The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything [Hardcover]

Paul Halpern (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047146595X | ISBN-13: 978-0471465959 | Publication Date: July 5, 2004

The concept of multiple unperceived dimensions in the universe is one of the hottest topics in contemporary physics. It is essential to current attempts to explain gravity and the underlying structure of the universe. The Great Beyond begins with Einstein’s famous quarrel with Heisenberg and Bohr, whose theories of uncertainty threatened the order Einstein believed was essential to the universe, and it was his rejection of uncertainty that drove him to ponder the existence of a fifth dimension. Beginning with this famous disagreement and culminating with an explanation of the newest "brane" approach, author Paul Halpern shows how current debates about the nature of reality began as age-old controversies, and addresses how the possibility of higher dimensions has influenced culture over the past one hundred years.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ever since Plato first told his students the allegory of the cave, people have wondered whether dimensions exist beyond the three we immediately perceive. An extra dimension—time—played a role in Einstein's work, although he saw it only as a necessary evil to get his equations to work. Other scientists were more receptive: mathematical physicists Oskar Klein and Theodor Kaluza made higher dimensions an integral part of their attempts to discover a "theory of everything" that would tie together strong and weak nuclear forces, electromagnetism and gravity. Halpern explains that over the past century gravity has been the shadow flickering on the walls of the cave hinting at other realms. Why is it so weak compared with electromagnetism? With string theory, and its successor, M-theory, physicists speculate that gravity "leaks" back and forth between our reality, an 11-dimensional "brane" (or membrane) and other branes, perhaps as close as a millimeter away. Halpern masterfully creates word pictures to illustrate mind-bending scientific theories, and he paints highly detailed sketches of the scientists involved—sometimes too detailed, leading readers to lose the thread of the narrative. Science buffs won't find much new here, but for average readers, this is an accessible account of the search for what lies behind our dim perception of reality. B&w photos.
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Review

“…remarkably accessible….” (Sky & Telescope, February 2005)

“Halpern dug out some historical details that other writers miss and this helps make the string picture more complete” (Focus, December 2004)

Many physicists are continuing to work toward the fabled goal of a “theory of everything.” A successful theory would unify the four known physical forces – gravity, electromagnetism, and the nuclear strong and weak forces – and case some light upon newly discovered cosmological phenomena and puzzles. Quite a few theoreticians are attempting to use postulated extra dimensions to come up with a workable product; fantastic as it may seem, a universe containing ten or 11 dimensions offers considerable promise. Halpern (physics & mathematics, Univ. of the Sciences, Philadelphia) takes a historical approach to examining the advancement of multidimensional theory. Kaluza, Klein, Einstein, and many other contributors over the past 100 years are discussed, and their work is described at a level appropriate for a general audience.  Only Halpern’s terminology and the pace of the discussion in the last few chapters will challenge nonspecialists.  Recommended for academic and large public libraries. – Jack W. Weigel, Ann Arbor, MI (Library Journal, July 2004)

Ever since Plato first told his students the allegory of the cave, people have wondered whether dimensions exist beyond the three we immediately perceive. An extra dimension—time—played a role in Einstein’s work, although he saw it only as a necessary evil to get his equations to work. Other scientists were more receptive: mathematical physicists Oskar Klein and Theodor Kaluza made higher dimensions an integral part of their attempts to discover a “theory of everything” that would tie together strong and weak nuclear forces, electromagnetism and gravity. Halpern explains that over the past century gravity has been the shadow flickering on the walls of the cave hinting at other realms. Why is it so weak compared with electromagnetism? With string theory, and its successor, M-theory, physicists speculate that gravity “leaks” back and forth between our reality, an 11-dimensional “brane” (or membrane) and other branes, perhaps as close as a millimeter away. Halpern masterfully creates word pictures to illustrate mind-bending scientific theories, and he paints highly detailed sketches of the scientists involved—sometimes too detailed, leading readers to lose the thread of the narrative. Science buffs won’t find much new here, but for average readers, this is an accessible account of the search for what lies behind our dim perception of reality. B&w photos. Agent, Giles Anderson. (July 16) (Publishers Weekly, June 7, 2004)

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (July 5, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047146595X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471465959
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,181,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Physicist and writer Paul Halpern is the author of twelve popular science books, exploring the subjects of space, time, extrasolar planets, particle physics, higher dimensions and cosmology. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright Scholarship and an Athenaeum Literary Award. His most recent book examines the Large Hadron Collider and the quest for the fundamental particles of the universe.

