Product Description

A fascinating exploration of the science of the impossible—from death rays and force fields to invisibility cloaks—revealing to what extent such technologies might be achievable decades or millennia into the future.

One hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future.

From teleportation to telekinesis, Kaku uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamentals—and the limits—of the laws of physics as we know them today. He ranks the impossible technologies by categories—Class I, II, and III, depending on when they might be achieved, within the next century, millennia, or perhaps never. In a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains:
· How the science of optics and electromagnetism may one day enable us to bend light around an object, like a stream flowing around a boulder, making the object invisible to observers “downstream”
· How ramjet rockets, laser sails, antimatter engines, and nanorockets may one day take us to the nearby stars
· How telepathy and psychokinesis, once considered pseudoscience, may one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, superconductivity, and nanotechnology
· Why a time machine is apparently consistent with the known laws of quantum physics, although it would take an unbelievably advanced civilization to actually build one
Kaku uses his discussion of each technology as a jumping-off point to explain the science behind it. An extraordinary scientific adventure, Physics of the Impossible takes readers on an unforgettable, mesmerizing journey into the world of science that both enlightens and entertains.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #990 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-11
• Released on: 2008-03-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In this latest effort to popularize the sciences, City University of New York professor and media star Kaku (Hyperspace) ponders topics that many people regard as impossible, ranging from psychokinesis and telepathy to time travel and teleportation. His Class I impossibilities include force fields, telepathy and antiuniverses, which don't violate the known laws of science and may become realities in the next century. Those in Class II await realization farther in the future and include faster-than-light travel and discovery of parallel universes. Kaku discusses only perpetual motion machines and precognition in Class III, things that aren't possible according to our current understanding of science. He explains how what many consider to be flights of fancy are being made tangible by recent scientific discoveries ranging from rudimentary advances in teleportation to the creation of small quantities of antimatter and transmissions faster than the speed of light. Science and science fiction buffs can easily follow Kaku's explanations as he shows that in the wonderful worlds of science, impossible things are happening every day. (Mar. 11)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
Kaku (Parallel Worlds, Beyond Einstein, Hyperspace) introduces complex theories of physics to general readers. As The Economist notes, Kaku “makes a good stab at explaining difficult physics. But his grasp of his subject is perhaps trumped by his knowledge of science fiction.” While Kaku writes in language designed to captivate nonscience readers, it’s his references to pop cultureâ€"from Star Trek to Terminator 3â€"that clarify his fringe physics. (Those wishing to explore the topic further can refer to Kaku’s detailed footnotes.) To critics’ delight, Kaku also investigates the moral issues of futuristic technology that SF does so well and asks provoking questions about the fate of humankind. The only complaints? Kaku omits a few obvious SF parallels, and, more seriously, readers who don’t enjoy that genre may find less of interest here.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

Review

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE

“Science and science fiction buffs can easily follow Kaku’s explanations as he shows that in the wonderful worlds of science, impossible things are happening every day.” —Publishers Weekly


CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR PARALLEL WORLDS

“A wonderful tour, with an expert guide, of a cosmos whose comprehension forces us to stretch to the very limits of imagination.” —Brian Greene, author of The Fabric of the Cosmos

“A highly readable and exhilarating romp through the frontiers of cosmology.”
—Martin Rees, author of Our Cosmic Habitat and Our Final Century

“A roller-coaster ride through the universe—and beyond—by one of the world’s finest science writers.” —Paul Davies, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, Macquarie University, Sydney, and author of How to Build a Time Machine


CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR HYPERSPACE

“One of the best popular accounts of higher physics.” —Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal

“Among the best of the genre to appear in recent years . . . What a wonderful adventure it is.” —New York Times Book Review

“Mesmerizing . . . the reader exits dizzy, elated, and looking at the world in a literally revolutionary way.” —Washington Post Book World

Customer Reviews

future
This Book is a great begginer guide into the sate of the human race now and what we can achieve in the future.

Mission: Possible
Michio Kaku's "Physics Of The Impossible" is an eye-opening look into the possibilities that future technologies could hold for the human race. Kaku rates such things as force fields, phasers, time travel and other as either a Level I, II or III posibility, with a level III being the most unreachable. Using a layman's vocabulary and great comparisons he adequately describes the science and technology for those without benefit of a PhD in physics.

I did find Kaku a bit redundant in areas, possibly because I had just previously read his superb book "Hyperspace," which covers some of the same material.

Overall, Kaku did an excellent job of bringing science to the masses and I found myself constantly in awe at the possibilities that future technologies might hold. I'm sure a scientist would say that this is a bit basic but for the majority of people who read this without a foundation in science it logically and cohesively brings these far reaching concepts to its target audience. Michio Kaku has taken the mantle of Carl Sagan and is one of the best science writers today.

Pop-physics for moviegoers...
In Physics of the Impossible, author and physicist Michio Kaku reviews "a scientific exploration into the world of phasers, force fields, teleportation, and time travel" (the subtitle).

He also discusses faster than light travel, perpetual motion machines, parallel universes, UFOs, precognition, and psychokinesis. In other words, Kaku covers a wide range of topics, from cutting edge theoretical physics (parallel universes) to patently silly "stunts" (psychokinesis).

The organizing theme of the book is the amazing things humans can do, or will probably be able to do, as described in science fiction films and books. We have Star War's planet-busting Death Star and phasers, Harry Potter's invisibility cloak, and more. Kaku explores whether there is science to back up these technologies in the near or far future. In some cases, he believes they will become reality, and in others, he is more skeptical. Regardless, he discusses the physics behind the future success or failure of his selected topics.

All in all, I found it an interesting book, but there were some sections or passages that irritated me. For example, he stated that "spoon-bending" is fake (I think), but he puts psychokinesis into a "class 1 impossibility" (impossible today but does not violate the laws of physics). However, as he discusses signals from the brain which can operate a thought-driven machine, he seems to skip discussing spoon-bending. I really don't see how his arguments of physics lead to the molecules of a spoon rearranging themselves.

Another issue was the strange comment in the chapter on parallel universes:

"Throughout history going back to almost all ancient societies, people have believed in other planes of existence, the homes of the gods or ghosts. The Church believes in heaven, hell, and purgatory. The Buddhists have Nirvana and different states of consciousness. And the Hindus have thousands of planes of existence" (p. 230).

Excuse me... "The Church"? This is a strange comment in a non-theistic book. Which church? Catholic? Latter Day Saint?

And when Kaku talked about planet-busters, I was hoping he was going to discuss kinetic weapons, not just "death rays". Our solar system has some experience with nature-inspired collisions.

Interesting, but relatively shallow. I expected more in this book.