Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Wonderful Introduction to String Theory
Comment: this book is a wonderful introduction to modern theories about calibi-yau manifolds, extra dimentions, etc. for the general layman, and shows how exiting modern string theory is, and is my favorite book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Useful but Quite Limited
Comment: This book has drawn a great deal of praise, but I think that praise tends to mainly come from two audiences: (a) knowledgable physicists who are already sold on string theory and don't really need to read the book, and (b) lay readers who are excited about getting a lengthy introduction to string theory, and feel they've considerably advanced their understanding in the process.
In actuality, string theory is very complex and the mathematics involved are way beyond the capacity of lay readers, and probably even a large percentage of physicists (look at a real string theory book or paper to see what I mean). True to the popular physics genre, Greene pretty much totally sidesteps the mathematics, instead relying on simplified explanations and analogies which leave out many important details. As a result, in my opinion, the book fails to give lay readers a meaningful understanding of string theory, even at an introductory level -- you will get the illusion of understanding, but not real understanding. I think that some math, additional technical details, and a lot more graphics would have really helped.
Considering these serious limitations, the main value of the book is that it gives readers a general feel for the types of problems string theorists are trying to solve, the general (and wild) character of the potential solutions they're coming up with, and how they're going about all of this.
Summing up, even though the book may fail to provide an adequate introduction to string theory, a general feeling for the subject is still useful and interesting, so the book still warrants three stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Average writing style and terrible analogies
Comment: The book has the merit of being one of the first books to explore and to try to explain superstring theory to the layman. In this regard it is a fair try. Otherwise, 1/3 of the book is wasted trying to explain what special relativity, general relativity and quantum mechanics are all about, and here the author is only mediocre in his enterprise. Anyone who has already read popular level books on these subjects, like the classics by Gamow or Feynman or Joseph Silk or Weinberg, will feel uncomfortable. The analogies the author uses are also terrible, almost nonsense, like when he compares the input of parameters in the Standard Model with the input of the value of an initial investment in the stock market. Geeez... Finaly, I do not like Greene's writing style: the reading simply does not flow. Compared to, e.g., Alan Guth on the equally aethereal subject of inflationary universe, Greene's writing style sucks. Weeeeell..., at least Guth is talking about something that bears a possible connection with reality!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to String Theory
Comment: This is a very good book for learning about superstring theory. I was motivated to read this book after seeing the associated NOVA documentary (a documentary which I actually thought was extremely repetitive and somewhat cheesy, though the presented ideas and interviews with various physicists were quite interesting). Greene is obviously a very talented science writer and manages to present a highly technical subject in a way that is intelligible to the non-physicist. In addition to string theory, this book provides some very clear introductions to special relativity, general relativity and quantum mechanics.
While the theories presented in this book are exciting from the standpoint of their potential to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity, it would be nice if the superstring theorists could eventually find an empirical backing for the results stemming from their "elegant" equations. It is not that the elegant-math argument is without merit but it would be more convincing if the theory could make some predictions that were actually falsifiable. Arguments stating that the extra dimensions are extremely tiny since we would have otherwise noticed them or that superpartners are extremely massive since we would have otherwise noticed them, etc., are not entirely convincing for me in the absence of empirical evidence. (As an aside, string theory is, apparently, not without its critics in the physics community judging from some of the new books being published such as Woit's Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory And the Search for Unity in Physical Law and Smolin's The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next.)
Greene does concede the need for falsifiable predictions and he seems forthright in pointing out issues that string theorists still need to address. Perhaps Greene is right in stating that this lack of falsifiable predictions is simply a consequence of the theoretical physicists outpacing the experimental physicists; perhaps superstring theory will eventually obtain the empirical evidence necessary to appease the skeptics. Whatever the ultimate fate of string theory/M-theory, I found this book to be both enjoyable and informative and I would definitely recommend it for those who are interested in superstring theory.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Einstein Plus Two
Comment:
I started reading this book this week and had a hard time accepting Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. It almost sounds as if he accepts as truth the optical and mechanical illusions of motion, either by a shortening of matter along its axis of motion or a delay in clock time by a pull of gravity on its mechanics. It almost seems that space and time, under the theory of general relativity, can be mathematically manipulated to save his theory that light travels at a constant velocity. Of course, light does not travel at a constant velocity. This was proven in experiments documented in Petr Beckmann's book "Einstein Plus Two" which held that in order for light to travel in waves, it must have a medium upon which to oscillate. That medium can either speed up or slow down the velocity of light depending upon its local gravitation field. For example, light traveling from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles travels faster than light traveling from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. This demonstrates that what actually happens in the experiment observed may be different than the optical illusion being observed. Einstein simply didn't have the necessary tools to overcome the limits of observation relative to his day.
