Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces |  | Author: Frank Wilczek
Publisher: Basic Books
List Price: $26.95
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Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 30958
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 292
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.1
ISBN: 0465003214
Dewey Decimal Number: 531
EAN: 9780465003211
ASIN: 0465003214
Publication Date: August 25, 2008
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Product Description
Physicist’ understanding of the essential nature of reality changed radically over the past quarter century. Frank Wilczek has played a lead role in establishing the new paradigms. Transcending the clash and mismatch of older ideas about what matter is, and what space is, Wilczek presents here some brilliant and clear syntheses. Space is a dynamic material, the engine of reality; matter is a subtle pattern of disturbance in that material. Extraordinarily readable and authoritative, The Lightness of Being is the first book to unwrap these exciting new ideas for the general public. It explores their implications for basic questions about space, mass, energy, and the longed-for possibility of a fully unified theory of Nature. Along the way, Wilczek presents new perspectives on many strange aspects of our fantastic universe. Pointing toward new directions where the great discoveries in fundamental physics are likely to come, he envisions a new Golden Age in physics.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
 Sound Physics October 18, 2009
Daniel Remy (USA)
Nobel prize winner (2004)Wilczek is refreshing and noteworthy in this confusing age of
String Theory. He gives an outstanding picture of current physics using Supersymmetry
and reviving the notion that "empty space" is NEVER empty. That indeed it is an ocean of
"dark substance" that continually foams energy. His presentation is not speculative nor
high brow to the point of being incomprehensible. String theory is good mathematics, but
it is NOT physics that can be emperically tested and never will be. SUSI is tested and
works well in particle physics experiments in the accelerators.
From the Physics Professor who coined the term "STRING THEORY" in 1972 to describe matter.
Excellent book October 11, 2009
Enrique Perez de Vargas (Madrid, Spain)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book. I have found it engaging. It is clearly written and provides with elegant explanations. What I liked most is the way of presenting some familiar concepts, very different from what can be found in other books. It makes you aware of new implications of those concepts.
On the other hand, the book was not exactly what I hoped. It is very focused on QCD. Although he describes what we know of the origin of 95% of the matter, I really was interested in the remaining 5%, and there are not many ideas about it here.
As I have read in another review, this book shows great potential, but it is not fully developed. Anyway, it was worth reading.
A Challenging but rewarding Read October 4, 2009
Richard Brennan (Australia)
This is my second attempt at reading work from Frank Wilczeck, the first being Fantastic Realities which had my head spinning on 48 of his 49 mind journeys.
I took "The Lightness of Being" to the beach thinking I could squeeze in a few chapters while the kids played. Needless to say, I couldn't put it down, as my intense state of sunburn now confirms.
There are some tough challenges as Wilczeck sets the scene in the world of the strong force before examining the implications of the origin of mass. For those relativists out there, it will be a challenge, but not before too long the stage is set for the announcement of Wiczeck's over-riding theory of the 'Grid'. The elegant description of the 'Grid' by Wilczeck is in my opinion a more satisfying resolution to unification than the esoteric string theory and loop quantum gravity. Central to the grid is an incorporation of both quantum field theory and general relativity in a lattice which defines how energy in each of the occupying spaces of the grid is expressed when the grid is disturbed.
As I cooked in the sun, a lot of loose ends I had with force unification started to be tied off. It has certainly got my mind racing to the extent I will have to read it again...and again.....and again. A great book that I would strongly recommend for those up to the challenge.
F W's mind a natural resource August 25, 2009
Steven A. Erickson
First time I read the book it was mind numbing, the second time I am beginning to understand some of the cool ideas. I feel like I'm understanding reality a little more. No fear of looking for nature's secrets.
A Lucid Tutorial on the Basics of Atomic Physics August 4, 2009
Jan Peczkis (Chicago IL, USA)
This diagram-filled work provides a good, laymen-level introduction to many aspects of physics. There is a well-explained section on symmetry and subatomic particles, as well as dark matter. To help the reader further, this book includes a glossary of terms.
Space is not empty. Wilczek uses the grid analogy, where, for example, one can have successive overlays of an urban area on Earth in terms of its vegetation, roads, topography, and buildings.
Wilczek addresses the question of "What went on before the Big Bang?" This is a meaningless question. "Time" and "past" only have meaning when there are clocks and physical processes that can tell time, and these did not exist until the Big Bang.
Then there is the apparent paradox of gravity being a weak force at the subatomic level, but strong over long distances. With subatomic forces, the exact opposite is the case. The author points out that, were gravitational forces the ones holding the atom together, each atom would have to be 100 times the radius of the visible universe.
Wilczek rejects the claim that only religion can provided meaning. He suggests that science can also do this. Finally, the author takes a humble view of science. He realizes that there is so much that is not understood.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 28
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