In Search of Time: The History, Physics, and Philosophy of Time
Autor Dan Falken Limba Engleză Paperback – 31 dec 2009
Time surrounds us. It defines our experience of the world; it echoes through our every waking hour. Time is the very foundation of conscious experience. Yet as familiar as it is, time is also deeply mysterious. We cannot see, hear, smell, taste, or touch it. Yet we do "feel" it or at least we "think" we feel it. No wonder poets, writers, philosophers, and scientists have grappled with time for centuries.
In his latest book, award-winning science writer Dan Falk chronicles the story of how humans have come to understand time over the millennia, and by drawing from the latest research in physics, psychology, and other fields, Falk shows how that understanding continues to evolve. "In Search of Time" begins with our earliest ancestors' perception of time and the discoveries that led with much effort to the Gregorian calendar, atomic clocks, and "leap seconds." Falk examines the workings of memory, the brain's remarkable "bridge across time," and asks whether humans are unique in their ability to recall the past and imagine the future. He explores the possibility of time travel, and the paradoxes it seems to entail. Falk looks at the quest to comprehend the beginning of time and how time and the universe may end. Finally, he examines the puzzle of time's "flow," and the remarkable possibility that the passage of time may be an illusion.
Entertaining, illuminating, and ultimately thought provoking, "In Search of Time "reveals what some of our most insightful thinkers have had to say about time, from Aristotle to Kant, from Newton to Einstein, and continuing with the brightest minds of today."
Preț: 136.44 lei
Nou
26.11€ • 27.58$ • 21.83£
Carte disponibilă
Livrare economică 11-25 decembrie
Specificații
ISBN-10: 0312603517
Pagini: 329
Dimensiuni: 140 x 213 x 23 mm
Greutate: 0.41 kg
Editura: Thomas Dunne Books
Locul publicării:New York, NY, United States
Recenzii
""Falk seamlessly combines science with literary and philosophical observations ... and digresses to fascinating topics like root notions of past and future, the vagaries of memory and the behavior of birds at breakfast time. Rounding out his multi-course feast, Falk contrasts Newton's notion of '[a]bsolute, true, and mathematical' time with Einstein's final words in 1955, 'the distinction of past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion, ' to present modern speculations on black holes and the universe's future." -- "Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Dan Falk is a riveting writer: his latest book is almost unputdownable. He covers an eclectic range of fascinating topics -- from prehistory to the far future. Time is a mysterious commodity: we gain, spend, save and lose it. But everyone should make enough time to read In Search of Time." -- Martin J. Rees, author of Just Six Numbers and Our Final Hour "From the Hardcover edition."
"Falk's book is what Hawking's "Brief History" should have been."--"The Ottawa Citizen" "In this thoroughly readable, broad-sweeping and thought-provoking book, Falk surveys humanity's attempts to record and understand time, and poses some fascinating questions." --"New Scientist" magazine "An engaging writer who fearlessly tackles potentially brain-freezing topics." --"San Francisco Chronicle"
"Falk selects, organizes and interprets a mass of lore for our enlightenment and pleasure. We owe him."--"Scientific American""Falk is a great writer."--"BBC Focus "
"Falk seamlessly combines science with literary and philosophical observations...and digresses to fascinating topics like root notions of past and future, the vagaries of memory and the behavior of birds at breakfast time." --"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)
"Dan Falk is a riveting writer: his latest book is almost unputdownable. He covers an eclectic range of fascinating topics--from prehistory to the far future. Time is a mysterious commodity: we gain, spend, save, and lose it. But everyone should make enough time to read In Search of Time." --Martin J. Rees, author of "Just Six Numbers" and "Our Final Hour"
PRAISE FOR UNIVERSE ON A T-SHIRT:
"Mixing simple explanation and personal profiles with touches of philosophy and whimsy, T-Shirt gives a highly accessible introduction to some tough and important physics." --"American Scientist"
"Crisply written, well researched." --"Sky & Telescope"
"[Falk] has a wonderful gift for finding helpful analogies and for writing about science in a way that is accessible without sounding dumbed down." --"Booklist"
"Falk endorses the idea that the best hope for a so-called theory of everything is in string theory, a difficult area of science that Falk nevertheless deftly unravels for the uninitiated." --"Science News"
"Falk delivers a readable, entertaining, and fresh take on the subject. Most significant, he has achieved something original: more cleverly and cleanly than anything I can recall reading, the book itself unifies the story of the search for unifying principles in science." --"The Globe and Mail"
Notă biografică
Descriere
In his latest book, award-winning science writer Dan Falk chronicles the story of how humans have come to understand time over the millennia, and by drawing from the latest research in physics, psychology, and other fields, Falk shows how that understanding continues to evolve. "In Search of Time" begins with our earliest ancestors' perception of time and the discoveries that led--with much effort--to the Gregorian calendar, atomic clocks, and "leap seconds." Falk examines the workings of memory, the brain's remarkable "bridge across time," and asks whether humans are unique in their ability to recall the past and imagine the future. He explores the possibility of time travel, and the paradoxes it seems to entail. Falk looks at the quest to comprehend the beginning of time and how time--and the universe--may end. Finally, he examines the puzzle of time's "flow," and the remarkable possibility that the passage of time may be an illusion.
Entertaining, illuminating, and ultimately thought provoking, "In Search of Time "reveals what some of our most insightful thinkers have had to say about time, from Aristotle to Kant, from Newton to Einstein, and continuing with the brightest minds of today.