» The Road to Reality : A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe

The Road to Reality : A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Plato to Quantum Gravity
Comment: Roger Penrose's "The Road To Reality" offers both the mathematically skilled and non- mathematicians great insight into the laws that govern the universe. It is a wonderful reference text for the complex issues of physics from Plato to string theory and quantum gravity.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Penrose's Magnum Opus
Comment: The definitive popular exposition of modern physics. This magnum opus requires a dedicated reader, but the rewards are well worth it. Filled with Penrose's unique insights and geometric visualizations, this work is valuable to the seasoned physicist and untrained enthusiast alike. It is also happily written in highly readable prose. My own copy is filled with notes and underlining on nearly every page and took me nearly a year to finish. It is a tribute to the field and to the dedication and intellectual power of one of the world's greatest physicists.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Penrose Road is a Dead End
Comment: The road to reality is not found in this book. Penrose doesn't explain what reality is, not even mathematically. The book is a failure. The road to reality begins with one simple question: why am I on this road? Penrose Road seeks to lead us to the so-called ultimate equation that will unify the seemingly conflicting theories of modern physics. Once this equation is found, however, the question will still remain unanswered, namely, why is this equation at the end of the road?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: From the little that I read, looks spectacular.
Comment: Clearly it isn't easy to whisk your way through 1000+ pages of dense mathematical, graduate level (and above) material. I have managed to read the first few chapters, with more emphasis on the ones dealing with differential geometry. From what I saw, most of the subsequent chapters discussing physical applications are basically a reiteration of similar parts from the Emperor's New Mind (ENM), so if you have already read this book, you will see many familiar faces. Make no mistakes, this isn't the kind of book you read in bed before you sleep! You will probably need a hard surface, pen and paper. It isn't for the layman either. If you are not well acquainted with advanced mathematics or physics, you should probably avoid it. My father has a Bachelor in Physics and had trouble reading even ENM. I have a PhD in theoretical physics and still I get to discover many new things in Road to Reality, or see things I already knew about from a completely new perspective, and also lots of topics I knew nothing about.

The first half of the book, where the mathematical exposition takes place, is like ENM on steroids. Penrose stops carrying about losing half of his readers with every new equation. You will see here mathematical formulas that you would normally have to fork out $ 100+ on some specialized textbook to take a look at. So, what makes it any different from a regular textbook, you would ask? Well, it is the uniquely original and lucid exposition that makes this book transcend its original designation as textbook/popular science book hybrid. It becomes the textbook you would like to have read as a graduate student, but was not around at the time. It is not written in the usual dry style of mathematical literature that makes simple things seem arcane. And it includes a multitude of excellent pictures/artwork, as every good differential geometry book should. The diagrams and pictures are worth the price of admission alone. Penrose also succeeds in making his book exciting and engaging. He takes you by the hand and shows you why the ideas he discusses are interesting and important. You feel the thrill of discovering new things, of learning and being proud to be taught. Formulas and jargon are not introduced without an explanation and motivation, contrary to most textbooks. You are given the chance to really understand what a Lie and a covariant derivative is, not just how to calculate one. The chapter on fiber bundles is a poem of clarity of exposition. It achieves what every good textbook should-giving you a flavor and letting you craving for more.

As a first impression, this book seems unique, if only for its stimulating, refreshing and unconventional mathematical first part. If you are already experienced with differential geometry and general relativity, it is a delight to read and will provide you with incredible new insight and encyclopedic knowledge. You can then go on to read more details in standard textbooks. Graduate students should see it as an excellent complement to their curriculum.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: The universe in a hard-to-crack nutshell
Comment: I love this book! After so many pop science tomes(Strings for Simpletons, etc), it was so fine to find a book that dumps it all on you and interconnects so many ideas and disciplines. I'll be reading parts of it for years, and reading physics texts to try to make out the more obscure sections and connections. And I think it's cool that he makes no bones about being a Platonist ("scratch a mathematician, find a mystic!"). I'm so glad he spent the time to put all these ideas together in one volume! WARNING, bachelor's degree in math or physics pretty much necessary.

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