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Brian Greene

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory Paperback – February 29, 2000

by Brian Greene (Author)

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"[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

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 length

464 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Vintage Books
Publication date

February 29, 2000
Dimensions

5.12 x 0.9 x 7.99 inches
ISBN-10

0375708111
ISBN-13

978-0375708114
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Elegant Universe is compulsively readable.... Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes."  -New York

"[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

"[Greene] develops one fresh new insight after another...In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be hard to beat." --George Johnson, The New York Times Book Review

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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage Books; Reissue edition (February 29, 2000)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0375708111
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0375708114
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.08 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.9 x 7.99 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,520,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #887 in Mathematical Physics (Books)
- #1,604 in Cosmology (Books)
- #3,056 in Astronomy (Books)

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2,812 ratings

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Brian Greene

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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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Camilo Echeverri Gonzalez

Be patient, open-minded and enjoy :)

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is the first time I have to read a book twice. I literally went from the last page of the book to the first and started over because I did not feel I had gotten more than 30% of the book (improved to about 80-90%) in that first pass.

As I read it the first time, I thought most of the theories felt like science fiction, and thus they had to be wrong (never mind that they were developed by the most brilliant human beings in history)... I could not relate any of what I was reading to my daily life and I fwlt that what I was being asked to believe was too much.... not on the second pass: that time I used much more imagination and allowed “science fiction” to be real. That changed everything for me and the second time I was able to really see the universe as this place where “unbelievable” things can happen.

The hardest part for me about this book is the inability to visualize more than 3 spatial dimensions (probably many feel this same way), despite the authors emphasis on trying to extrapolate his examples to lower dimensions where visualization is common place.

My only complaint is that the book was written in the 90s and i am sure that there has been plenty proved and disproved about what is discussed in the book and so my only real want would be that they had a modere updated edition which clarifies where some of the mysteries (at the time) have been cleared

66 people found this helpful

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NotSoFast

Very well written, and mostly worthwhile read.

Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2016

Verified Purchase

A casual discussion on a very complex topic. I'm about 2/3 way done. I'll say this.. this books is as well written as can be for such an abstract topic. I'm writing this review before finishing the book since I'm afraid at my pace, by the time I'm done, the theories, and these are theories only, discussed may have changed. To a complete non-scientific person like myself, this book seems written in a foreign language, for a different species. One much smarter than me. But at a pace of 5 pages or so per reading session, I'm slowly digesting it. And so far it's a worthwhile read...or punishment as I some times feel.

156 people found this helpful

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Mary Soon LeeTop Contributor: Fantasy Books

A challenging but fascinating book about superstring theory.

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2019

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This book describes physicists' search for a theory of the universe and the current state of their understanding, focusing on the author's own area of expertise: superstring theory. I found it rewarding, thought-provoking, and illuminating, though at times very challenging. As a footnote in chapter ten states, "Some of the ideas in this and the next few sections are rather subtle, so don't be put off if you have trouble following every link in the explanatory chain..."

I like the way the book is organized. Before Greene goes deep into string theory, he has chapters on special relativity, general relativity, quantum mechanics, and on the difficulty reconciling the last two of these with each other. This sets the stage for string theory, a theory which enables the merging of general relativity and quantum mechanics. The middle of the book then presents the main framework of string theory, leaving the final chapters to delve into its connection to M-Theory, black holes, and cosmology. Greene describes difficult concepts without diving into mathematics -- mostly successfully, though I was left baffled on a couple of occasions -- leaving it to the chapter notes to hint at the mathematical details. (I note that I have a mathematics degree, but it doesn't encompass the math of string theory.)

I love the quest to find the ultimate underpinnings of the universe, a quest that has some of the same flavor as fundamental philosophical questions. The possibilities that the book raises are fascinating: that the fundamental ingredients of the universe may not be elementary particles, but rather vibrating strings or branes; that the universe may not have begun in a pure big bang singularity, but in a tiny Planck-size nugget of strings; that the familiar four space/time dimensions may be outnumbered by additional dimensions curled up in strange Calabi-Yau shapes. Highly recommended.

