The Universe, the Eleventh Dimension, and Everything: What We Know and How We Know It [Paperback]

Richard Morris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 19, 1999

From the formation of the universe to the theory of matter to life on earth, Richard Morris delivers a clear and concise picture of what we know, how we know it, and what the limits to future knowledge might be. Morris begins by discussing various ideas about the ultimate destiny of the universe: whether it will continue expanding or eventually collapse. Next he addresses the search for a unified theory of matter that will encompass the four known forces in nature: gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Finally, Morris looks at the origin of life. Once conditions were hospitable, life evolved on Earth almost immediately. But how? With wit and insight Morris takes the reader on a tour through some of the more profound aspects of contemporary science.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Some books have a hard time living up to their titles, but The Universe, the Eleventh Dimension, and Everything does just fine. Physicist and writer Richard Morris seeks to explain the current state of knowledge in cosmology and subatomic physics; as if that weren't enough, he goes on to give us his take on how scientists do their work. What would have been three short works in the hands of a lesser writer becomes a challenging, enlightening book that pushes readers forward from the first page. Morris's gift for explanation is a wonder--few can get across the intricate ephemera of superstring theory without losing the audience at some point, but before we know it, we've already covered the scary stuff and are on to something new.

Perhaps the most important section of the book is its last, "The Scientific Imagination." Here the author lays out his thoughts on scientific work--saying, for example, "there is no scientific method"--and shows us that research and theorizing are just as creative and playful as painting and singing. Examples from such greats as Einstein and Galileo cement his arguments and inspire the reader to see the white-coated lab technician as just another stereotypical fantasy. It may not answer the Great Questions (we're not close yet), but The Universe, the Eleventh Dimension, and Everything is a satisfying survey of what we know and how we learned it. --Rob Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Prolific science writer Morris (Achilles in the Quantum Universe) explains current cosmological theories, offers a history of modern physics and summarizes some questions that vex philosophers of science in this accessible, almost garrulous, three-part work. Part one describes "what we know and how we know it" about the Big Bang, from the first few seconds of our cosmos to its probable ultimate fate. Part two, the most substantial, zips through 20th-century discoveries about the nature of matter, from Planck and Einstein to quantum chromodynamics and then to GUTs (Grand Unified Theories) and their wacky but promising successors, the superstring theories. Part three backtracks to Einstein and Newton to consider the role of imagination in scientific discovery, describing others' ideas about scientific and artistic creativity. (Are laws of physics created, or discovered? And how do scientists know when their theories are true?) Lay readers are sure to pick up intriguing ideas from all three sections, but the book coheres only tenuously (in that all three parts have to do with what's "real" and what we can observe). It is most enjoyable as a set of three essays rather than as a continuous argument.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (October 19, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1568581408
• ISBN-13: 978-1568581408
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,708,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Useful volume, February 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Universe, the Eleventh Dimension, and Everything: What We Know and How We Know It (Paperback)

Morris specializes in making physics understandable to those of us who are terrified by mathematical formulas.

The Universe necessarily repeats some of the material he has covered in earlier works, since it is written for those who may have only a smattering of knowledge about the vast and complex world of physics. But the repeated material can also be of help to the physics buff who hasn't completely caught up with the latest in the field.

Unfortunately, however, the book is plagued by errors. While little harm is done when "pseudoscience" comes out as "psuedoscience" or when the title of Copernicus' famous treatise on the solar system is misspelled, other mistakes are serious. For someone who is trying to learn more about the mysterious world of physics, a photon mistakenly labeled as an electron or the substitution of 1033 for 1033 will leave the less knowledgeable reader utterly confused.

That being said, Morris provides a considerable service with this small volume. His is a lucid explanation of just how science in general, and physics in particular, works. And a step-by-step explanation of what we know today in physics and what is still speculative is a truly important contribution to the interested public's understanding of that science. The section on The Scientific Imagination alone is worth the price of the book.

Dr. John A. Broussard, PhD for The Charlotte Austin Review

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for the non-specialist general reader., April 4, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: The Universe, the Eleventh Dimension, and Everything: What We Know and How We Know It (Paperback)

What is the fate of the universe, and what are the implications of a unified theory of matter? The Universe, The Eleventh Dimension, And Everything provides an introduction to the scientific revolutions which have revealed new concepts and fostered new discoveries. Chapters are geared to the lay reader yet include plenty of scientific background.