Summary: A Wonderful Introduction to String Theory
Comment: this book is a wonderful introduction to modern theories about calibi-yau manifolds, extra dimentions, etc. for the general layman, and shows how exiting modern string theory is, and is my favorite book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Useful but Quite Limited
Comment: This book has drawn a great deal of praise, but I think that praise tends to mainly come from two audiences: (a) knowledgable physicists who are already sold on string theory and don't really need to read the book, and (b) lay readers who are excited about getting a lengthy introduction to string theory, and feel they've considerably advanced their understanding in the process.
In actuality, string theory is very complex and the mathematics involved are way beyond the capacity of lay readers, and probably even a large percentage of physicists (look at a real string theory book or paper to see what I mean). True to the popular physics genre, Greene pretty much totally sidesteps the mathematics, instead relying on simplified explanations and analogies which leave out many important details. As a result, in my opinion, the book fails to give lay readers a meaningful understanding of string theory, even at an introductory level -- you will get the illusion of understanding, but not real understanding. I think that some math, additional technical details, and a lot more graphics would have really helped.
Considering these serious limitations, the main value of the book is that it gives readers a general feel for the types of problems string theorists are trying to solve, the general (and wild) character of the potential solutions they're coming up with, and how they're going about all of this.
Summing up, even though the book may fail to provide an adequate introduction to string theory, a general feeling for the subject is still useful and interesting, so the book still warrants three stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Average writing style and terrible analogies
Comment: The book has the merit of being one of the first books to explore and to try to explain superstring theory to the layman. In this regard it is a fair try. Otherwise, 1/3 of the book is wasted trying to explain what special relativity, general relativity and quantum mechanics are all about, and here the author is only mediocre in his enterprise. Anyone who has already read popular level books on these subjects, like the classics by Gamow or Feynman or Joseph Silk or Weinberg, will feel uncomfortable. The analogies the author uses are also terrible, almost nonsense, like when he compares the input of parameters in the Standard Model with the input of the value of an initial investment in the stock market. Geeez... Finaly, I do not like Greene's writing style: the reading simply does not flow. Compared to, e.g., Alan Guth on the equally aethereal subject of inflationary universe, Greene's writing style sucks. Weeeeell..., at least Guth is talking about something that bears a possible connection with reality!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to String Theory
Comment: This is a very good book for learning about superstring theory. I was motivated to read this book after seeing the associated NOVA documentary (a documentary which I actually thought was extremely repetitive and somewhat cheesy, though the presented ideas and interviews with various physicists were quite interesting). Greene is obviously a very talented science writer and manages to present a highly technical subject in a way that is intelligible to the non-physicist. In addition to string theory, this book provides some very clear introductions to special relativity, general relativity and quantum mechanics.
While the theories presented in this book are exciting from the standpoint of their potential to unify quantum mechanics and general relativity, it would be nice if the superstring theorists could eventually find an empirical backing for the results stemming from their "elegant" equations. It is not that the elegant-math argument is without merit but it would be more convincing if the theory could make some predictions that were actually falsifiable. Arguments stating that the extra dimensions are extremely tiny since we would have otherwise noticed them or that superpartners are extremely massive since we would have otherwise noticed them, etc., are not entirely convincing for me in the absence of empirical evidence. (As an aside, string theory is, apparently, not without its critics in the physics community judging from some of the new books being published such as Woit's Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory And the Search for Unity in Physical Law and Smolin's The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, The Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next.)
Greene does concede the need for falsifiable predictions and he seems forthright in pointing out issues that string theorists still need to address. Perhaps Greene is right in stating that this lack of falsifiable predictions is simply a consequence of the theoretical physicists outpacing the experimental physicists; perhaps superstring theory will eventually obtain the empirical evidence necessary to appease the skeptics. Whatever the ultimate fate of string theory/M-theory, I found this book to be both enjoyable and informative and I would definitely recommend it for those who are interested in superstring theory.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Einstein Plus Two
Comment:
I started reading this book this week and had a hard time accepting Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. It almost sounds as if he accepts as truth the optical and mechanical illusions of motion, either by a shortening of matter along its axis of motion or a delay in clock time by a pull of gravity on its mechanics. It almost seems that space and time, under the theory of general relativity, can be mathematically manipulated to save his theory that light travels at a constant velocity. Of course, light does not travel at a constant velocity. This was proven in experiments documented in Petr Beckmann's book "Einstein Plus Two" which held that in order for light to travel in waves, it must have a medium upon which to oscillate. That medium can either speed up or slow down the velocity of light depending upon its local gravitation field. For example, light traveling from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles travels faster than light traveling from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. This demonstrates that what actually happens in the experiment observed may be different than the optical illusion being observed. Einstein simply didn't have the necessary tools to overcome the limits of observation relative to his day.
The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory Reviews: Page 3 of 101
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