Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension [Paperback]

Michio Kaku (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0192861891 | ISBN-13: 978-0192861894 | Publication Date: October 1995

Already thoroughly familiar to the seasoned science fiction fan, Hyperspace is that realm which enables a spaceship captain to take his ship on a physics-defying shortcut (or "wormhole") to the outer shores of the Galaxy in less time than it takes a 747 to fly from New York to Tokyo. But in the past few years, physicists on the cutting edge of science have found that a 10-dimensional Hyperspace may actually exist, albeit at a scale almost too small to comprehend, smaller even than a quark; and that in spite of its tiny size, it may be the basis on which all the forces of nature will be united. This is the first book for a general audience on one of the latest, most exciting developments in modern science. In the past several years, theoretical physicists--the author among them--have discovered that the universe exists not merely in the four spacetime dimensions (3 of space + one of time) with which Einstein made us familiar, but rather as a ten-dimensional Hyperspace. Once the domain of the science fiction writer or the occultist, Hyperspace has recently been shown to be the only kind of space in which the laws of modern physics can be satisfactorily explained. Amazingly enough, many of the phenomena whose explanations have stymied 20th century physicists and cosmologists can now be perfectly clarified by using the ten dimensions of Hyperspace. Most importantly, Einstein's unfulfilled dream, the work on which he spent the last several decades of his life in vain--the unification of all the forces of nature--now sits waiting on the ten-dimensional doorstep of modern theoretical physicists. Michio Kaku--theoretical high-energy physicist, author, radio talkshow host, and nuclear disarmament activist--is one of the pioneers in the field of String Theory, which states that the basic constituents of our universe are not quarks or protons or electrons, but much smaller entities called "strings" or "superstrings", which vibrate--like violin strings--in 10 dimensional Hyperspace, and whose vibrations in different resonances are manifested in the elementary particles. In his book, Kaku takes the reader on a ride through Hyperspace to the edge of physics. On the way he gives crystal clear explanations of such formidable mathematical concepts as non-Euclidean Geometry, Kaluza-Klein Theory, and Supergravity, the everyday tools of the string theorist. Utilizing fascinating and often hilarious anecdotes from history, from art, and from science fiction, Kaku shows us that writers and artists--in addition to scientists--have been fascinated by multidimensional space for over a century. In fact, many of the weird effects created by such famous artists as Dali and Picasso can be explained and more appreciated with an eye on the fourth spatial dimension. Finally, Kaku shows us why the ability to master Hyperspace may be our only salvation from destruction at the end of space-time. This lively yet authoritative book is spiced with many whimsical illustrations in a style reminiscent of the late science writer George Gamow.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

How many dimensions do you live in? Three? Maybe that's all your commonsense sense perception perceives, but there is growing and compelling evidence to suggest that we actually live in a universe of ten real dimensions. Kaku has written an extraordinarily lucid and thought-provoking exploration of the theoretical and empirical bases of a ten-dimensional universe and even goes so far as to discuss possible practical implications--such as being able to escape the collapse of the universe. Yikes. Highly Recommended. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Since ingesting Einstein's relativity theory 50 years ago, physics fell down a quantum rabbit hole and, ever since, physicists' reports to the world of popular science have been curiouser and curiouser. This version, from the author of the graduate text Quantum Field Theory , is very curious as he delineates the "delicious contradictions" of the quantum revolution: that the new paradigms of subatomic matter require the existence of "hyperspace," an ultimate universe of many dimensions, to accomodate their mostly mathematical behaviors. Unified field theory as it is currently understood does not preclude any of the hypotheses that Kaku invites to this Mad Hatter's Theory Party: superstrings, parallel universes and, his centerpiece, time travel. Although occasionally facile, Kaku remains on solid theoretical ground up to the point of his untestable hypotheses, which lead to his more abstract arguments. In the past decade particle physics has lurched to astonishing contradictions and Kaku's adventurous, tantalizing book should not be penalized for promising more than present technology can test. His intellectual perceptions will thrill lay readers, SF fans and the physics-literate. Illustrations.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 359 pages
• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr (T) (October 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192861891
• ISBN-13: 978-0192861894
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (226 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,372,979 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

184 of 189 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outlines a leading candidate for the Theory of Everything, October 13, 2000

By 

Spiff (Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimens ion (Paperback)

Hyperspace is a book strongly focused on higher-dimensional space-time theories such as superstring and Kaluza-Klein-type. The 10 dimensional theory promises to vastly simplify the laws of nature and end our view of a three dimension universe. Kaku manages to compile lots of information in a very readable and fascinating book. You will understand how 10-D theories are basically simple and geometric, despite their mathematical complexity (which actually opened up new areas of mathematics).

Higher dimension theories allow us to reduce enormous amounts of information into a concise, elegant fashion that unites the two greatest theories of the 20th century: Quantum Theory and General Relativity.

Michio covers the basics of the theory, and its future implications for the future of physics and science, and even writes a few pages on the debate between the reductionism and holism in nature, and the aesthetic relation among physics, mathematics, religion and philosophy. The book flows very smoothly, never burying the reader under too many technical facts. It introduces higher dimension concepts, its relationship with currently accepted theories and the unification of all forces in ten dimensions.

