Patterns In The Void: Why Nothing Is Important [Hardcover]

Sten Odenwald (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2002

Patterns in the Void examines the great dark matter and dark regions that pervade the universe, from elementary particles to the immense areas of “vacuum” that make up most of deep space, and everything that is – or is not. Like the void itself, the book ranges in temporal and spatial scales - from our human world, down to the molecular and subatomic world, and up into the farthest reaches of the expanding universe. Building upon the great theories that broke through physics and biophysics in the twentieth century, Patterns in the Void weaves the human element into understanding modern science, telling stories of ancient sacrifices, paranormal experiences, purported alien abductions, and more – all part of the human dilemma to make sense about the vast unknown.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Sten Odenwald an award-winning astronomer with Raytheon ITSS, is currently the education and public outreach manager for the NASA IMAGE satellite program. The author of The Astronomy Cafe and The 23rd Cycle, Sten Odenwald writes a regular on-line question-and-answer column called “Ask the Space Scientist” for the Washington Post, and is a frequent contributor Sky and Telescope and Astronomy magazines. He is the recipient of the 1999 Goddard Space Flight Center Excellence in Outreach Award and the Popular Writing Award from the American Astronomical Society, Solar Physics Division. He lives in Kensington, MD.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1st edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813339383
• ISBN-13: 978-0813339382
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,261,884 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Patterns in the Void", June 29, 2002

By 

Sten Odenwald (Kensington, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patterns In The Void: Why Nothing Is Important (Hardcover)

I wrote this book because of a my personal need to understand one of Nature's most mysterious ingredients - Space... But I have also learned that to completely understand how 'nothing can be something' you have to do more than just state the physics. Most popular books dwell on the physics of space, time and gravity, but in the end you, the reader, walk away even more confused about it all - and frankly, so do I. What I try to do in this book is to explore a number of personal experiences, some very weird, and to take advantage of the human gift for using imagination creatively. You will find that by being more flexible in thinking visually, and by using the talents found in the right-side of your brain, it is far easier to grasp what space is all about, and how it is that darkness can have a shape and texture. You may even discover for yourself why it is that even some professional astronomers like myself are afraid of the dark. I have included many personal anecdotes in the book to serve as a human anchor for exploring space as a physical thing. 98% of what you are, and what the universe is, is hidden in the invisible fields and dark energies that ply the Void. Our challenge is to make peace with this new information, the terrible fate of our species and cosmos, and to take some brief comfort in the joy of a living universe bathed in light. So, please enjoy this book, buy as many copies of it as you can afford to (;>) and take a walk on the wild-side of astronomy!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, Eloquent, Personal and Enlightening, April 3, 2004

By 

Autodidact Andy "IndiAndy" (Golden State California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patterns In The Void: Why Nothing Is Important (Hardcover)

What is this book about? In a few words it is about "Nothingness" or the vacuum or "Void", cosmology and the fate of our Universe. What is the Void? It may surprise you to find out that physicists unilaterally agree that, in a strict sense, there is no such thing as nothing anywhere in our Universe. What is the nature of the apparent emptiness between particles of matter and the space between galaxies? The answer - Fields. These fields are the ubiquitous, ephemeral, and evanescent Higgs, Gravitational, Electromagnetic (QED), (electro) Weak, and Strong (QCD - color). This answer is obviously incomplete. QFT may be penultimate to an absolutely fundamental M-theory. In an additional sense, I think it's fair to say that Patterns is a study of one humble astronomer's experience, observations, and search for meaning in and of the physics of Spacetime & Gravity, the Vacuum, and the physics of Fields. It is a search you can comfortably ride along with - sharing in the exploration, gaining ontological handles for carry-on technical concepts. Here's a quick look at the Table of Contents:

Prolog
Acknowledgements
1. The Dark Constellations
Why We Fear the Dark
2. The Spirits Within
Invisible Fields and Ethers
3. Blind Spots
Quantum Fields and the Physical Vacuum
4. Patterns in the Void
Vacuum Energy and Hidden Fields
5. Gravity's Web
Space, Time, and Gravity
6. Eternity's Road
Cosmic Space and Its Expansion
7. Eternity's End
Dark Energy and Cosmic Acceleration
8. Between Shadow and Light
Quantum Gravity and the Nature of Space
9. A Fire in the Whole
The Unstable Void
10. The Sundered Worlds
The Creation of the Universe
Epilog
Glossary
Bibliography
Index


