Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time (Great Discoveries) 1st Printing Edition

by Michio Kaku (Author)

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ISBN-13: 978-0393051650

ISBN-10: 039305165X

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A dazzling tour of the universe as Einstein saw it.

How did Albert Einstein come up with the theories that changed the way we look at the world? By thinking in pictures. Michio Kaku leading theoretical physicist (a cofounder of string theory) and best-selling science storyteller shows how Einstein used seemingly simple images to lead a revolution in science. Daydreaming about racing a beam of light led to the special theory of relativity and the equation E = mc2. Thinking about a man falling led to the general theory of relativity giving us black holes and the Big Bang. Einstein's failure to come up with a theory that would unify relativity and quantum mechanics stemmed from his lacking an apt image. Even in failure, however, Einstein's late insights have led to new avenues of research as well as to the revitalization of the quest for a "Theory of Everything." With originality and expertise, Kaku uncovers the surprising beauty that lies at the heart of Einstein's cosmos.

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Editorial Reviews

From Scientific American

Thanks to Kaku's insight (he is a theoretical physicist) and his flair for explaining dense scientific concepts (he is a best-selling author), this brief book weaves Einstein's life and work into a seamless, hard-to-put-down narrative. The organizing metaphor is how Einstein thought in terms of simple physical pictures--speeding trains, falling elevators, moving clocks. Excellent for the neophyte or readers who want to refresh their knowledge about Einstein without being talked down to or bored.

Editors of Scientific American

From Booklist

Recent popular works about Einstein have magnified select details of his life, such as his tempestuous marriage to Mileva Maric (Einstein in Love, by Dennis Overbye, 2000) or his FBI file (The Einstein File, by Fred Jerome [BKL Ap 1 03]). Such topics are reduced to paragraphs in Kaku's presentation, for Einstein's life ranks second to his science here. Accordingly, Kaku divides his narrative into the three great segments of Einstein's scientific arc: the theory of special relativity in 1905; the theory of general relativity in 1916; and the balance of Einstein's intellectual life. The latter was spent searching for a unified field theory and saw the rise of his phenomenal celebrity, which his peers regarded as a dubious dissipation of genius. However, such lamentations were premature, according to Kaku, who explicates recent discoveries that show Einstein was only audaciously ahead of his scientific time, as usual. An expert in quantum mechanics and string theory, Kaku is an equally able popular writer, vividly evoking the pictorial imagination behind Einstein's revolutionary thinking. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st Printing edition (April 1, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 039305165X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393051650
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 1 x 8.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,721,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #732 in Relativity Physics (Books)
- #809 in Astronomy & Astrophysics
- #2,695 in Astrophysics & Space Science (Books)

Customer Reviews:
190 ratings

About the author

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Michio Kaku

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Michio Kaku is the co-founder of String Field Theory and is the author of international best-selling books such as Hyperspace, Visions, and Beyond Einstein. Michio Kaku is the Henry Semat Professor in Theoretical Physics at the City University of New York.

Photo by Cristiano Sant´Anna/indicefoto.com for campuspartybrasil [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

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Top reviews from the United States

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Bill Crain

Readable and Enjoyable

Reviewed in the United States on September 3, 2019

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As a non-physicist, I found Kaku's explanation of time dilation especially helpful. He asks us to imagine two cops on motorcycles, one sitting still, the other chasing a beam of light. It's all imaginary, of course, but the vignette makes it clear why time must slow down for the one racing after the light beam. The author wants to introduce his readers difficult concepts, but to make them crystal clear. And he usually succeeds. I suspect Kaku, a major physicist, succeeds because he's worked so hard with these concepts himself. Moreover, he has a good sense of humor.

5 people found this helpful

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John Thomson

I'm sure the text is fine. I got through it only so far as ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018

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I'm sure the text is fine. I got through it only so far as to understand that Prof. Kaku wants the reader to see the pictures that Einstein used to think his way through the problems of relativity and to formulate his great theories. The professor even organized his book around those pictures. Unfortunately, and ironically, there are no pictures in the Kindle edition. None. Somehow, they got left out. So, don't buy the Kindle edition. That's it. Sigh, and I really, really wanted to read this book.

13 people found this helpful

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A. Portsmouth

Wow! Just...W-O-W!

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2013

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If you have any interest whatsoever in physics or Einstein, you should stop reading this review and buy this book immediately.

I learned so much from reading this book, that I ended up buying more books on physics, as well as Richard Feynman's lectures (Six Easy Pieces) and then even starting taking online physics courses.

