The Complete Idiot's Guide to String Theory (Paperback)

by George Musser (Author)
Key Phrases: loop theorists, candidate quantum theories, nonlocal links, Standard Model, The Least You Need, Large Hadron Collider (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“Despite the crazy title, this is an excellent popular account of string theory. As the astronomer Martin Rees writes in the foreword, ‘For aliens, string theory may be a doddle. But for most of us humans, they are a Himalayan challenge.’ So, this book is to be welcomed, not only for explaining the physics in an easily assimilated way, but also for articulating why superstrings and the rest of fundamental physics matter at all. This is something that physicists themselves rarely do. Best of all, Musser, a staff editor and writer at Scientific American, tackles the controversial aspects of string theory, which have been the subject of much journalistic nonsense lately, and gets it all just about right.”
—Physics World, December 2008

“… is actually a thoroughly worthwhile read, doing as good a job as you could hope for in reducing the Gordian complexity of string theory into something that intelligent readers feel that they understand.”
—Physics Education, November 2008

Product Description
Everything is connected…

We’re living in the midst of a scientific revolution that’s captured the general public’s attention and imagination. The aim of this new revolution is to develop a “theory of everything”—a set of laws of physics that will explain all that can be explained, ranging from the tiniest subatomic particle to the universe as a whole. Here, readers will learn the ideas behind the theories, and their effects upon our world, our civilization, and ourselves.



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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592577024
• ISBN-13: 978-1592577026
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,290 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction , July 22, 2008

By	Andrew (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This is a very well written book, easy to read, flows very well from topic to topic, doesn't spend too much time on any single area and has excellent coverage.
This book is for you if:
-You are looking for a good overview of the challenges that String theory is trying to solve
-You are not interested in a book of Math formula's (there is no math) or a book that just reprints the theory
-You are interested in a balanced view including discussions of alternative theories (it mostly covers String theory but it does highlight how other theories deal with the problem) as opposed to bashing other theories
-You have read several other books but still don't see the big picture
-You are not interested in a history lesson on how great the author is and all of his friends and all the other guys are nuts
Hope this helps

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wide ranging, August 25, 2008

By	Bebop Brain "Bebop Brain" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

A chunk of the book covers relativity.
Quantum mechanics is presented with its incompatibilities.
With these formalities over with, string theory is discussed.

There are some difficulties here.
Profound conclusions are presented without much background.
The conflicting view points get tiresome.
There is not much of a climax at the end.
But these problems are inherent to the subject matter.

The digressions and historical bits are always interesting.
The endless analogies to everyday life are better than you would expect.
There is a joy about the audacity of the subject which comes through.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I do not like "..Idiot's Guide...", October 4, 2008

By	Wojciech Langer (Toronto, Ontario) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

..as a part of a title. Idiots do not read such books. I may say, you will like this easy to follow review of relativity, QM, the Standard Model, the possibility of time travel, and more. Then explore alternatives to string theory. All this conveyed in everyday, even breezy, language. The next few years will be critical for string theory. LHC will begin to smash particles into bits to see what they are made of and give new types a chance to form. But finishing the job will probably require new conceptual input , as author indicates. Good quick read ..from micro to large scale cosmology.