The Elegant Universe
| The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory |
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| Author(s) | Brian Greene |
| Subject(s) | String theory |
| Genre(s) | Non-fiction |
| Publisher | W.W. Norton |
| Publication date | 1999/2003 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 448 (2003 edition) |
| ISBN | 0-393-05858-1 (2003 edition) |
| Followed by | The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality |
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory is a book by Brian Greene published in 1999, which introduces string and superstring theory, and provides a comprehensive though non-technical assessment of the theory and some of its shortcomings. A new edition was released in 2003, with an updated preface.
Contents |
[edit] Table of contents
- Preface (with an additional preface to the 2003 edition)
- Part I: The Edge of Knowledge
- Part II: The Dilemma of Space, Time, and the Quanta
- Part III: The Cosmic Symphony
- Part IV: String Theory and the Fabric of Spacetime
- Part V: Unification in the Twenty-First Century
[edit] Contents
Beginning with a brief consideration of classical physics, which concentrates on the major conflicts in physics, Greene establishes a historical context for string theory as a necessary means of integrating the probabilistic world of the standard model of particle physics and the deterministic Newtonian physics of the macroscopic world. Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics: unification of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Greene suggests that string theory is the solution to these two conflicting approaches. Greene frequently uses analogies and thought experiments to provide a means for the layman to come to terms with the theory which has the potential to create a unified theory of physics.
[edit] Adaptations
The Elegant Universe was adapted into an Emmy Award winning[1] three hour program in three parts for television broadcast in late 2003 on the PBS series NOVA.[2]
- Einstein's Dream
- Strings The Thing
- Welcome To The 11th Dimension
The Elegant Universe was also interpreted by choreographer Karole Armitage, of Armitage Gone! Dance, in New York City. A performance of the work-in-progress formed part of the inaugural World Science Festival.
[edit] Errata
In the 1999 1st paperback edition of the The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory, the Kaluza-Klein theory and the suggestion that the universe might have more than three spacial dimensions is incorrectly attributed to a 'polish mathematician named Theodor Kaluza in 1919' on p.185.[3] However, Theodor Kaluza was born in Wilhelmstal, a town in Silesia. At the time of Kaluza's birth, Silesia was part of the German Empire. The region only became part of Poland in 1945, after the annexation of all of former German territory east of the Oder-Neisse line, which was only recognised by West Germany in 1970.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ "PBS wins eight news and documentary Emmys - 2005 Emmy Awards". MSNBC. 14 September 2004. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6004370/. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
- ^ WGBH Educational Foundation (2003). "The Elegant Universe". PBS NOVA. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/. Retrieved 2006-06-04.
- ^ *Brian Greene, "The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory", p.185, W. W. Norton & Company,1999, ISBN 0-393-05858-1
- ^ An encyclopedic dictionary of conflict and conflict resolution, 1945-1996, John E. Jessup, page 543, Greenwood 1998
[edit] References
- Brian Greene, "The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory", Vintage Series, Random House Inc, February 2000 ISBN 0-375-70811-1
[edit] External links
- "SparkNotes: The Elegant Universe". Barnes & Noble. 2004. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/elegantuniverse/. Retrieved 2006-06-04.
- The Elegant Universe at the Internet Movie Database
- "Science & the City" podcast of Armitage's adaptation, produced by the New York Academy of Sciences
