Out of this world
Subtitle: colliding universes, branes, strings, and other wild ideas of modern physics
By: Stephen Webb.
Publisher: Copernicus Books in association with Praxis
Published: 2004
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 308
Subjects: Physics -- Popular works
Genres: Popular works.
Other titles: Colliding universes, branes, strings, and other wild ideas of modern physics
Description: "Although it is now almost unanimously accepted that the cosmos started with the Big Bang, we still have no plausible theory for the forces that set this creative cataclysm into motion." "In Out Of This World, Stephen Webb examines recent theories. After introducing general relativity and quantum mechanics - the twin foundations of twentieth century physics - he explains how they are fundamentally incompatible. Then he introduces us to the seemingly outlandish and bizarre proposals - from almost unbelievably small particles to huge membranes that may envelope our Universe - that physicists have devised to account for this incompatibility, ultimately leading to us to wholly new realms of understanding."--BOOK JACKET
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 301-302) and index.
Table of contents: title: Symmetry; title: Twin pillars of physics; title: Building blocks of the universe; title: The standard model; title: GUTS and SUSY; title: Higher dimensions; title: Superstrings; title: The story of M; title: Of branes and black holes; title: Our world as a hologram; title: When worlds collide.