Why Does E=mc2?: (And Why Should We Care?) [Hardcover]

Brian Cox (Author), Jeff Forshaw (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2009

The most accessible, entertaining, and enlightening explanation of the best-known physics equation in the world, as rendered by two of today’s leading scientists.

Professor Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols that make up Einstein’s most famous equation, E=mc2. Breaking down the symbols themselves, they pose a series of questions: What is energy? What is mass? What has the speed of light got to do with energy and mass? In answering these questions, they take us to the site of one of the largest scientific experiments ever conducted. Lying beneath the city of Geneva, straddling the Franco-Swiss boarder, is a 27 km particle accelerator, known as the Large Hadron Collider. Using this gigantic machine—which can recreate conditions in the early Universe fractions of a second after the Big Bang—Cox and Forshaw will describe the current theory behind the origin of mass.

Alongside questions of energy and mass, they will consider the third, and perhaps, most intriguing element of the equation: 'c' - or the speed of light. Why is it that the speed of light is the exchange rate? Answering this question is at the heart of the investigation as the authors demonstrate how, in order to truly understand why E=mc2, we first must understand why we must move forward in time and not backwards and how objects in our 3-dimensional world actually move in 4-dimensional space-time. In other words, how the very fabric of our world is constructed. A collaboration between two of the youngest professors in the UK, Why Does E=mc2? promises to be one of the most exciting and accessible explanations of the theory of relativity in recent years.
 

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Product Description
The most accessible, entertaining, and enlightening explanation of the best-known physics equation in the world, as rendered by two of today’s leading scientists. Professor Brian Cox and Professor Jeff Forshaw go on a journey to the frontier of 21st century science to consider the real meaning behind the iconic sequence of symbols that make up Einstein’s most famous equation, E=mc2. Breaking down the symbols themselves, they pose a series of questions: What is energy? What is mass? What has the speed of light got to do with energy and mass? In answering these questions, they take us to the site of one of the largest scientific experiments ever conducted. Lying beneath the city of Geneva, straddling the Franco-Swiss boarder, is a 27 km particle accelerator, known as the Large Hadron Collider. Using this gigantic machine—which can recreate conditions in the early Universe fractions of a second after the Big Bang—Cox and Forshaw will describe the current theory behind the origin of mass. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From Publishers Weekly

British theoretical physicists Cox and Forshaw offer lay readers a fascinating account of modern scientists' view of the world, and how it got that way. Without using complicated mathematics, Cox and Forshaw show how the search for "mathematical consistency" can guide scientists in finding the "laws that describe physical reality." The authors provide the historical context that set the stage for Einstein's discovery, providing an easy-to-grasp explanation of counterintuitive experimental evidence, demonstrating how the speed of light acts as a "cosmic speed limit," the exception that proves the rule of relativity. The authors also clearly explain the tide shift that Einstein caused, transforming scientists' understanding of the world-"common-sense notions regarding space and time are dashed and replaced by something entirely new, unexpected, and elegant." Though the basics are covered in detail, there's plenty here for science buffs to ponder.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (July 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306817586
• ISBN-13: 978-0306817588
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (60 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Relativity

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

67 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Introduction To Famous Equation and Its Implications, July 22, 2009

By 

David Nichols "Island Dave" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Why Does E=mc2?: (And Why Should We Care?) (Hardcover)

Cox and Forshaw have presented a streamlined, focused popular science book aimed at teaching relatively new physics readers the basics and history of the famous equation in the title. While experienced physics readers will not likely learn new information, the book offers an approachable description of relativity, how we know it works, and why it is important in the modern world and beyond.

While I personally didn't gain much new from this book (as a reasonably experienced non-professional physics reader), I believe newer readers could be in for a treat. I'd certainly recommend starting a discovery of relativity with this book if the concept seems difficult. The authors take time to explain various points, and offer solid presentations and reasonable analogies to aid in the explanation. Combined with a singularly-focused subject, the book is an excellent starting point for curious, intelligent readers wishing to know more details about E=mc2. Four stars.

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting and beautiful, August 23, 2009

By 

Yvonne A. Oliver "Yvonne" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Why Does E=mc2?: (And Why Should We Care?) (Hardcover)

It's a great feeling to come back tired from work and pick up such a book. After all, like most people I rarely have time to ponder seriously about the universe and the meaning of time and space.I am a high school French teacher so my training in science is rather limited. But after a few hours spent thinking about time,space, distance, energy and matter with Cox and Forshaw,I felt enlightened and rejuvenated! It really read like a thriller, whenever I put the book down I could not stop thinking about it and at dinner I could not shut up about it. The more my friends asked me questions about what I read the more I felt like going back and re-reading until I could explain it in my own words. Now that I am done with it, it's haunting me, driving home or playing with my cat; it keeps me thinking...

45 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Einstein's famous formula made understandable, August 14, 2009

By 

Michael H. Stone, MD "Expert on Evil" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Why Does E=mc2?: (And Why Should We Care?) (Hardcover)

I read Professors Cox & Forshaw's new book on Einstein's E = mc2 in one day: I couldn't put it down. I have tried for years to get a handle on the equation and how to think about spacetime, have read many books for the lay public (I am a psychiatry professor, so I am a layman when it comes to physics) -- and this new book is the only one that I could grasp and that really made sense. It's a great tribute to the authors and a great service to the public.
Michael H Stone, MD