There is an ill-concealed skeleton in the closet of physics: "As they are currently formulated, general relativity and quantum mechanics cannot both be right." Each is exceedingly accurate in its field: general relativity explains the behavior of the universe at large scales, while quantum mechanics describes the behavior of subatomic particles. Yet the theories collide horribly under extreme conditions such as black holes or times close to the big bang. Brian Greene, a specialist in quantum field theory, believes that the two pillars of physics can be reconciled in superstring theory, a theory of everything.

Superstring theory has been called "a part of 21st-century physics that fell by chance into the 20th century." In other words, it isn't all worked out yet. Despite the uncertainties--"string theorists work to find approximate solutions to approximate equations"--Greene gives a tour of string theory solid enough to satisfy the scientifically literate.

Though Ed Witten of the Institute for Advanced Study is in many ways the human hero of The Elegant Universe, it is not a human-side-of-physics story. Greene's focus throughout is the science, and he gives the nonspecialist at least an illusion of understanding--or the sense of knowing what it is that you don't know. And that is traditionally the first step on the road to knowledge. --Mary Ellen Curtin


From Publishers Weekly
One of the more compelling scientific (cum-theological) questions in the Middle Ages was: "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" Today's version in cutting-edge science is, "How many strings... ?" As posited by s tring theory physics, strings are furiously vibrating loops of stuff. The concept of strings was devised to help scientists describe simultaneously both energy and matter. The frequency and resonance of strings' vibration, just like those of strings on an instrument, determine charge, spin and other familiar properties of energy?and eventually the structure of the universe: a true music of the spheres. There's a chance that strings are themselves made up of something still smaller. But scientists can prove their existence only on the blackboard and computer, because they are much too tiny?a hundred billion billion times smaller than the nucleus of an atom?to be observed experimentally. Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Cornell and Columbia universities, makes the terribly complex theory of strings accessible to all. He possesses a remarkable gift for using the everyday to illustrate what may be going on in dimensions beyond our feeble human perception. Just when we might be tempted to dismiss strings as grist for the publish-or-perish mill, Greene explains how they have demonstrated connections between mathematics and physics that have helped solve age-old conundrums in each field. This book will appeal to astronomy as well as math and physics fans because it probes the important insights string theory gives into hotly debated issues in cosmology. Later chapters require careful attention to Greene's explications, but the effort will prepare readers to follow the scientific advances likely to be made in the next millennium through application of string theory. Author tour. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Based on the best-selling 1999 book, this long abridgment describes the inconsistencies between the theory of general relativity and quantum mechanics. No reader yet. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


New York Times Book Review, 21 February 1999, George Johnson
Green goes beyond Kaku's book ["Beyond Einstein"], exploring the ideas and recent developments with a depth and clarity I wouldn't have thought possible. Like Simon Singh in "Fermat's Enigma," he has a rare ability to explain even the most evanescent ideas in a way that gives at least the illusion of understanding....Rather than recycling the tired old set pieces science writers too often fall back upon, he develops one fresh new insight after another....In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, "The Elegant Universe" sets a standard that will be hard to beat.


Scientific American, Chris Quigg
...[a] thoughtful and important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations--and some of the characters--of string theory with clarity and charm. It is both a personal story and the tale of a great intellectual movement.


Los Angeles Times Book Review, K.C. Cole, 7 March 1999
[A]n ambitious, patient, and frequently personal attempt to bring both the beauty and substance of string theory down to Earth for the general public.


Washington Post Book World, Marcia Bartusiak, 7 March 1999
Greene does an admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms. Throughout his work, he writes with poetic eloquence and style.


