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The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory Paperback – February 29, 2000
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In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.
- Print length464 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherVintage Books
- Publication dateFebruary 29, 2000
- Dimensions5.25 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100375708111
- ISBN-13978-0375708114
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"[An] important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations-and some of the characters-of string theory with clarity and charm." -Scientific American
"As good as it gets.... [A] thrilling ride through a lovely landscape." -Los Angeles Times
"[Greene] writes with poetic eloquence and style.... [He] does an admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms." -The Washington Post Book World
"[Greene's metaphors oftten provide beauty and power.... The Elegant Universe is a rewarding read." -Discovery Magazine
"String theory is the hottest idea to emerge in physics since Stephen Hawking gazed into a black hole.... [Greene] explain[s] it in terms that anyone can understand." -San Francisco Chronicle
From the Inside Flap
In a rare blend of scientific insight and writing as elegant as the theories it explains, Brian Greene, one of the world's leading string theorists, peels away the layers of mystery surrounding string theory to reveal a universe that consists of 11 dimensions where the fabric of space tears and repairs itself, and all matter-from the smallest quarks to the most gargantuan supernovas-is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy.
Green uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to illustrate the beautiful yet bizarre realities that modern physics is unveiling. Dazzling in its brilliance, unprecedented in its ability to both illuminate and entertain, The Elegant Universe is a tour de force of science writing-a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.
From the Back Cover
"[An] important book.... The Elegant Universe presents the ideas and aspirations-and some of the characters-of string theory with clarity and charm." -Scientific American
"As good as it gets.... [A] thrilling ride through a lovely landscape." -Los Angeles Times
"[Greene] writes with poetic eloquence and style.... [He] does an admirable job of translating a wholly mathematical endeavor into visual terms." -The Washington Post Book World
"[Greene's} metaphors oftten provide beauty and power.... The Elegant Universe is a rewarding read." -Discovery Magazine
"String theory is the hottest idea to emerge in physics since Stephen Hawking gazed into a black hole.... [Greene] explain[s] it in terms that anyone can understand." -San Francisco Chronicle
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Vintage Books; Reissue edition (February 29, 2000)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 464 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0375708111
- ISBN-13 : 978-0375708114
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.25 x 1 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #706,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #304 in Mathematical Physics (Books)
- #720 in Cosmology (Books)
- #1,282 in Astronomy (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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About the author

Brian Greene received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University and his doctorate from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes scholar. He is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and lives in New York City.
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Greene's use of the garden hose universe to explain the curled up dimensions in string theory and how they are hidden from and connected to extended dimensions is exceptionally lucid and helpful, making us easy to grasp how 3 extended space dimensions we experience are related to 6 curled up space dimensions, together with time making up 10 dimensions. The 9 dimensions don't just crumbled up in any shape but in a unique 6 dimensional Calabi-Yau shape derived from many researchers calculations. Hence, the universe is made up of the Calabi-Yau shape manifold in curled up 9 dimensional space configuration together with time. The final 11th dimension space is explained by the need of the two dimensional membranes in M theory which is used to resolve the dilemma of 5 version of string theory. Greene further explained that the five versions are just different depiction of string theory with three of which Type 1, Herotic O, and Herotic E being large/small radius duality equivalence of each other and with the rest of the two, Type IIA and Type IIB, having the same reciprocal dualiy. This whole 11 dimensional geometric scheme development is carefully and lucidly written with unmatched clarity over these connected concepts of Kaluza-Klein theory, Calabi-Yau, shapes and M theory.
Though Greene does not use the actual equations from perturbation approach and Kaluza-Klein geometry of String theory to flesh out his explanations, it is still not easy to conceptually grasp the concepts of String Theory for anyone who does not have university level education in physics or mathematics. Greene actually warns his readers about the difficulty of the subject despite his best effort. It takes work to get through this work.
Another feature I like in any physics books is the anecdote stories of the journey of the physicists doing research. Greene shared his stories of his journey in String theory. The separate research efforts on the mirror symmetry Calabi-Yau shapes for space tearing flop between Greene's group, to include Aspinfall and Morrison, while at Princeton, and Witten is an interesting story. Greene also included various stories of String theory second revolution in 1995.
