The God Equation
The Quest for a Theory of Everything
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4.5 • 11 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic story of the greatest quest in all of science—the holy grail of physics that would explain the creation of the universe—from renowned theoretical physicist and author of The Future of the Mind and The Future of Humanity.
When Newton discovered the law of gravity, he unified the rules governing the heavens and the Earth. Since then, physicists have been placing new forces into ever-grander theories.
But perhaps the ultimate challenge is achieving a monumental synthesis of the two remaining theories—relativity and the quantum theory. This would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science: What happened before the Big Bang? What lies on the other side of a black hole? Are there other universes and dimensions? Is time travel possible? Why are we here?
Kaku also explains the intense controversy swirling around this theory, with Nobel laureates taking opposite sides on this vital question. It is a captivating, gripping story; what’s at stake is nothing less than our conception of the universe.
Written with Kaku’s trademark enthusiasm and clarity, this epic and engaging journey is the story of The God Equation.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Join the hunt for the holy grail of physics. While physicists have developed two paradigm-shifting fields of study—quantum physics and relativity—they haven’t yet figured out how these schools of thinking actually connect. In this fascinating book, theoretical physicist Michio Kaku guides us through the ongoing search for that connection, which would yield a unified theory of, well, everything! Kaku knows his stuff (the CUNY professor is also the co-founder of string theory), but here he uses relatively simple and relatable language to explain his complex world. Kaku’s boundless excitement makes it fun to learn about concepts like electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. We actually got goosebumps reading about how the interactions among tiny subatomic particles like neutrinos are currently giving researchers real insights into the building blocks of our entire universe. Strap in and get ready for a dazzling ride into the cosmos and beyond.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
CUNY physics professor Kaku (The Future of Humanity: Our Destiny in the Universe) shines light on a theory that could "unravel the deepest mysteries of space and time" in this riveting work of popular science. Kaku's focus is on string theory, which proposes that "the universe was not made of point particles but of tiny vibrating strings, with each note corresponding to a subatomic particle." The theory, the author writes, offers answers to questions about time travel, wormholes, and parallel universes. Kaku provides a history of string theory, which "emerged accidentally" after a chance rediscovery of an 18th-century mathematician's work in 1968, and breaks down the centuries-long quest for a definitive explanation of how all cosmic forces operate, including the discovery of atoms in ancient Greece, Newton's work that proved symmetry is "one of our most powerful tools in unifying all forces of nature," and Einstein's discovery of general relativity. Kaku lauds string theory for having "seized the imagination of the world's top scientists," but still gives fair credit to pushback against it: "The most glaring problem is that, for all the press extolling the beauty and complexity of this theory, we have no solid, testable evidence." Kaku's expertise at making mind-bending concepts comprehensible makes this a real intellectual eye-opener.