More information about Paul Halpern's books and other writings can be found at:
www.phalpern.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Adds a new dimension to the subject, July 25, 2004

By 

fermat1 - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything (Hardcover)

This book is more, much more, than the usual treatment of relativity, Kaluza-Klein theory, Yang-Mills and hyperspace that one finds in mass-market publications. It does not assume previous knowledge of these subjects, so the reader is introduced to them in a logical, understandable manner. But the physics itself is only part of what makes this book special.

What Paul Halpern does so well is create a thoughtful, flowing, compelling, easily-digested history of dreams -the dreams of real people with incredible scientific abilities, but also suffering the same human frailties and fateful circumstances as the rest of us. Brilliant theoreticians have had to create original, transcending scientific advancement under conditions that most people would find daunting, from the 1930s, when famous German universities with rich mathematical traditions were decimated overnight, to Islamist Iran which caused at least one future physicist to begin his escape to Canada on horseback.

Physicists have had to contend with all kinds of obstacles in the quest for a Theory of Everything (as Einstein termed it), not least of which were their own internal disagreements that were sometimes based on rather capricious criteria. Einstein, rather famously, was known for dismissing quantum theory on the grounds that God does not play dice, but in his later years he went beyond that, apparently trying to place himself in God's position to decide which direction to pursue. Pretty amazing stuff.

It's not all serious. There are some laughs here as well, such as Klein and Ehrenfest trading messages in Jocular Physics (reflecting the political times) and a supersymmetrical goof on the song "Macarena" (complete with lyrics).

Today, eleven dimensional M-theory is the standard. The book includes a splendid explanation of what this is and how it was derived. Care is taken to clarify difficult concepts, diagrams are offered, and research is neatly summarized. One is struck by how closely the author is plugged in to the current physics community and the breadth of his experience in multiple theoretical pursuits.

For me, the best aspect of the book is the original research that went into it. Dr. Halpern personally interviewed John Wheeler, Peter Bergmann, Stanley Deser, and others intimately connected (or related) to the icons of twentieth-century physics. He not only researched Einstein's letters and papers but tells us what they say about the character of the man and the meaning of his efforts. You are not only reading about the essential structure of the universe but also gaining valuable insight into human perspective and ambition. A great job by a great author.

39 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Cool Compass for the Known and Unknown Universe, July 8, 2004

By 

Fred S. (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything (Hardcover)

The Great Beyond is a new look at man's exploration of higher dimensions through the ages.

Paul Halpern blends tales of physicists' personal lives with explanations of abstruse theories and concepts. His description of wave theory and the paradigm shift from Maxwell and Newton to Einstein was as exciting as the earthshaking consequences of this upheaval.

And he is capable of drawing quite meaningful insights from the subject matter, such as,
"Nature is a study of vivid contrasts and subtle connections." The poet Gerard Manley Hopkins couldn't have said it better.

One of the hardest concepts to understand in human knowledge is Einstein's special theory of relativity. But Halpern makes it look easy with his brilliant metaphor of a Minute waltz concert where the pianist slows down his metronome, a lucid illustration of time dilation. Very clever analogies like these would make the book worth reading even without its other merits. No higher mathematics or quantum physics know-how is required; he's done all of the heavy lifting for you.

The chapters are divided into a series of easy-to-digest sections with intriguing titles like, "Tesseract Construction Kits," "Chasing a Lightwave," and "Life in Apartment 5-D." I suggest you read two or three a day to allow proper time for savoring these delicate morsels.

If you are an armchair scientist who enjoys reading George Gamow, Stephen Hawking, or Stephen Jay Gould, you'll love this book. I know I did.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Science writing at its best, September 3, 2005

By 

Victor S. Johnston "vsj" (Las Cruces, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything (Hardcover)

Halpern traces the history of an idea (multidimensional space) in the most exciting way I have encountered. I loved this book from cover to cover, and I can't imagine a better non-mathematical treatment of modern physics.