From Kirkus Reviews
Superstring theory may provide the long-sought unification of physics for which Einstein sought in vain. Here is a look at the current state of the quest. Greene (a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia and Cornell) begins by pointing out the central problem of modern physics. Quantum mechanics and general relativity both work perfectly, and they cannot both be right. Relativity works for large, massive objects; quantum theory for tiny ones. Normally, the two realms can be kept separate. Yet increasingly, physics deals with phenomena such as black holes, where the conflicts are impossible to avoid. Out of the search for a more complete explanation came string theory. Its foundations were laid down some 30 years ago by Gabriele Venizano, who found that a two-century-old formula by Leonard Euler described subatomic particles more elegantly than existing theory. The relationships would make sense if elementary particles were not pointlike, but elongated and vibrating, like tiny musical stringsin one sense, a modern version of the ancient metaphor of the music of the spheres. It took a while for physicists to embrace string theory; for one thing, it seemed to predict things nobody had ever seen. And despite its formidable explanatory power, its mathematical expressions were often even more formidableGreene describes some of the equations as nearly impossible to understand, let alone solve. Still, it has the right look about it, and two waves of enthusiasm (one in the mid-1980s, the other ten years later) have convinced many physicists of the theory's probable validity. Greene deftly summarizes these findings, in areas from subatomic-particle theory to cosmology, with occasional forays into deeper waters such as the ten-dimensional structure of the universe, with several dimensions folded undetectably back into themselves. A final chapter forecasts that string theory will become the standard physical model in the next century. Entertaining and well-writtenpossibly the clearest popular treatment to date of this complex subject. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


From Book News, Inc.
Greene, originator of groundbreaking discoveries in superstring theory, describes exciting new research in the field and discusses implications for the future of science. Using plain language with no math or technical jargon, he tells how superstring theory identifies nature's fundamental building blocks, which turn out to be, not subatomic particles, but vibrating strands whose vibrational patterns account for all of nature's forces. He combines everyday examples, b&w diagrams, and a sense of fun to illustrate complicated concepts. Book News, Inc.®, Portland, OR


Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study
Everyone who is curious about the horizons of theoretical physics—past, present, and future—will enjoy this book.


David M. Lee, professor of physics, Cornell University
[A] beautifully crafted account of string theory...a delightful; read for the professional.


Shing-Tung Yau, Harvard University; Fields Medalist, winner of the National Medal of Science
[A] tour-de-force of science writing...peels away layers of detail and reveals the stunning essence of cutting-edge physics.


New York Times Book Review, 21 February 1999, George Johnson
In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, [Greene] sets a standard that will be hard to beat.


American Scientist, March/April 1999
A] well-written account—without equations—from the forefront of cosmology and physics.


Washington Post Book World, Marcia Bartusiak, 7 March 1999
An admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms.


Publishers Weekly, 11 January 1999
Brian Greene...makes the terribly complex theory of strings accessible to all.


New York
Compulsively readable....Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes.


Los Angeles Times
As rewarding as it gets....A thrilling ride through a lovely landscape.


Review
"The Elegant Universe is compulsively readable.... Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes."  -New York

"[An] important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations-and some of the characters-of string theory with clarity and charm."  -Scientific American

"As good as it gets.... [A] thrilling ride through a lovely landscape."  -Los Angeles Times

"[Greene] writes with poetic eloquence and style.... [He] does an admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms."  -The Washington Post Book World

"[Greene's metaphors oftten provide beauty and power.... The Elegant Universe is a rewarding read."  -Discovery Magazine

"String theory is the hottest idea to emerge in physics since Stephen Hawking gazed into a black hole.... [Greene] explain[s] it in terms that anyone can understand."  -San Francisco Chronicle


Book Description
A new edition of the New York Times bestseller—now a three-part Nova special on PBS-TV coming in Fall 2003: a fascinating and thought-provoking journey through the mysteries of space, time, and matter. Now with a new preface (not in any other edition) that will review the enormous public reception of the relatively obscure string theory—made possible by this book and an increased number of adherents amongst physicists—The Elegant Universe "sets a standard that will be hard to beat" (New York Times Book Review). Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions, where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter—from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas—is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy. Today physicists and mathematicians throughout the world are feverishly working on one of the most ambitious theories ever proposed: superstring theory. String theory, as it is often called, is the key to the Unified Field Theory that eluded Einstein for more than thirty years. Finally, the century-old antagonism between the large and the small-General Relativity and Quantum Theory-is resolved. String theory proclaims that all of the wondrous happenings in the universe, from the frantic dancing of subatomic quarks to the majestic swirling of heavenly galaxies, are reflections of one grand physical principle and manifestations of one single entity: microscopically tiny vibrating loops of energy, a billionth of a billionth the size of an atom. In this brilliantly articulated and refreshingly clear book, Greene relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind twentieth-century physics' search for a theory of everything. Through the masterful use of metaphor and analogy, The Elegant Universe makes some of the most sophisticated concepts ever contemplated viscerally accessible and thoroughly entertaining, bringing us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.


