Parallel Universes (Paperback)

~ (Author) "No one who has gazed into a full-length mirror has not at some time thought about the right-for-left twisted world that exists on the other..." (more)
Key Phrases: parallel worlds model, inner event horizon, parallel universe idea, Sergeant Camino, New York, Hugh Everett (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wolf's readers should get ready for a wild intellectual ride through the convoluted realms of quantum mechanics, relativity, black holes and imaginary time. The physicist ( Starwave ) is a strong proponent of the "many-worlds" interpretation of quantum mechanics, and he launches a ferocious assault on conservative scientists who espouse the "Copenhagen" interpretation. Essentially, the debate hinges on the role of consciousness in measuring quantum events: Copenhagenists argue that a quantum measurement causes the "collapse" of a particle's probability wave, while Wolf claims the act of measuring actually causes the universe to split in two. The equations of relativity and quantum physics support both interpretations. Wolf describes what it would be like to travel through a black hole to a parallel universe; claims that the future must communicate with the present; answers the question of whether the universe had a radius before we started to measure it; and argues that schizophrenics may be in touch with parallel universes. Physics is becoming metaphysics. An enthralling, if somewhat wacky, read.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

The author of the award-winning Taking the Quantum Leap explains how the new physics predicts the existence of universes that are similar to and perhaps even duplicates of our own universe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 15, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671696017
• ISBN-13: 978-0671696016
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #40,485 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth a read!, April 27, 2002

By	A. Brennan "wattever" (Ontario) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I did find that this book somewhat repetitive, as Mr. Wolf tended to "over-explain" aspects of the theories presented in "Parallel Universes: The Search for Other Worlds". However, I strongly suspect that this quandary had more to do with the Touchstone/Simon & Schuster editor's own lack in grasping of the subject matter, resulting in virtually a word-for-word transcription of the entire original manuscript into the final book form.

Considering this likelihood, this book is a true gem! For anyone interested in science and all possibilities, it is well worth a read by both the novice and the well educated. Many books are available on quantum physics, space, time as the fourth dimension, etc. To date, though, this is the only book I have been able to find that puts all of these theories into a veritable nutshell. It delves not only into possibilities, but also probabilities, which include aspects of every major discovery in physics, astronomy, and mathematics since the time of Pythagoras.

It is not a book for the faint of heart, who are secure in their understanding of their every day "reality". It is, instead, for those who intuitively know that there's something more to what we perceive as reality, more than the eye can see. Sorry, there aren't any illustrations for those needing visual aids. Mr. Wolf mentions in here that one needs an imagination to be a good scientist and I happen to agree (I am not scientifically inclined, nor mathematically for that matter, but I have always had a good imagination). The problem with attempting to provide diagrams and illustrations for the topic being covered in "Parallel Universes" is that you can't draw a fourth dimension on a piece of paper.

I regard Fred Alan Wolf's book as a wonderful work of science and poetry; the observer and the observed being one and the same; the fourth dimension of time broadening our understanding of the world around us, including the one most of us can't "see". Read it and find out just how close we are to solving the eternal question, "Is this all that there is?"

54 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rocketship ride of a book, April 26, 2000

By	Cynthia Sue Larson "www.realityshifters.com" (San Francisco bay area, CA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a rocketship ride of a book that takes you on a quest for parallel universes. Wolf contemplates how we might perceive these parallel universes, and what it might feel like when we experience the past and future interacting with the present. The extra bonus of this adventure is that Wolf shows you how time is not the steady, measurable thing you thought it was! Time is slippery, because it can't ever be directly observed. Whereas we can measure and then verify a measurement of length or weight repeatedly, measurements of time cannot be easily confirmed. As Wolf points out so succinctly, "Nowhere is there a value of time associated with an observable called time. As far as the equations are concerned, time is just a convenient ordering parameter -- a way of keeping track of things placed alongside each other in a sequence." Time travel may well be possible, and you might not even need a time machine to do it! If you love to stretch your mind to understand more of the universe, I highly recommend this book.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book on the multiple universe thesis in QM, February 26, 2000

By	D. Roberts "Hadrian12" (Battle Creek, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Warning: this book pre-supposes that you have a basic understanding of quantum mechanics. If you do not have a familiarity with the foundation of QM, I would highly recommend that you first read either "Taking the Quantum Leap" (also by Wolf) or some other introductory book of QM (Rober Gilmore's "Alice In Quantumland" would be an excellent choice).

Wolf's present book deals with the Princeton physicist Hugh Everett's "solution" to the paradox of Schroedinger's Cat. While it is too detailed to go into any depth here, let's just say that the answer is that each collapse of the wave function by an observer "creates" an alternate universe. While this is an intriguing thought, it carries with it a whole lot of metaphysical baggage. Wolf takes us on a guided tour of what this baggage entails.

The book also explores the possiblity of alternate universes behind the singularities of black holes. Although this is something which can never be proven, it is a thought-provoking idea nonetheless.

Although I think Wolf reaches a little with his dictum of schizophrenia patients perhaps being "in touch" with alternate universes, this is a valuable resource for all those interested in QM. If nothing else, Wolf presents a compelling explanation of time, space and its relation to mind. A fascinating book.