The Nine Numbers of the Cosmos
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- €10.99
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- €10.99
Publisher Description
An encapsulation in nine numbers of all that modern astronomy has learnt about the universe. These cosmic numbers appear to be independent characteristics of our universe and include its age, the Hubble constant (a measure of its rate of expression), and the density of matter in the universe. Only one of the nine numbers is known with real precision, and four of them only poorly known. Difficult ideas like the origin of the elements, the General Theory of
Relativity, quantum theory, and the standard model of particle physics, ideas which underpin modern cosmology, are explained in a simple way. While most of what we know has been learnt during the 20th century, Rowan-Robinson provides a historical perspective, paying homage to the achievements of the Greeks,
Renaissance astronomers, and the age of Newton. The book ends with predictions of when all nine numbers will be accurately known.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Drawing upon Descartes's saying, "What do I know?" Rowan-Robinson asks what we know about the universe. In answer, he has come up with nine numbers that summarize our current understanding of the cosmos. The practice of using numerology and mystical numbers to understand reality dates back through the astrologers and alchemists to antiquity, but the numbers Rowan-Robinson presents are grounded in scientific research, although more than a little speculation was used in deriving a couple of them. Rowan-Robinson, a physics professor at Imperial College, London, and author of two other books on cosmology (Ripples in the Cosmos; Cosmology), wants to keep readers in suspense and so unveils his numbers chapter by chapter, instead of summarizing them at the beginning, which would give readers a better overview and help them to see how each number relates to the others instead of having to wait until the conclusion. His nine numbers relate to the density of baryonic matter, the anisotropy of the universe, the Hubble constant, the age of the universe, the temperature of the microwave background, the densities of cold dark matter and hot dark matter, the cosmological constant and the star formation history of the universe. Rowan-Robinson's writing is a bit dry and some of his explanations are too condensed, but readers should gain an excellent understanding of what we currently know about the universe and the techniques through which we have acquired that knowledge. Much of this may not be new to dedicated science buffs, but the book is a good summary and will make a useful addition to general science collections.
