Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy (Commonwealth Fund Book Program) Reprint Edition

Amazing king clear and accessible

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Deep Thought

November 19, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The author presents complicated material in a very intuitive and accessible way using everyday examples. This book will easily appeal to those who have no or casual familiarity with mathematics and physics as well as to those with more advanced training. I particularly appreciated the many historical vignettes that brought the ‘humans’ behind the progress, insights and theories to life. The historical journey from Newton through Einstein and beyond was breathtaking: white dwarf stars, neutron stars, black holes, singularities and then also ‘Time machines’. A gourmet feast!

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book: Black Holes and Time Warps

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Amazon Customer

May 14, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A mostly-successful attempt to portray the physics associated with General Relativity near the event horizon of any black hole - without equations, and in language for the non-physics person. By an acknowledged master of said physics (Kip has been a professor at Cal Tech for decades, in General Relativity, and was technical consultant for the recent movie "Interstellar"). This book, written 30+ years before the recent detection of gravitational waves, gives a prescient description of the cataclysmic event that could produce the kinds of waves that were actually detected.

2 people found this helpful

Can't I give this six stars?

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Curious

January 18, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Dr. Thorne is intelligible, conversational and enlightening. He discusses an area that is of interest and many topics that touch on it. He engages in some Science Fiction fancy, but only by way of a form of preface to his serious talk. While this section is not a strength of the work, it gets its points across for the uninitiated in a reasonable manner avoiding the more flighty manner taken up by Michio Kaku in a recent reading of his Hyperspace. There is interesting history in a memoir fashion in a good deal of the recent events and in a more distant narrative from earlier periods. All is engrossing and paced as lively as I could imagine the material can be so presented. I can imagine that some may have difficulty understanding a few of the concepts, but they have been presented about as simply as I believe it to be feasible.

2 people found this helpful

A bit too self absorbed for general readers.

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UncleWalter

November 8, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

A lot of information reasonably well written, but the club like emphasis made it less appealing. It became tiresome, so I had to abort a good portion at the end.

2 people found this helpful

I really enjoyed this book. Truly amazing!!

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Guashanguer

August 14, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I really enjoyed this book. Truly amazing!! I consider it one of the best I have ever read. Too bad there is not a more recent version that includes the latest discoveries around black holes. Perhaps Mr. Thorne will venture to write a couple of update chapters?

One person found this helpful

Well written for people with a general interest in the black holes and their history.

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Daniel

September 8, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I am currently 3/4 of the way through this book. I have enjoyed the read and the history of the recognition and discovery of the black holes. There is just enough technical discussion to explain the science behind the discoveries but not too much that you get lost in the details. Recommended for readers with a general interest in the subject matter.

One person found this helpful

Jason Bourne. Kip Thourne

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Dated but still great

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This is an exciting non-technical book written for people interested ...

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