[PDF] The Constants Of Nature eBook

Author : John Barrow
Publisher : Vintage
Page : 370 pages
File Size : 40,24 MB
Release : 2009-05-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 0307555356

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Reality as we know it is bound by a set of constants—numbers and values that dictate the strengths of forces like gravity, the speed of light, and the masses of elementary particles. In The Constants of Nature, Cambridge Professor and bestselling author John D.Barrow takes us on an exploration of these governing principles. Drawing on physicists such as Einstein and Planck, Barrow illustrates with stunning clarity our dependence on the steadfastness of these principles. But he also suggests that the basic forces may have been radically different during the universe’s infancy, and suggests that they may continue a deeply hidden evolution. Perhaps most tantalizingly, Barrow theorizes about the realities that might one day be found in a universe with different parameters than our own.

Author : John D. Barrow
Publisher : Random House
Page : 370 pages
File Size : 38,93 MB
Release : 2003
Category : Astronomy
ISBN : 0099286475

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A major contribution to our understanding of the basic laws of the universe -- from the author of The Book of Nothing. The constants of nature are the fundamental laws of physics that apply throughout the universe: gravity, velocity of light, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. They encode the deepest secrets of the universe, and express at once our greatest knowledge and our greatest ignorance about the cosmos. Their existence has taught us the profound truth that nature abounds with unseen regularities. Yet while we have become skilled at measuring the values of these constants, our frustrating inability to explain or predict their values shows how much we have still to learn about inner workings of the universe. What is the ultimate status of these constants of nature? Are they truly constant? And are there other universes where they are different? John D. Barrow, one of our foremost mathematicians and cosmologists, discusses the latest thinking about these and many more dramatic issues in this accessible and thought-provoking book. "From the Hardcover edition.

Author : Peter Johnson
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 317 pages
File Size : 43,88 MB
Release : 2019-01-04
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0429790708

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First published in 1997, this volume constitutes an attempt to resolve certain misunderstandings and ignorance concerning the constants of Nature. Its purpose is to look closely at the philosophical arguments made to support the customary conventional view of measurement, particularly with regard to constants. Peter Johnson argues that historic accounts provide only a partial understanding of the nature of constants, and that the conventionalism that rises relates only to the numerical representations used to quantify the measurement of quantities.

Author : Martin Rees
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 140 pages
File Size : 29,37 MB
Release : 2008-08-04
Category : Science
ISBN : 0786723580

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How did a single "genesis event" create billions of galaxies, black holes, stars and planets? How did atoms assemble -- here on earth, and perhaps on other worlds -- into living beings intricate enough to ponder their origins? What fundamental laws govern our universe?This book describes new discoveries and offers remarkable insights into these fundamental questions. There are deep connections between stars and atoms, between the cosmos and the microworld. Just six numbers, imprinted in the "big bang," determine the essential features of our entire physical world. Moreover, cosmic evolution is astonishingly sensitive to the values of these numbers. If any one of them were "untuned," there could be no stars and no life. This realization offers a radically new perspective on our universe, our place in it, and the nature of physical laws.

Author : Anonymous
Publisher : Legare Street Press
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 14,96 MB
Release : 2023-07-18
Category :
ISBN : 9781022868663

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In this groundbreaking work, Barrow explores the fundamental constants that shape our universe. From the speed of light to Planck's constant, he investigates the ways in which these fundamental values have been discovered and the role they play in our understanding of the cosmos. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Author : G. W. Gibbons
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 604 pages
File Size : 49,3 MB
Release : 1993
Category : Science
ISBN : 9789810205164

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The Euclidean approach to Quantum Gravity was initiated almost 15 years ago in an attempt to understand the difficulties raised by the spacetime singularities of classical general relativity which arise in the gravitational collapse of stars to form black holes and the entire universe in the Big Bang. An important motivation was to develop an approach capable of dealing with the nonlinear, non-perturbative aspects of quantum gravity due to topologically non-trivial spacetimes. There are important links with a Riemannian geometry. Since its inception the theory has been applied to a number of important physical problems including the thermodynamic properties of black holes, quantum cosmology and the problem of the cosmological constant. It is currently at the centre of a great deal of interest.This is a collection of survey lectures and reprints of some important lectures on the Euclidean approach to quantum gravity in which one expresses the Feynman path integral as a sum over Riemannian metrics. As well as papers on the basic formalism there are sections on Black Holes, Quantum Cosmology, Wormholes and Gravitational Instantons.

Author : Geraint F. Lewis
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 395 pages
File Size : 48,43 MB
Release : 2016-10-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 1316715221

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Over the last forty years, scientists have uncovered evidence that if the Universe had been forged with even slightly different properties, life as we know it - and life as we can imagine it - would be impossible. Join us on a journey through how we understand the Universe, from its most basic particles and forces, to planets, stars and galaxies, and back through cosmic history to the birth of the cosmos. Conflicting notions about our place in the Universe are defined, defended and critiqued from scientific, philosophical and religious viewpoints. The authors' engaging and witty style addresses what fine-tuning might mean for the future of physics and the search for the ultimate laws of nature. Tackling difficult questions and providing thought-provoking answers, this volumes challenges us to consider our place in the cosmos, regardless of our initial convictions.

Author : J Barrow
Publisher : Jonathan Cape
Page : pages
File Size : 17,38 MB
Release : 2002-10-03
Category :
ISBN : 9780224061438

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The constants of Nature are the fundamental laws of physics that apply throughout the universe: gravity, velocity of light, electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. They encode the deepest secrets of the Universe, and express at once our greatest knowledge and our greatest ignorance about the cosmos. Their existence has taught us the profound truth that Nature abounds with unseen regularities. Yet, while we have become skilled at measuring the values of these constants, our frustrating inability to explain or predict their values shows how much we have still to learn about inner workings of the Universe. What is the ultimate status of these constants of Nature? Do we know why they are as they are? Are they truly constant? Are they everywhere the same? Are they all linked? Could life have evolved and persisted if they were even slightly different? And are there other Universes where they are different? These are some of the issues that this book will grapple with. It will look back to the discoveries of the first constants of Nature and the impact they had on scientists like Einstein. New theories of the Universe lead us to expect that other dimensions of space exist.Our constants of Nature may offer us a unique window into higher dimensions of space. This book also tells the story of a tantalising new development in astronomy. For the first time astronomical observations are suggesting that some of the constants of Nature were different when the Universe was younger. So are our laws of Nature slowly changing? Is anything about our Universe immune from the ravages of time? Are there any constants of Nature at all? Read this book to discover the latest thinking about these dramatic questions.

Author : Lev Borisovi? Oku?
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 323 pages
File Size : 22,73 MB
Release : 2009
Category : Science
ISBN : 9812814124

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This is the first book in which Einstein's equation is explicitly compared with its popular though not correct counterpart E = mc2, according to which mass increases with velocity. The book will be of interest to researchers in theoretical, atomic and nuclear physics, to historians of science as well as to students and teachers interested in relativity theory.