From reading this book, I discovered that I have a true affinity for physics and science that I never even realized. Michio Kaku writes this book with the same easy style as he's written his other books. He dumbs it down for you, but he never talks down to you. The information is delivered in a manner where the reader can actually absorb what's being said. Otherwise, you'd have a bunch of mumbo-jumbo about quanta, atoms and neutrons that would bore you tears by the time you reached the third page. This book is written like an really smart, laid-back guy is sitting across from you at a coffee shop just chatting away to you about what he knows of Einstein and physics. This no text book!

Mr. Kaku doesn't bombard you with the terminology. Instead, when he introduces the terminology, theories or explanations to you he first explains the theory and then gives you a real-world comparison, enabling the reader to actually envision what's being explained. The explanation of the bending of space and time in a text book would warp some brain cells, right? Instant migraine. Not here! Mr. Kaku delivers the basic premise in such a manner with a real-world explanation, enabling the reader to not only "get it," but also to encourage and provoke the reader to want to know more.

I could sit here all day and write about what I've learned about the Theory of Relativity and the Theory of Special Relativity and String Theory (or M Theory), but why not buy the book and read about it for yourself? You're going to love Schroedinger's Cat!

Trust me here, folks. It's flipping AMAZING.

This book is great for adults and teenagers alike.

15 people found this helpful

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jrmcr

Great book and very well explained

Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2012

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Since some years ago I've been trying to find a Michio Kaku's book, I saw him in some tv and dvd documetaries and I was curious about his work. I bought this book and Parallel Worlds but I begun with this one. I read this book in less than a week, it's so interesting that I spent every time I had free time and even before going to bed. reading it.

The central idea behind this book is Einstein's life and accomplishments, since his early years in school to his death. It begins with a short chapter which relates how the nature and physics was before Einstein's and how many of this ideas were usefull for his understand of the world. The book goes through his childhood, adolescence, matureness and death but also relates others physics work which was very usefull like Grossman, Shrödinger, Plank, Isaac Newton and many others and not only explains Einsteins life, It explains every theory, like Newtonian Physic, Special Relativity, General Relativity, and Quantum Mechanics, String theory and M-Theory with great detail and accompanied with a simple and every day example who everyone can understand even if you are not familiarized with high level physics nor math.

Finally the book closes with a summary of Einstein's legacy and how his (and others physicist work) have been very helpfull for our modern understanding of universe.

If you are interested in cosmology, astronomy, physics, etc, I highly recommend you this book, I am now reading Parallel Worlds (...) from this same author and I will probably buy his other works.

3 people found this helpful

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David Filmer

Understand physics better by understanding Einstein and his colleagues.

Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2012

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This book is not as much a biography as it is a study of the foundations of relativity and quantum mechanics. It frames the material in the lives and work of the great founding physicists - Einstein, Bohr, Schrodenger, Bell, Feynman, etc. By providing the timing and context of their discoveries, we can achieve a greater understanding of how they came about. Kaku is a theoretical physicist who has authored graduate-level college textbooks in advanced string theory, but this book is an easy and enjoyable read for a general audience.

The book is not only historical - it discusses the impact of these discoveries on modern science, and looks ahead to what they might lead to. For example, the book discusses at length Einstein's elusive "theory of everything" and how modern string theory may provide the answer.

Highly recommended to anyone who is curious about physics.

3 people found this helpful

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Melissa G

Great job on Einstein's biography

Reviewed in the United States on January 8, 2020

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Though I am not a physicist, I'm a fan of Physics and Einstein. Kaku does an excellent job of presenting a complete picture and how Einstein's work is still relevant today. I enjoyed it so much that I bought both the printed book and the audiobook. Thumbs-up!

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Leif

Great book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 31, 2020

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Great book. A very committed and fair biography of one of the greatest minds of our time, written by another great mind.

Laura

Einstein divulgativo

Reviewed in Spain on November 20, 2019

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El libro se lee en un plis plas, es super ameno, explica muchos conceptos científicos de una manera comprensible para el gran público y el recorrido biográfico que el autor, físico de renombre también, realiza de Einstein te engancha y envuelve de expectación a lo largo del libro. No puedes dejar de leerlo si te interesa alguien como Einstein.

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Kurzweilig und informativ

Reviewed in Germany on June 2, 2021

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Sehr leicht zu lesen, unterhaltsam und informativ. Nicht umsonst ein Bestseller.

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Efrain Guadarrama

Excelente libro.

Reviewed in Mexico on January 24, 2017

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Excelente forma de entender las aportaciones de Einstein a la ciencia y a la historia. Especialmente si no se tienen estudios especializados en física. Muy recomendable.

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Prakash (Krish) Krishnaswamy

Highly Recommended!

Reviewed in India on January 26, 2018

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Excellent overview by Michio Kaku, an excellent no-nonsense writer on Modern Physics

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Einstein's Cosmos: How Albert Einstein's Vision Transformed Our Understanding of Space and Time (Great Discoveries) 1st Printing Edition

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