Well, how does `Patterns in he Void' read? `Patterns' isn't the usual gee-wiz historical chronology or rundown of concepts and theoretical breakthroughs made by the respective physicists. Dr. Odenwald uses accessibly technical language tempered in confidential, sincere and conversational prose - addressing deep issues & questions that you and I, as mere mortals in spectator physics, might seek meaningful answers for. He is personal, warm, candid and forthcoming - even in his chapter that tackles the stark outlook for the ultimate fate of humanity and the seemingly inevitable heat death of Universe. Be prepared, some chapters have a bit of foreboding and melancholy. I can't help but feel as if this is the story of how the author faced his fears and came to final acceptance of the honest scientific facts regarding the ultimate demise of Life and the Universe.
Sten uses a refreshing approach in the beginning of each chapter giving occasional real-life stories that lend warmth, meaningful context and impetus for further reading - welcoming one to move forward without trepidation. For example, he reminisces about star parties with like-minded friends of his youth - earnest and eager in their amateur astronomical attempts to grasp the big picture of cosmology. He also shares some of his later outings and adventures in the rugged backcountry wilderness where strange and ominous events brought his mind to the precipice of epistemology. These often tie-in with issues of mind & matter - consciousness, brain perception, and physical observation with regards to theoretical physics. To be sure, this is not the titillated/fluffy & tangential speculation of the paradox in measurement, uncertainty, and quantum conundrums one sees in much of todays popular quantum physics publications. You can find these philosophical treatments in just about every other book.

Early in the book, a seashore tide pool is used as an exquisite metaphor for discovery. Eloquent analogies abound throughout the text. Quantum Fields, Superstring, Supersymmetry, and M-Theories are wonderfully elucidated in later chapters. The beauty and power of physical theories and, to a very limited extent, the mathematics used in their description is shared in accessible language. On an incidental note, I perceived subtle hints of something strange early in this book. It almost seems as if, while on one hand, the idea of the "Ether" has been successfully dismissed in physics, on the other modern physical theorists have evolved the ether into sophisticated quantum fields.
The center of the book contains a series of 12 glossy-colored plates spread across 8 pages. These include gorgeous imagery from Scanning-Tunneling Microscopes and supercomputer simulations of atomic and other sub-microscopic images along with intricate fractals and uncanny Galactic Super clusters. Spectacular photos brought to you by the Hubble Space Telescope add to the repertoire of magnificent art in these plates.

The Glossary uses in 5 pages to describe 9 major terms that are thematic elements throughout the text. They are: Dimension, Field, Hyperspace, Nothingness, Quantum, Space, Space-Time, and Vacuum.
The bibliography is a bounty of books, articles, and references used in the development of the text. I strongly encourage you to mine this section for seminal sources to further your pursuits.

This review comes after my second reading and I eagerly anticipate my third, fourth and fifth readings. But why stop there? Because of his creative style and delivery, it was easy to connect to Sten's fascination with the great mysteries of the infinite heavens and the infinitesimal fabric of reality. I related with his desire and intent of writing a book that comprehensively pieces together diverse threads into an artful masterpiece. A few last words to describe this wonderful work: `Patterns' is beautifully written, thoroughly objective, cogent, technically concise, conceptually accessible, and gives a succinct yet coherent discourse of the deepest, most fundamental aspects of physics. I think Patterns is a fitting landmark in the broader path the aspiring autodidact chooses to follow. I only wish I had written it...
Indiandy

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking, philosphical and challenging, July 25, 2002

By 

Steve Wilkes (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Patterns In The Void: Why Nothing Is Important (Hardcover)

I originally picked up this book whilst looking for "The Book of Nothing". Skimming a few pages, I realized just how well written it was and how much it would challenge me.

Scientific concepts cover everything from early philosophy and belief in the aether, through simple things like General Relativity and Quantum Physics, to the cutting edge of SuperString theory and its role of creating / being space and time. The Void is there throughout. Always mysterious, often scary, viewed in different ways throughout history. Is the Void devoid of anything, or is it just avoiding our gaze and actually the birthplace of eternity? Read it and see.

I must thank Sten for adding the personal anecdotes and insight into the subject. Often a lay-persons book on physics can be dry and uninteresting. This was a book that I could not put down for a week (until it was finished). If you like this kind of style, you will also really enjoy "Geons, Black Holes, and Quantum Foam: A Life in Physics by John Archibald Wheeler"