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Many Worlds in One: The Search for Other Universes
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| List Price: | $15.00 |
| Price: | $9.99 |
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Product Description
Recent discoveries in cosmology -- cosmic inflation, primordial "ripples" in spacetime, the accelerating expansion of the universe, dark energy, the possible existence of multiple universes -- have led to a bizarre new worldview that (to paraphrase Niels Bohr) may be just crazy enough to be true. Fortunately, the new cosmological advances also lead to testable predictions, and we may soon witness the confirmation of some of these predictions by fresh astronomical findings. The author's own scientific work has been closely tied to the emergence of the new worldview, from the original ideas to the most recent developments. In this book, he gives an exciting, first-hand account of the birth of the new cosmology, and its fascinating -- and at times disturbing -- implications.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #32121 in eBooks
- Published on: 2007-04-07
- Released on: 2007-04-07
- Format: Kindle Book
- Number of items: 1
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Cosmologists ask many difficult questions and often come up with strange answers. In this engagingly written but difficult book, Vilenkin, a Tufts University physicist, does exactly this, discussing the creation of the universe, its likely demise and the growing belief among cosmologists that there are an infinite number of universes. Vilenkin does an impressive job of presenting the background information necessary for lay readers to understand the ideas behind the big bang and related phenomena. Having set the stage, the author then delves into cutting-edge ideas, many of his own devising. He argues persuasively that, thanks to repulsive gravity, the universe is likely to expand forever. He goes on to posit that our universe is but one of an infinite series, many of them populated by our "clones." Vilenkin is well aware of the implications of this assertion: "countless identical civilizations [to ours] are scattered in the infinite expanse of the cosmos. With humankind reduced to absolute cosmic insignificance, our descent from the center of the world is now complete." Drawing on the work of Stephen Hawking and recent advances in string theory, Vilenkin gives us a great deal to ponder. B&w illus. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Cosmology has moved from establishing that there was a finite start to the cosmos to theorizing about the initial conditions that kicked off the whole shebang. Vilenkin is a leading theorist whose scenarios about the enigma of the big bang emerge in this estimably clear, personable treatment. Vilenkin explains the idea of inflation, a phenomenal increase in the volume of space in the first infinitesimals of time, propounded by physicist Alan Guth (The Inflationary Universe, 1997). Inflation solved some theoretical problems but left others dangling, such as inducing inflation to stop; if it didn't, life could not have begun. Explaining that his solutions to the "graceful exit problem," as it is whimsically called, involve the concept of "eternal inflation," Vilenkin guides readers through its bizarre and head-spinning propositions. One is that our observed universe is embedded in a suprauniverse that infinitely spawns an infinite number of other universes. This and other gigantic ideas concisely presented will provoke the interest of readers intrigued by the origin of the big bang. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Alex Vilenkin mines the subtlest phenomena shaping the cosmos to derive the grandest consequences. This is remarkable stuff--fantastic and moving in its implications--yet it is neither fantasy nor science fiction. Vilenkin's portrait of the cosmos points to the logical possibility of a multiplicity of universes, events and lives, and leads us to wonder about our own significance in this sea of infinite possibility." —Janna Levin, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, Barnard College of Columbia University, and author of How the Universe Got Its Spots
"Alex Vilenkin's Many Worlds in One is one of the best science books I have ever read. Not only is Vilenkin one of the great pioneers in the subject of modern cosmology, but also he is exceptionally clear, wonderfully witty, and frequently full of wisdom." — Leonard Susskind, Felix Bloch Professor of Physics, Stanford University, and author, The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design.
"Can it really be that our Universe is just one of many? Alex Vilenkin is your amiable, but authoritative and completely serious guide to this audacious idea at the frontier of cosmological science. He makes astonishing thoughts sound like sensible steps forward in an earnest enterprise. Many Worlds in One will open your mind to exponentially expanding universes that may lie just beyond our own." —Robert P. Kirshner, Clowes Professor of Science, Harvard University, and author of The Extravagant Universe: Exploding Stars, Dark Energy and the Accelerating Cosmos
Customer Reviews
Simply Superb
As the title of my review suggests, this is simply superb. Mr. Vilenkin SIMPLIFIES... and of the thirty or so books I've read on cosmology, this is at or near the top.
The author covers much ground and does it efficiently. He lays the groundwork for his theories and takes us through the logic he employed in arriving at his 'quantum-tunneling out of nothing' theory to explain the origin of our 'local island universe'.
Mr. Vilenkin ably covers vacuums, inflation, scalar fields, the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, the multiverse and even Euclidian time. If you don't understand all these concepts... DON'T WORRY. You will understand them after reading this delightful book.
Wonderful introduction to current "how it all began" physics
I read lots of accessible physics and cosmology books, and this is one of the best. There is essentially no math to master, but the concepts will make your head hurt (at least philosophically) while you absorb it all. This book has done the best job I've seen yet at explaining inflation in simple terms and how it might have taken only a few grams of matter/energy to create everything. (for a more detailed look at inflation, see one of Alan Guth's books on the subject, since he invented it).
I would recommend this book to adults who want to explore current cosmological thinking; I would strongly recommend this to advanced high school students (along with "Beyond Einstein" by Michio Kaku and Jennifer Trainer Thompson) as an adjunct to their physical science and AP Physics studies. It is readily understood and can awaking a lifelong quest to answer the question, "How did we get here?"
The "Why are we here?" question I'll leave to philosophers and theologians.
Ed
readable and detailed
I found this book to be extremely readable and surprisingly well translated into language and ideas that could be understood by those with little or no background in cosmology. The writing style is very entertaining.
But I caution curious readers that even though this book is so approachable it still covers a great deal of modern cosmology so it is by no means a light read. As was mentioned in another review one aspect of the writing style is confusing. Since so little of cosmology is experimentally proven there often exist conflicting views. Vilenkin does a good job of covering most of them, but for an unexperienced reader it can be confusing which theory he wants you to believe.
Overall the book is a great read to qualitatively cover modern cosmology and if it is confusing at first it is well worth a re-read or closer inspection for those who want to understand the finer details.