Part 3 of the book starts getting heavier on astrophysics, covers Wormholes and potential gateways to other universes, black holes, parallel universes, time travel and colliding universes. Never Hollywood material, but the typical Stargate fan will probably still love this part. :-) Part 4 ends the book with thoughts on how mankind would can rule the universe if Hyperspace can be mastered, discussing the fate of the universe and its civilizations. Subjects like Entropy death, escape thru hyperspace and universal colonization are covered. Interesting, but lots of early speculation.

It is true that superstring theories currently appear impossible to test experimentally and may end up in the trash bin, but I don't think that limits this title's interest or renders it worthless. Michio's book is very well written and organized, making extremely difficult higher physics sound almost easy. Beware however, that this isn't really a good title for a complete beginner, and far from complex enough to leave some other readers satisfied. If you have some knowledge of the basics, you will be left with the impression that the ideas covered are simple, but it will only be an illusion; Very few people in the world fully master all the subjects covered. If having to understand the Riemann Metric Tensor is enough to make you run, you better keep away from this title. No knowledge in math is necessary, but of course, if you know your college math, you'll know what's happening, in some parts instead of having to just believe Kaku's word. :) Just being able to grasp the general beauty of hyperspace science is still well worth the time.

In parallel, you will hear some stories about mathematicians, events, and many curious episodes that have influenced modern science; Kaku sometimes diverges a bit from the main subject, and ends up telling stories, some about his childhood, and many about famous scientists (For instance, when dealing with Hilton's cubes, Kaku spends a few paragraphs telling us about Hilton's habits and the fact that he was a bigamist, the scandals, etc). This isn't really a problem, as the stories are usually interesting and directly or indirectly related to the subjects.

Kaku did manage to write a great laymen's (well, almost) book about higher dimensional physics and cosmology. Not many do it as well. Everybody remembers Hawkin's "A Brief History of Time" and also the now classic "The Elegant Universe". Hyperspace has its place next to these.

The discussion about God grasped my interest, but that didn't last long. I would have dropped the subject, as Michio is definitely not qualified to get into it, and I did not get the book to read a version of Kant's arguments that have been refuted to exhaustion. Note that I'm not questioning Michio's conclusions, just saying that there are far better titles on these matters and that the author should have focused on what's he's good at.

But, that little stain is no major problem, In general, very enjoyable title, also complete in notes, references, suggested readings and has a good index.

Highly recommended.

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beyond the Third Dimension, August 7, 2000

By 

"ultraman_zero" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimens ion (Paperback)

Everyone of us were born to comprehend the 3-dimensional world that we live in, and most of us would view time as the forth. In "Hyperspace", Kaku introduces the concept of dimensions beyond the third, and what these dimensions mean to us. Apart from talking about the possibilities of deriving a unified theory of all physical laws in higher dimensions, wormholes were also described in details as to how they could be used for travelling between different dimensions and universes, and more interestingly, how they could be used to travel through time. Most of the concepts were backed by examples and stories (including those of Kaku's childhood memories) which, not only allows the readers to easily grasp them, but also makes them more interesting to follow. However, one may start to wonder how on earth could Kaku's parents allow (and assist) their child to perform such horrific experiments!

This book was written primarily for the general public. Having said this, some moderate background and interests in physics are necessary, but then again you probably wouldn't be reading this review to start with if you weren't interested in "Hyperspace", right?

To sum up, I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who wants to find out more about the higher dimensions. Although there were occasions when I felt that Kaku has gone into too much details on the stories he quoted, which themselves could have been another interesting read if I wasn't told of the endings...

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a good book for contemplating the inifinte, December 3, 2002

By 

Ruth Sprague (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the 10th Dimens ion (Paperback)

This is book definitely written for the layperson, but the author does no condescension when explaining complex details to the reader. No deep mathematics, no proofs, just a good book for the average person to enjoy and understand. The best book on the market for understanding the complications of the limitations of the space-time continuum of the world we live in.
Don't confuse "hyperspace" with "hypercube". "Hypercube" is a study in mathematics regarding four dimensions without time, while this book discusses as much in detail about "hyperspace", a study of dimensions up to ten. The book is actually on the higher study of physics, not mathematics, but of course, mathematics is a part of the book, if only on a limited basis.
Very interesting on the string theory, where dimensions of 10 and/or 26 are required. Also, all the competing theories are discussed, including the fact that Einstein himself was uncomfortable with studies beyond the fourth dimension. This is all discussed, very aptly, with a view to have the reader himself put on the physicist's shoes, so to speak, and comprehend creating some of theses theories, along with the rest of the academia bunch.
Diagrams and pictures are included to help the reader visualize some of this, even if it is in a limited way. Very helpful.
Einstein claimed that imagination was more than 90 percent of true scientific inquiry. I wouldn't agree with him entirely, especially in fields such as biology, but for physics study and a good review of the all the theories concerning higher dimensions, I would agree more with Einstein than not. I would even recommend this book to one comtemplating a future serious study in physics or math. I wouldn't be without it.