users-Guide-Universe-Surviving-Uncertainty/dp/0470496517/ Answers to science's most enduring questions from "Can I build a transporter, like on "Star Trek"?" and "Is there life on other planets?" to "What is empty space made of?" In "A User's Guide to the Universe," physicists Dave Goldberg and Jeff Blomquist make good on two promises: you?ll get answers and you won't have to decipher any equations to understand them. (Well, maybe just one very short and very familiar equation.) This quirky and fun book takes you on a fascinating tour of the universe as we know it by asking (and answering) weird, important, and provocative questions Explains subjects as diverse as special relativity, quantum mechanics, randomness, time travel, the expanding universe, and much more Includes dozens of delightfully groan-worthy cartoons that explain everything from special relativity to dark matter Explains string theory, quantum mechanics, parallel universes and the beginning of time in a conversational, easy-to-understand way and answers enduring questions about life on other planets and breaking the light-speed barrier.