Overall, this book is a brilliantly clear introduction to string theory that is going to be a classic.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 16, 2022
Greene's use of the garden hose universe to explain the curled up dimensions in string theory and how they are hidden from and connected to extended dimensions is exceptionally lucid and helpful, making us easy to grasp how 3 extended space dimensions we experience are related to 6 curled up space dimensions, together with time making up 10 dimensions. The 9 dimensions don't just crumbled up in any shape but in a unique 6 dimensional Calabi-Yau shape derived from many researchers calculations. Hence, the universe is made up of the Calabi-Yau shape manifold in curled up 9 dimensional space configuration together with time. The final 11th dimension space is explained by the need of the two dimensional membranes in M theory which is used to resolve the dilemma of 5 version of string theory. Greene further explained that the five versions are just different depiction of string theory with three of which Type 1, Herotic O, and Herotic E being large/small radius duality equivalence of each other and with the rest of the two, Type IIA and Type IIB, having the same reciprocal dualiy. This whole 11 dimensional geometric scheme development is carefully and lucidly written with unmatched clarity over these connected concepts of Kaluza-Klein theory, Calabi-Yau, shapes and M theory.
Though Greene does not use the actual equations from perturbation approach and Kaluza-Klein geometry of String theory to flesh out his explanations, it is still not easy to conceptually grasp the concepts of String Theory for anyone who does not have university level education in physics or mathematics. Greene actually warns his readers about the difficulty of the subject despite his best effort. It takes work to get through this work.
Another feature I like in any physics books is the anecdote stories of the journey of the physicists doing research. Greene shared his stories of his journey in String theory. The separate research efforts on the mirror symmetry Calabi-Yau shapes for space tearing flop between Greene's group, to include Aspinfall and Morrison, while at Princeton, and Witten is an interesting story. Greene also included various stories of String theory second revolution in 1995.
Overall, this book is a brilliantly clear introduction to string theory that is going to be a classic.
The book commences on the exploration of Einstein's notion of relativity, followed by the foundations of quantum physics, with both these fields having occupied physicists for the better half of the 20th century. Greene goes on to elaborate the frictions, paradoxes and inconsistencies arising from attempts of eminent scientists to reconcile these two extremely different scientific dogmas that both seem to define our reality. Enter String Theory, a revolutionary new discovery that turns physics as we know it on its head by not only merging general relativity and quantum physics into a single plausible framework, but also harboring new insights and implications on the nature of reality. These insights include a universe of 11 dimentsions, mathematical predictions for supersymmetry and the possibility of space-time ruptures, an area in which Greene has been most productive in, and for whose contributions he has been highly respected for. We see the 21st century as a kind of Renaissance for physics, as String Theory, with the ardent and novel outburst of myriad conceptual discoveries, has evolved into Super-String Theory and finally the M-Theory, perhaps the true "Theory of Everything" that has been the Holy Grail of Physics from the days of Einstein. However, the common thread running throughout the book is the idea of "symmetry", an overarching concept that accounts for the word "Elegant" in the title of this book.
Not only are the rhetoric superb and visual examples highly intuitive, the author's tone is brimming with excitement and passion for the subject matter, the kind of enthusiasm that seeps out onto the readers, making them want to take a journey with Greene as he explores the universe. Furthermore, the author gives full credit (and refernces) to all the key contributors of modern science from the more familiar names like Newton, Einstein, Bohr, and Hawking to the less prolific (at least to the lay person) but equally brilliant personalities like Kaluza, Klein, Calabi, Yau, Fermi, Bose and a host of other eminent scientists. Reading this book was like being invited to a soiree for dinner and conversation with all these scientific minds in one room. Furthermore, the author, although passionate, remains admirably objective in his postulations, acknowledging the weaknesses and flaws in such a dynamic new field, and establishing caveats for the readers before they move on from controversial topic to controversial topic.
This is a great book, one that takes the readers step by step on an adventure into inner space and outer space simultaneously. We gain a better understanding of "what we are" in the bigger picture although deeper questions like "Who we are" and "Why we are here?" remains up for grabs. However, like Greene endorses, the closer we come to discovering the nature of the universe, the more we are equipped and prepared to tackle these deeper questions with scientifically viable answers. Notice how I have refrained from going into too much detail on the content of the book itself; that would be tantamount to giving away "spoilers" for a gripping suspense novel or movie; And I know how we all hate that!
Top reviews from other countries
He de admitir que no lo he terminado por falta de substancias ilegales que me habrían ayudado a entender mejor la segunda mitad de la teoría de cuerdas. Pero honestamente, sólo por leer las 150 primeras páginas, ya merece la pena el libro.














