The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings: Third Revised Edition (Paperback)

by Martin Gardner (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This newly updated edition of a well-known work explores a pair of modern science's most fundamental discoveries: the asymmetric DNA helix and the overthrow of parity (left-right symmetry) in particle physics. Absorbing and thought-provoking, The New Ambidextrous Universe was written by Martin Gardner, one of Dover's most popular authors,.

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Product Details Paperback: 416 pages Publisher: Dover Publications; 3 Revised edition (July 26, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0486442446 ISBN-13: 978-0486442440 Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #909,548 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Citations (learn more)

6 books cite this book:

• Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe by Leon M. Lederman in Back Matter
• The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason by Sam Harris in Back Matter
• Symmetry: A Unifying Concept by Istvan Hargittai in Back Matter
• Chirality in Natural and Applied Science in Back Matter
• Adam's Navel: A Natural and Cultural History of the Human Form by Michael Sims in Back Matter

See all 6 books citing this book

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Customer Reviews

5 Reviews 5 star:  (2) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 14 of 15 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Frames superstrings and twistors, April 28, 2000 By  Worldreels (MANKATO, MN) - See all my reviews    This review is from: The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry, from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings (Paperback) Every decade Gardner updates this book. The five new chapters in the 1990 edition, including material on twistors and superstrings, are well worth the price. What Gardner does best is frame the new theories within a historical perspective. For example, he says it is impossible not to compare string theory with Lord Kelvin's (W. Thompson) 1958 theory of vortex strings. Vortex string theory was fashionable for at least fifty years. Gardner shows the vortex string theory and the superstring theory to be kissing cousins: Lord Kelvin used perfect fluid to refer to the superstring quantum vacuum -- both referring to the same sub-space area. String theory speaks of vibrating frequencies of energy while vortex rings were also vibrating frequencies that gave the atoms different properties. Instead of quantum foam with jittering virtual particles, vortex theory had vortex sponges with billions of vortex motions whirling in all directions. Gardner's account of Roger Penrose's twistor theory is short and excellent. Physicists have gotten tangled up trying to speak of deeper down events which are hidden from view due to their sub-Planck length size (10 to the minus 33rd power of a centimeter). Here it is pointed out that "on a sufficiently small scale the concept of a space-time point evaporates in the complex space of twistor theory." Twistor theory, like superstring theory, was merely trying to formulate how the submicroscopic particles come into being. Both theories consist of math and lack any experimental verification. To repeat, the author discusses these obtuse theories in a way that frames their overall direction of thought. Gardner appears to agree with Howard George who calls superstring theory a "recreational mathematical theology." The bottom line -- both twistor and string theory are philosophy -- not physics. 10 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, but somewhat out-of-date (only at the end)., January 15, 2002 By  Dale Wood "Europamoon" (Alabama, United States) - See all my reviews This review is from: The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry, from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings (Paperback) I think that THE NEW AMBIDEXTROUS UNIVERSE (1990) is a wonderful book on symmetry and asymmetry in the worlds of everyday life, chemistry, physics, and unification theories. Everything in this book is noteworthy, and also up-to-date except for the last few chapters. It is a very good updating of the previous (1978) edition, which concluded with many open questions in elementary particle physics that were resolved (and new questions raised) in 1978 - 1989. It is high time for this book to be updated if Mr. Gardner can manage it (he is rather elderly; born in 1914), and a publisher will take a new edition. Books like this are gueling to revise and update. 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Review from a non-scientific perspective, January 13, 2002 By  Sarah (Iowa) - See all my reviews This review is from: The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry, from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings (Paperback) I'm not going to say that I understand all of this. Most of it is way over my head, but after reading it, I can say that I understand more now than I did before. I'm planning on attacking it again in a couple years. Overall, however, Gardner does a good job of bring complicated scientific theory down to a plain English level by using diagrams and analogies.		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent clear explanations of difficult concepts I read a previous edition of this book and enjoyed it very much. This revised edition also did not disappoint. Read more Published 8 months ago by Toonfan 4.0 out of 5 stars IS SUPERSTRING THEORY A RECREATIONAL MATHEMATICAL THEOLOGY? Every decade Gardner updates this book. The five new chapters in the 1990 edition, including material on twistors and superstrings, are well worth the price. Read more Published on March 29, 2000 by Worldreels Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications; 3 Revised edition (July 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486442446
• ISBN-13: 978-0486442440
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #909,548 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frames superstrings and twistors, April 28, 2000

By	Worldreels (MANKATO, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry, from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings (Paperback)

Every decade Gardner updates this book. The five new chapters in the 1990 edition, including material on twistors and superstrings, are well worth the price. What Gardner does best is frame the new theories within a historical perspective. For example, he says it is impossible not to compare string theory with Lord Kelvin's (W. Thompson) 1958 theory of vortex strings. Vortex string theory was fashionable for at least fifty years. Gardner shows the vortex string theory and the superstring theory to be kissing cousins: Lord Kelvin used perfect fluid to refer to the superstring quantum vacuum -- both referring to the same sub-space area. String theory speaks of vibrating frequencies of energy while vortex rings were also vibrating frequencies that gave the atoms different properties. Instead of quantum foam with jittering virtual particles, vortex theory had vortex sponges with billions of vortex motions whirling in all directions.

Gardner's account of Roger Penrose's twistor theory is short and excellent. Physicists have gotten tangled up trying to speak of deeper down events which are hidden from view due to their sub-Planck length size (10 to the minus 33rd power of a centimeter). Here it is pointed out that "on a sufficiently small scale the concept of a space-time point evaporates in the complex space of twistor theory." Twistor theory, like superstring theory, was merely trying to formulate how the submicroscopic particles come into being. Both theories consist of math and lack any experimental verification. To repeat, the author discusses these obtuse theories in a way that frames their overall direction of thought. Gardner appears to agree with Howard George who calls superstring theory a "recreational mathematical theology." The bottom line -- both twistor and string theory are philosophy -- not physics.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, but somewhat out-of-date (only at the end)., January 15, 2002

By	Dale Wood "Europamoon" (Alabama, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry, from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings (Paperback)

I think that THE NEW AMBIDEXTROUS UNIVERSE (1990) is a wonderful book on symmetry and asymmetry in the worlds of everyday life, chemistry, physics, and unification theories. Everything in this book is noteworthy, and also up-to-date except for the last few chapters.
It is a very good updating of the previous (1978) edition, which concluded with many open questions in elementary particle physics that were resolved (and new questions raised) in 1978 - 1989.
It is high time for this book to be updated if Mr. Gardner can manage it (he is rather elderly; born in 1914), and a publisher will take a new edition. Books like this are gueling to revise and update.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review from a non-scientific perspective, January 13, 2002

By	Sarah (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Ambidextrous Universe: Symmetry and Asymmetry, from Mirror Reflections to Superstrings (Paperback)

I'm not going to say that I understand all of this. Most of it is way over my head, but after reading it, I can say that I understand more now than I did before. I'm planning on attacking it again in a couple years. Overall, however, Gardner does a good job of bring complicated scientific theory down to a plain English level by using diagrams and analogies.