About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).

29 people found this helpful

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Keisha St.Julien

Richly fascinating!

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2019

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“The Elegant Universe” by Brain Greene is one of the best books about the universe I’ve ever read. He makes complex concepts relatable for the lay person who may not understand physics. I read this book once before. I look forward to re-reading it. It is highly recommended to everyone interested in the universe and how it works!

34 people found this helpful

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NoBigWoop

Packed with info; as easy to read as this stuff gets.

Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2016

Verified Purchase

Brian Green is one of the easiest of the serious physicist writers to follow. This book is long, but packed with info, and fully readable by most anybody (no math to speak of). He is exceptionally good at explaining and illustrating the concept of many-dimensions, and even illustrates what (if you use your imagination) they may "look" like. As with most respected physics-oriented books aimed at non-scientifically-trained readers, you'll learn more about "what is" current theory than you will understand about how physicists got there.

55 people found this helpful

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Big Bear

An excellent introduction into the modern physics accessible to a layman.

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2018

Verified Purchase

Excellent!!!
Dr. Green gives a brief introduction into the history of physics of the last century or so including great introduction to the laws of Relativity (both Special and General) and Quantum Mechanics. And then - on to the latest: the String Theory. It includes the major problems in physics and how they were resolved by one or another theory (sometimes creating new problems).
All this is done from the viewpoint not of a journalist, but of a scientist - an actual contributor to some of the major discoveries.
What I found the most amazing is that all these extremely complicated issues are explained using not formulas, but pictures and analogies that are put together in such a way that anyone can read it and get the conceptual understanding of the basic facts (deeper understanding would, of course, require serious math background).

12 people found this helpful

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Roger

A good introduction to the subject, but still difficult to understand

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2014

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This book by Brian Greene, a professor of physics and mathematics, is focussed on string theory. Regrettably, it's a book I wasn't able to finish because I found it got more and more complicated as it progressed. It started off well with some excellent explanations of quantum theory and relativity, although most of this I was already familiar with. It then progressed to string theory, and the first few chapters, all covering new ground for me, were well presented. However, I started to get into difficulties as the author tried to explain how the five different string theories may all be variants of a single theory. I struggled to follow much of this and gave up part way through chapter 12, so I didn't make it to understanding M-theory. Consequently, I never got to read the subsequent chapters on black holes or cosmology.

I could have struggled on but one factor in the back of my mind was that the Kindle edition I was reading, which was purchased from Amazon in January 2014, was derived from a book published as long ago as 2000 so I felt it was likely that string theory would have moved on since then. Consequently, I was conscious that some of the more advanced concepts may have been updated or replaced in the intervening years and I might have been wasting my time trying to understand something that was no longer considered valid. These thoughts were somewhat demotivating.

But from what I learnt, or at least as it was understood in around 2000, string theory is highly theoretical, with only approximate (and usually multiple) solutions to what are sometimes just approximate equations. There is no strong experimental evidence to support the theory, and neither is the theory of much value in predicting experimental results. Nevertheless, the theory does try to make sense of, and rationalise, the numerous fundamental particles making up the standard model. It also seeks to unite quantum theory with general relativity and gravity. It therefore has the potential to solve problems that have faced physics since the quantum and general relativity theories were first formulated in the early 20th century.

It's undoubtedly a complex theory but Greene does a good job of explaining much of the basics. I particularly liked the way that for many tricky concepts he explained them from two different angles, often using analogies. Therefore, I found that if I didn't quite understand one explanation, there was often a second explanation from a different perspective that made more sense to me. I found this double attack approach very useful for enforcing many of the basic ideas.