Book Info
Explains the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions. A lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works. Softcover. DLC: Superstring theories.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Take a mind-blowing new theory in physics presented by a charismatic scientist and you've got the recipe for a bestselling science book. In this excellent introduction to string theory (in its simplest form, the theory describes the ultimate matter of the universe as being more like vibrating strings than points of matter), Greene explains clearly its potential to alter our understanding of the universe -- perhaps revealing, for example, the existence of hidden extraspatial dimensions.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

String theory, many physicists believe, is the key to the unified field theory that eluded Einstein for more than thirty years. At last, science has found a way to overcome the nearly century-old rift between the laws of the large - general relativity - and the laws of the small - quantum mechanics. String theory deftly unites these two pillars of modern physics into a single, harmonious whole by declaring that all of the wondrous happenings in the universe arise from the vibrations of one single entity: microscopically tiny loops of energy that lie deep within the heart of matter.

In this articulated and clear book, Brian Greene relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind the search for the ultimate theory. Through the artful use of metaphor and analogy, The Elegant Universe makes some of the most sophisticated concepts ever contemplated viscerally accessible and thoroughly entertaining, bringing us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.

SYNOPSIS

Explains the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of eleven dimensions. A lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.

FROM THE CRITICS

George Johnson - The New York Times Book Review

Greene...explor[es] the ideas and recent developments with a depth and clarity I wouldn't have thought possible. He has a rare ability to explain even the most evanescent ideas in a way that gives at least the illusion of understnding.He developes one fresh new insight after another....In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat.

New York Magazine

Compulsively readable. Greene threatens to do for string theory what Steven Hawking did for black holes.

LA Times Book Review

A thrilling ride through a lovely landscape....As rewarding as it gets...A compelling human saga.

Publishers Weekly

One of the more compelling scientific (cum-theological) questions in the Middle Ages was: "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" Today's version in cutting-edge science is, "How many strings... ?" As posited by s tring theory physics, strings are furiously vibrating loops of stuff. The concept of strings was devised to help scientists describe simultaneously both energy and matter. The frequency and resonance of strings' vibration, just like those of strings on an instrument, determine charge, spin and other familiar properties of energy — and eventually the structure of the universe: a true music of the spheres. There's a chance that strings are themselves made up of something still smaller. But scientists can prove their existence only on the blackboard and computer, because they are much too tiny — a hundred billion billion times smaller than the nucleus of an atom — to be observed experimentally. Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Cornell and Columbia universities, makes the terribly complex theory of strings accessible to all. He possesses a remarkable gift for using the everyday to illustrate what may be going on in dimensions beyond our feeble human perception. Just when we might be tempted to dismiss strings as grist for the publish-or-perish mill, Greene explains how they have demonstrated connections between mathematics and physics that have helped solve age-old conundrums in each field. This book will appeal to astronomy as well as math and physics fans because it probes the important insights string theory gives into hotly debated issues in cosmology. Later chapters require careful attention to Greene's explications, but the effort will prepare readers to follow the scientific advances likely to be made in the next millennium through application of string theory.

Library Journal

These days, physicists are bubbling over with talk of strings--tiny, vibrating loops of matter, seen as the building blocks of nature, that may serve to unite the divergent theories of quantum mechanics and relativity. For the rest of us, wunderkind Columbia professor Greene provides just the sort of nervy, imaginative metaphors that make understanding snap into place. (LJ 2/15/99) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information. Read all 9 "From The Critics" >

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Michio Kaku

Greene does a masterful job in presenting complex materials in a lively, engaging manner. Highly recommended. — Author of Hyperspace

Edward Witten