| String Theory For Dummies |  | Author: Andrew Zimmerman Jones
Creator: Daniel Robbins
Publisher: For Dummies
List Price: $19.99
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Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 212,476
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1 Original
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 7.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 047046724X
Dewey Decimal Number: 530
EAN: 9780470467244
ASIN: 047046724X
Publication Date: November 16, 2009
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Product Description
Learn: -
The basic concepts of this controversial theory -
How string theory builds on physics concepts -
The different viewpoints in the field -
String theory's physical implications Your plain-English guide to this complex scientific theory String theory is one of the most complicated sciences being explored today. Not to worry though! This informative guide clearly explains the basics of this hot topic, discusses the theory's hypotheses and predictions, and explores its curious implications. It also presents the critical viewpoints in opposition to string theory so you can draw your own conclusions. -
Understand the "theory of everything" â grasp the key concepts and importance of the theory, and learn why scientists are so excited about finding a theory of quantum gravity -
It all comes down to physics â discover how string theory is built upon the major scientific developments of the early 20th century -
Building the theory â trace the creation and development of string theory, discover its predictions, and see whether accurate conclusions can be made -
Take string theory for a spin â explore the core issue of extra dimensions, the implications for cosmology, and how string theory could explain certain properties of our universe -
Boldly go where no one has gone â see what string theory has to say about possible parallel universes, the origin and fate of our universe, and the potential for time travel -
Hear from the critics â listen in on the heated debates about string theory and weigh the alternatives being offered Open the book and find: -
The questions string theory attempts to answer -
Easy-to-follow examples -
Explanations of Einstein's theory of relativity, quantum theory, and particle physics -
The successes and failures of string theory -
Fascinating bits of string theory including strings and branes -
Ways that string theory can be tested -
Discussions of loop quantum gravity and other possible alternative theories of gravity -
How the theory may relate to cosmic mysteries, from the origin of matter to black holes
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
A solid effort to explain a tough subject to us Earthlings August 28, 2010
Matthew A. Bille (Colorado Springs, CO United States)
Andrew Jones has taken on a monumental task: explaining string theory, with all the underlying science and universe-wide implications, without much math and without any more technical terms than necessary. It's impressive how well he's succeeded. If that success is short of perfection, that only reflects, as he notes himself, how vast and complex the task is.
Jones opens by noting that some of the ideas presented here will be proven false. I like that: it prepares the reader for the convoluted story which begins with the first attempts at a science of physics and ends with a theory so esoteric that the mind really can't grasp it the way we do most scientific notions (try visualizing "rolled up" dimensions some time).
Jones opens with the why of string theory: the way relativity and quantum physics have been stopped short by the unsolved mystery of quantum gravity. He then steps back to the origins of physics and leads readers through the fits, starts, progress, blind alleys, and reversals that led to string theory being discovered, abandoned, revived as superstring theory, and modified into its current form, M-Theory.
Any theory will eventually die off if it can't be proven, and Jones explains the possibilities and problems of testing string theory, including either by observing the universe or in particle accelerators on Earth. He spends a chapter on the arguments that string theory is unprovable, simply wrong, or both. String theorists are split on how (or whether) whether the traditional scientific requirement that a theory be falsifiable applies to a theory of things we may never be able to observe directly. Another chapter looks at the main competitor, loop quantum gravity. There are string theorists and LQG theorists who think there is an underlying conenction, while others are convinced the opposing camp is more of a groupthink cult than a scientific approach. Other chapters cover the implications if strong theory is correct: what it means for parallel universes, the Big Bang, time travel, and other concepts of scientific and popular interest.
Jones closes by outlining the ten questions he suggests any "theory of everything" must answer and introducing the most influential people in string theory.
There really isn't a conclusion that sums up where Jones and his physicist Ph.D. co-author think the whole argument stands today. I was looking forward to that: the information is in the Introduction and Chapter 1, but there's no law against recapping it. There also isn't a glossary, an omission which I don't understand.
The basic question in evaluating a book like this, though, is whether it leaves a nonspecialist with a better understanding of the topic. I do understand it better, much better. If you're curious about this whole business of string theory but are not interested in getting a graduate degree, String Theory for Dummies is well worth your time.
 Nothing Theory for Dummies June 29, 2010
J. J. Roper (Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
I was really looking forward to a lucid explanation of string theory. For me, a lucid and interesting explanation would follow the lines of Heinz Pagels, who wrote "The Cosmic Code" and "Perfect Symmetry." Both wonderful books that leave the reader feeling like they learned something. When I read the reviews of this book, String Theory for Dummies, I was impressed and thought I would give it a try. I was dismayed. I read the intro, which laid out the game plan of the book, then in Part 1, I found that I was reading a re-run of the introduction, another game plan of the book. So now I had two parts of the book telling me what the book was going to tell me. The first goal of the book was my main interest - that is, "...to understand sting theory..." However, in no place in the book can I find an explanation of string theory, other than "...the universe is composed of vibrating filaments of energy, expressed in precise mathematical language." After that, all the author does is say that that is what it is. Then, the book continues on never explaining strings but only repeating that they are mathematical things. The author states: "if you subscribe to Popper's view (and many scientists don't), then string theory is certainly not scientific - at least not yet." Indeed, I am a scientist and I know many others, and the general trend is that we do follow Popper as correct most of the time. So now we see that string theory isn't even scientific. Basically, I got so disappointed with the book that I couldn't read it through, and instead, skipped and jumped around to see if it got better, and when I found that it didn't, I gave up. Now I am still looking for a good book to explain string theory. Or, perhaps I am looking for another physicist writer, such as Pagels (may he rest in peace), who can actually explain something - Greene, Randall and Smolin are also certainly NOT Pagels.
One of the better guides I've read June 3, 2010
Cop Ken (Kansas City, Missouri)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a very good introduction to the string theory. No math and the author does a pretty good judge of exampling very complex science in plan English. It also goes somewhat beyond String theory, by laying a good background in Newtonian Physics, Quantum Mechanics and Relativity. My only real knock against the book is that it does seem to skip around a bit. Clearly the author wanted to make it easy to pick up, look at the index and jump to topics. But if you read it front to back, it can be just a bit distracting. That is just a minor complaint though. I recommend String Theory for Dummies to any novices who are interested in the topic.
String Theory for Fun February 1, 2010
BeaglePower (Ithaca, NY United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
It's a fun read that gives an overview of the development of String Theory with no math. If the reader has a strong background in science and math this book will have you wanting more.
 "Secrets of the Universe" December 21, 2009
Stephen Barker (Greenwood, IN)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
I would recommend this book to anyone! As a physics student I was attracted to the notion of getting a better grasp on string theory. String Theory for Dummies does that, but not just that. It also provides a firm base for classical physics as well. Want to know the current science behind wormholes, time travel, or dark matter? It does that too.
Mr. Jones' apparent love for physics education shines through as he leads you step-by-step, subject-by-subject. He lays it out for you in a way that everyone can understand. Whether you just have an interest in how things may work in our universe, or you need more perspective on that topic you just discussed in class, String Theory for Dummies will work for you.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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