Hiding in the Mirror
The Quest for Alternate Realities, from Plato to String Theory (by way of Alice in Wonderland, Einstein, and The Twilight Zone)
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4.8 • 4 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
An exploration of mankind's fascination with worlds beyond our own-by the bestselling author of The Physics of Star Trek
Lawrence Krauss -an international leader in physics and cosmology-examines our long and ardent romance with parallel universes, veiled dimensions, and regions of being that may extend tantalizingly beyond the limits of our perception. Krauss examines popular culture's current embrace (and frequent misunderstanding) of such topics as black holes, life in other dimensions, strings, and some of the more extraordinary new theories that propose the existence of vast extra dimensions alongside our own. BACKCOVER: "An astonishing and brilliantly written work of popular science."
-Science a GoGo
"A brilliant, thrilling book . . . You'll have so much fun reading that you'll hardly notice you're getting a primer on contemporary physics and cosmology."
-Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
There are few scientific ideas as captivating as the notion that our universe might have other dimensions than the three (plus time) that we experience. Physicist Krauss offers an erudite and well-crafted overview of the role multiple dimensions have played in the history of physics. This isn't an easy book, even with a writer as talented as Krauss (whom some will recognize as the author of The Physics of Star Trek and Beyond Star Trek) serving as one's Virgil. Long on science and short on its connections with culture, the book is essentially an introduction to the physics and mathematics of extra dimensions with a few more or less disconnected chapters that touch on how these ideas show up in art and popular culture; there's more on brane-world and the ekpyrotic universe than on Plato's cave, whose inhabitants could not perceive reality in all its dimensions, or Buckaroo Banzai. Those who are willing to put in the requisite effort will be amply rewarded with a unique and impressive survey of scientists' astonishing and evolving understanding of the nature of the universe in all its visible and hidden dimensions.
Customer Reviews
Hiding in the Mirror
For me; a person who has taken on cosmology, physics, and science as a major passion and hobby, this book rocked. He manages to marry two audiences with this book. Those who understand the extreme intellectual complexities of particle physics and those who are in familiar but are interested.
As an artist I found this book extremely useful and helpful in getting more knowledge of the topic. Lawrence is the man! Read on