Einstein's Brainchild: Relativity Made Relatively Easy! [Hardcover]

Barry R. Parker (Author), Lori Scoffield-Beer (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2000

Through his eloquence, eye for detail, and clever use of Einsteinian cartoons and vivid illustrations, physicist and popular science writer Barry Parker enables the reader to see and appreciate for perhaps the first time, the full meaning of Einstein's Special and General Theory of Relativity, black holes, curved spacetime, and the possibility of time travel. Parker's incomparable gift for language captures Einstein's singular brilliance and stunning theories. The clarity of the writing coupled with the many illustrations will drive home the point why so many consider Einstein to be the greatest scientist who ever lived and "Time" magazine named Albert Einstein 'Person of the Century'.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Space is curved. And time is part of space. And space and time contract as you speed up. Moreover, nothing can go faster than light. Nothing gets out of a black hole. "Acceleration and gravity [are] intimately related." These and other counterintuitive properties of our (expanding) universe all emerged from Einstein's theories of special and general relativity. Their consequences reshaped the world of physicsAand their complexity has given generations of popularizers plenty of work. The latest book to tackle Einstein's insights and their consequences is also one of the clearest and shortest yet. Parker (Search for a Supertheory, etc.), a longtime professor of physics at Idaho State University, explains Einstein's theories in nonmathematical language, along with their famous predictions, tests and implications. A particularly strong chapter (with a full complement of clean diagrams) addresses the theory and practice of time travel. Parker looks with a friendly eye at the private lives of Einstein and his physicist contemporaries (his first chapter covers "Einstein as a Youth"). But he devotes more space to the life of the universeAto its initial big bang and to its probable, gradual end. Starting with the 1887 Michelson-Morley experiment (which proved the nonexistence of an invisible, omnipresent stuff called ether), Parker addresses the findings that moved Einstein to his discoveries. Later chapters outline relativity's successors in the march of theoretical physics, notably quantum theory and Heisenberg's principle of uncertainty, which Einstein himself refused to accept. Students and others looking for fascinating and painless introductions to this particular, well-traveled, but still-startling corner of the sciences will be happy with Parker as their guide. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

For an easy introduction to Albert Einstein, the standard is Joseph Schwartz and Michael McGuinness's Einstein for Beginners (1990), a cartoon classic with a Socialist slant. Parker, a former physics professor and prolific science writer (Alien Life: The Search for Extraterrestrials and Beyond), tries his hand at making Einstein's theories accessible to a general audience but falls short of the best efforts in this area. Perhaps the main flaw is that he studiously avoids mention of politics or the atomic bomb yet still tries to take his reader beyond just the science of relativity. The result seems watered down. Parker describes how "hundreds of reporters were soon besieging" Einstein after the confirmation of his theory of relativity, but the reader is left unsure why an unknown physics professor with a theory nobody understood became an overnight celebrity. Parker's scientific writing is nicely done, but the oversimplified diagrams don't help clarify a complex subject. Readers looking for a good introduction should stick to the cartoon or try Denis Brian's fine biography, Einstein: A Life (LJ 4/15/96).AAmy Brunvand, Univ. of Utah, Marriott Lib., Salt Lake City
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; 3rd Edition edition (September 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573928577
• ISBN-13: 978-1573928571
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #672,967 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #65 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( E ) > Einstein, Albert

More About the Author

I am a professor emeritus at Idaho State University where I taught physics and astronomy for 30 years. I also taught a writing class at night school at the university for several years. I am the author of 24 books and have written for the Smithsonian, Encyclopedia, Britannica, Time-Life Books, the Washington Post, and numerous magazines such as "Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, Flyfisherman, and Fishing World." My most recent books are "Good Vibrations: The Physics of Music," "Write a Book that Will Sell," and "You Should Write a Book." I now spend most of my time writing, but also enjoy travelling, hiking and fishing. Most of my early books were on popular science, but I've now branched into other areas. My webpage is BarryParkerbooks.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice book!, April 16, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Einstein's Brainchild: Relativity Made Relatively Easy! (Hardcover)

This book is great! It answers every question you've ever had about the universe, plus tons more. Not only does it tell you about Einstein's theories, it tells you about his life, friends, competitors, everything! I have learned so much from this book! Don't think it is written for children, because it is most certainly not. I got confused sometimes, but not too much. I recommend this to anyone with an interest in space or anything to do with it, it is really quite fascinating, especially because I want to be an astrological physicist when I'm older!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Blends cartoons and illustrations with a lively discourse, February 13, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Einstein's Brainchild: Relativity Made Relatively Easy! (Hardcover)

Relativity is made easier in Einstein's Brainchild which brings Albert Einstein's theories to life with bright, involving writing. This traces both the story of his life and the theories he envisioned, blending cartoons and illustrations with a lively discourse on the meaning of Einstein's insights, applicable to the modern world. Highly recommended.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good primer, December 27, 2004

By 

Jorge Barbarosa "the_bassist" (the back 9) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Einstein's Brainchild: Relativity Made Relatively Easy! (Hardcover)

This book gives a great intro to Einstein, that's understandable and lends to the appreciation as to what a great thinker Einstein truly was.

Other great books along this same vein are E=MC2, and Fermats Enigma, the latter gets a bit deeps towards the end but the beginning chapters really flesh out number theory in a historical context that really freshens the mathematic atmosphere.

Will aspiring mathematics majors appreciate Einstein's Brainchild? If you involve yourself with the process of introduction and discourse, they probably would!

Enjoy!