String theory requires more dimensions than we are familiar with in our everyday lives, these extra dimensions being very small and curled up. It's difficult to visualise what this means but Greene provided an excellent (although simplified) explanation of these curled up dimensions using the example of an insect walking along a hose pipe, where the length of the hose pipe represents a dimension we're all familiar with, and which can be seen from afar, but the cylindrical cross-section of the hose pipe is a curled up dimension, only visible from close-up.

Although I didn't manage to finish it, I'm still awarding this book 4 stars because I doubt that many authors could better Greene's treatment of this difficult subject. His approach is entirely non-mathematical, which is a challenge for a theory based entirely on mathematics, yet he manages to present many complex ideas in an understandable manner.

Looking on Amazon today I discover that the 2000 Kindle edition I was reading has been replaced by a 2011 edition. A sample I downloaded looks very similar to what I've already read but I'm wondering if some of the chapters may have changed.

25 people found this helpful

Jane Almond

Genius

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 28, 2015

Verified Purchase

There are hardly any words to describe the impact this book had on me. Superbly written. Difficult to grasp concepts and physics explained in simple analogies that really work. Fantastic insights for our generation as we go forward into a quantum future. This first book is even better than Fabric of the Cosmos. I suppose you might know that each time we move we pass through 11 dimensions of spacetime? No? Well, now's your chance to find out, understand and realise what physicists have known for some time. A clear explanation of the importance of string theory by one of the foremost physicists in the business. Brilliantly and humorously written... Can't praise it enough.

10 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

From the singularity to the multiverse

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 17, 2019

Verified Purchase

Brian Greene explores the possibility that the fundamental building blocks of the universe are little loops of energy vibrating in multidimensional space (the three dimensions we know, plus time plus as many as seven other tiny, 'furled' dimensions). It's an idea that has yet to be proved, but it could account for why the fundamental particles and forces are as they are and do the strange things they do. Though he is a practising string theorist himself, thankfully Greene explains for the uninitiated by thought experiments and graphics rather than mathematics.

Matt Jenkins

An Excellent Look at String Theory

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2011

Verified Purchase

An excellent introduction to String Theory for the lay reader. As others have said it may help to have some prior knowledge of modern science, by which I mean if you have no scientific background and you have never read any popular science works on particle physics and relativity before, this may not be the best place to start (others have mentioned for example Stephen Hawking's A Brief History Of Time as perhaps a better place to begin). However, that said, for those readers willing to put in a little effort this is a great read.

Greene begins by looking at the bedrocks of modern physics, relativity and quantum theory before progressing on to the eleven dimensions of string theory. It is thanks to writers like Greene, who are able to explain, without resorting to complex mathematics, such difficult concepts that the layman can begin to get a feel for the wonders of the universe. A fascinating read.

"[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

"In the great tradition of physicists writing for the masses, [Greene] sets a standard that will be hard to beat."
-New York Times Book Review

"[A] tour-de-force of science writing...peels away layers of detail and reveals the stunning essence of cutting-edge physics."
-Shing-Tung Yau, Harvard University; Fields Medallist, winner of the National Medal of Science

I also recommend two other works by Greene, The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time and the Texture of Reality and The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos .

One person found this helpful

Dave C

The incredible product of the human mind

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 12, 2011

Verified Purchase

The book starts with descriptions of Special and General Relativity which are the best I have ever read. Having mastered this, and feeling very pleased, I moved on and got progressively more confused by every layer of theory and complexity that was added. At first you understand and it makes sense. Then you mostly understand but the details wash over you. Then you just get the gist. In the final chapters you just wonder at the level of complexity that the human mind can achieve without really understanding anything!

A Plank length is an incredible 10E-35 meters. The way that Brian Greene explains the significance of this unit makes beautiful sense (although I couldn't have repeated the explanation even 5 minutes after I read it and marveled at it).

This is a great book. Not for anyone wanting to build a universe, but for interested science graduates who want an overview of the state of the art in [the quest for] grand unified theories.

One person found this helpful

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