The book of nothing : vacuums, voids, and the latest ideas about the origins of the universe

Explores The Concept Of Nothingness, From The Origins Of Zero In Ancient India To Attempts By Modern Mathematics, Cosmology, Theology, And Physics To Explain The Role Of Nothing In The Structure Of The Universe. Nothingology--flying To Nowhere -- Mysteries Of Non-existence -- Nothing Ventured -- Nothing Gained -- Zero--the Whole Story -- The Origin Of Zero -- Egypt--in Need Of Nothing -- Babylon--the Writing Is On The Wall -- The No-entry Problem And The Babylonian Zero -- The Mayan Zero -- The Indian Zero -- Indian Conceptions Of Nothingness -- The Travelling Zeros -- The Evolution Of Words For Zero -- A Final Accounting -- Much Ado About Nothing -- Welcome To The Hotel Infinity -- Greeks, Bearing Gifts -- Islamic Art -- St Augustine -- The Medieval Labyrinth -- Writers And Readers -- Shakespearean Nothings -- Paradox Lost -- Constructing Nothing -- The Search For A Vacuum -- A Tale Of Two Nothings -- How Much Of Space Is Space? -- The Drift Towards The Ether -- Newton And The Ether: To Be Or Not To Be? -- Darkness In The Ether -- Natural Theology Of The Ether -- A Decisive Experiment -- The Amazing Shrinking Man -- Einstein And The End Of The Old Ether -- Whatever Happened To Zero? -- Absolute Truth--where Is It To Be Found? -- Many Zeros -- Creation Out Of The Empty Set -- Surreal Numbers -- God And The Empty Set -- Long Division -- Empty Universes -- Dealing With Entire Universes On Paper -- Vacuum Universes -- Ernst Mach--a Man Of Principle -- Lambda--a New Cosmic Force -- Deep Connections -- The Box That Can Never Be Empty -- It's A Small World After All -- The New Vacuum -- All At Sea In The Vacuum -- The Lamb Shift -- Forces Of The World Unite -- Vacuum Polarisation -- Black Holes -- How Many Vacuums Are There?. John D. Barrow. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [303]-349) And Index. From one of our foremost mathematicians and cosmologists comes this fascinating exploration of the surprisingly substantial and varied nature of nothing.With unassailable expertise and a proven ability to make complex theories and ideas clearly accessible, John Barrow examines and explains every aspect of nothingness. From the zeros of mathematicians to the void of philosophers, from Shakespeare to the null set, from the ether to the quantum vacuum, this book illustrates the fact that nothing is real. Barrow begins with the origins of zero in ancient India, its rocky reception in Europe, and the early abhorrence and eventual acceptance of the concept of the void by Christianity. He traces the notion through the work of writers and thinkers from the ancient Greeks to our own time. He looks at mathematics, cosmology, theology, and physics to uncover the nothing that is at the heart of most things. Finally, he discusses recent concepts of nothing, which are having profound effects on our search for the origins and overall structure of the universe.lluminating the many ways in which humankind has come to understand "nothing," The Book of Nothing brilliantly belies its title.From the Hardcover edition.