The Fabric of the Cosmos

Come comprensibile dal titolo in questo libro Brian Greene tenta di spiegare come sono considerati lo spazio ed il tempo da un punto di vista fisico, approdando alle nuove ed incredibili immagini che si sono dipinte della realtà. A mio parere il risultato è un libro magnifico. La prosa di Greene è scorrevole, chiara e ricca di divertenti esempi grazie ai quali è in grado di spiegare ad un pubblico di profani concetti complessi senza mai fare eccessivo uso di formule matematiche e soprattutto senza mai banalizzare eccessivamente i contenuti. Dalla relatività generale alla meccanica quantistica, dall'entropia alla cosmologia inflazionaria l'autore accompagna il lettore lungo un viaggio nella fisica moderna toccando gli argomenti più interessanti. Questo è stato il primo libro che ho letto di questo autore, tuttavia ritengo che sarebbe stato meglio cominciare con il suo ben più noto “universo elegante”, poiché citato in molte note.
Trovo che possa essere adatto anche agli esperti del settore, ai quali Greene riserva delle note a fine capitolo in cui affronta gli argomenti utilizzando formule matematiche e lessico specifico.
Rimane comunque da puntualizzare che una lettura del genere andrebbe intrapresa con delle basi generali di fisica alle spalle in modo da apprezzarla maggiormente.
Nonostante l'ottima scrittura un punto negativo dell'opera sono le immagini che spesso, a causa della bassa qualità, rischiano di confondere le idee piuttosto che chiarirle.

There might be many newer pop-science books are available regarding the same subject and often I felt like I'm reading an old book. However, all of it hasn't lost relevance. It's a book still worth reading.

What a wild ride through space time and the fabric of the cosmos.

Once again Brian Greene has given us a fascinating read into the nature of reality as we ride the waves of space time history.

This books takes us through the history of quantum mechanics and development of string theory and is a must read for the science enthusiast

I didn't grasp enough of the physics to give it more than 4 stars, but it's presented very well and interesting throughout.

I started this book hoping to get a basic understanding of the Theory of Relativity. I got that, and much, much more. I can't remember ever having read an author as talented at distilling and simplifying the complex as Brian Greene. He is great at using metaphor, repetition and illustrations to explain exotic, intertwined subjects.

I'm really pleased at how far he was able to take me without requiring me to use math or learn equations. I appreciate the fact that I'd have a deeper understanding of the theory if I learned the math, but my goal isn't to become a cosmologist, it's to get a basic understand of what cosmologists are doing. I was also pleased at how he is always careful to distinguish untested or disputed theories from generally accepted science.

Some of the parts that stand out as especially interesting to me were the discussions of entropy and the laws of thermodynamics, the Theory and Special Theories of Relativity. Why dark matter matters and what it potentially is. What gravity actually is, what the Higgs ocean is (if it exists). How quantum mechanics and quantum uncertainty work and what the implications are. He explains what we know about black holes and why a knowledge of them is so important as well as what string theory, super-string theory and M-theory are and the shortcomings and alternatives to those theories.

The final chapters are on the frontiers of science and talk about things like whether time and can be broken into discreet, indivisible units and why that would matter. He also discusses the possibilities of teleportation and time travel into the past or future. After reading that far, It feels great to actually understand some of the theory behind the discussion from the previous sections of the book. Greene's excitement for physics is contagious. He is unabashedly enthusiastic and is always careful to point out, in a non-patronizing way, when and why you should be excited about a particular point.

Also, check out Joe's review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4161050