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The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces Hardcover – August 26, 2008

by Frank Wilczek (Author)

90 customer reviews

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Physicist' understanding of the essential nature of reality changed radically over the past quarter century. Frank Wilczek has played a lead role in establishing the new paradigms. Transcending the clash and mismatch of older ideas about what matter is, and what space is, Wilczek presents here some brilliant and clear syntheses. Space is a dynamic material, the engine of reality; matter is a subtle pattern of disturbance in that material.

Extraordinarily readable and authoritative, The Lightness of Being is the first book to unwrap these exciting new ideas for the general public. It explores their implications for basic questions about space, mass, energy, and the longed-for possibility of a fully unified theory of Nature. Along the way, Wilczek presents new perspectives on many strange aspects of our fantastic universe. Pointing toward new directions where the great discoveries in fundamental physics are likely to come, he envisions a new Golden Age in physics.

The Lightness of Being: Mass, Ether, and the Unification of Forces

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Grand unification theories have long been a holy grail in science. Nobel Prize–winning physicist Wilczek, who has himself made notable contributions in this field, offers a survey of everything in the universe from quarks to black holes, elucidating the current scientific thinking on how matter and energy interact. The two main concepts are the Grid and the Core. Wilczek says the grid is a conceptual descendant of ether, that mysterious substance scientists once believed filled empty space. Now some physicists theorize that space is highly structured by the grid, which is the primary ingredient of physical reality and the substance from which all physical matter is formed. Core theory, on the other hand, provides a theory of everything, reconciling gravity with electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces. Wilczek reports a couple of problems with core theory: it's not very elegant (scientists love elegance in their equations), and it hasn't been reconciled with string theory. This book is not for most general readers, but will be a hit with hard-core science buffs. Photos, illus. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this excursion to the outer limits of particle physics, Wilczek explores what quarks and gluons, which compose protons and neutrons, reveal about the manifestation of mass and gravity. A corecipient of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics, Wilczek knows what he’s writing about; the question is, will general science readers? Happily, they know what the strong interaction is (the forces that bind the nucleus), and in Wilczek, they have a jovial guide who adheres to trade publishing’s belief that a successful physics title will not include too many equations. Despite this injunction (against which he lightly protests), Wilczek delivers an approachable verbal picture of what quarks and gluons are doing inside a proton that gives rise to mass and, hence, gravity. Casting the light-speed lives of quarks against “the Grid,” Wilczek’s term for the vacuum that theoretically seethes with quantum activity, Wilczek exudes a contagious excitement for discovery. A near-obligatory acquisition for circulating physics collections. --Gilbert Taylor

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Product details

Hardcover: 292 pages
Publisher: Basic Books (August 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0465003214
ISBN-13: 978-0465003211
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 90 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #11449 in Books > Science & Math > Physics

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A lively synthesis with some drawbacks

ByNCstaton February 18, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I liked the way the author develops his discussion of his main goal (the unification of forces - qcd), he begins relatively easy and gradually progress to less familiar and for (I would think) his target audience less comfortable topics. His writing style is great to read, he is concise and humorous and he presents quantum physics as being much less daunting to understand than most other writers I have read, his argument being that anyone can understand it if they try. The book also seques nicely right into current research.

I had 2 downsides. First, there were times, especially in the second half of the book where I would suddenly pause and say, huh, didn't I just read that paragraph? The more I read it, the more I wondered, did he just cobble parts of this book together from separate sources (and indeed he did. I discovered at the end, parts of this book are from a series of lectures). I don't say this to discourage you from reading it, again, his writing style is very approachable and with this topic a little reinforcement doesn't hurt, but you will notice it and a little more careful editing might have been an advantage here.

The second is that I wondered sometime if the author isn't a little too in love with his personal favorite theory (QCD). I'm not arguing whether his theory is right or wrong, that's definetely beyond my knowledge, but there were a lot of pros and not a lot of cons. I like to read physics books, so I know he is in no means alone in this, but everyone seems to have their favorite theory that they are sure is the one that will work, and I seldom find that it is put in perspective with possible competing alternatives. I don't really expect anyone to cover all the alternatives, but maybe a little more frank look at possible drawbacks to the theory. The author does attempt to do this, but it doesn't seem like he really believes them. Which may be because he is right, I don't know, I'll have to keep reading until someone discovers the answer.

Finally, one point I don't quite agree. The author argues that if we try understanding all the elements of particle physics it really shouldn't be so hard. And I agree in principle, I have no problem with atoms or electron or protons or neutrons, but when people start talking colors and flavors and strange and charmed quarks I start to feel a bit unfocused. I don't know if it's because I studied the one set in school and not the other, or if it has something to do with all the silly names that particle physicists seem to prefer.

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Mass and QCD explained

ByJaume Puigbo Vilaon October 1, 2008

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

This book continues the themes of "Fantastic Realities" (which was more a collection of articles than a real book), but it is much more intelligible. The title corresponds to the fact that a human being is 95% pure energy. The reason: proton's and neutron's masses are very much larger than the rest masses of their constituent quarks, i.e. most of these baryons' mass is pure (m= E/c*c) energy.
If you are not familiar with Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of the strong interaction, you will get a good grasp of it by reading this book and you will understand quark confinement. QCD is an exceptionally rigid theory depending only on three parameters. The author won a Nobel Prize for the development of QCD based on asymptotic freedom together with David Gross, although this work, as graduate student, was not recognized until 20 years later.
By reading the book you will also discover why gravity is so weak compared to other forces (a magnet lifts a clip against Earth gravitational pull) and you will learn about the theoretical framework to extend the Standard Model group of symmetries to Supersymmetry, a theory that suggests a unification of all interactions, including gravity, at high energies. Predicted superpartners of the standard particles may be discovered at the LHC in Geneva. On the way you will also come to accept that empty space is a most complex structure: a multilayered, multicolored superconductor.
The author questions Popper's falsifiability dogma to which all scientific theories must obey. Part 3 is titled: Is Beauty Truth? It reminds me of Sir Michael Atiyah's presentation at Cosmocaixa in Barcelona with a similar argument and the author presents historical evidence (Dirac's prediction of the positron, for example). Wilczek argues that a good beautiful theory (SUSY) is worth keeping even if some things do not really fit in. He adopts the Jesuit credo: "It is more blessed to ask forgiveness than permission". Nature is, of course, the last judge.
I will quote a beautiful description he makes of the LHC: "In sheer size, the LHC is our civilization's answer to the pyramids of ancient Egypt. But it is a nobler monument in many ways. It is born out of curiosity, not of superstition. It is a product of cooperation, not command". Blessed are we to live in such exciting times in science!

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A superb writer & Nobel laureate = a great update for physicist & hobbyist

ByRobert Johnstonon January 4, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

My review context is as an applied physicist long removed in years from the mathematical erudition required in the cosmic questions. I read a book or so a year from out of the physics community to remain conceptually informed. Most physicists are buried within their narrow and specific niche in order to make a living of it. The edgier science moves on and sans the quick adaptive mathematical penchant for the subject that a `student' might retain, the old guy is left to struggle among writings either `too basic' or `too focused' in mathematical rigor to provide the conceptually `current' worldview. Wilczek does an excellent job in delivering the conceptual architecture to position your relative thinking.

Wilczek nailed my level interest on the head with this writing. He delivers an excellent first person synopsis of the past decade in QCD & QED and directs attention toward the next tier of experimentation and premise. At the end of it all, I think I would enjoy a conversation with Frank. He is unpretentiously fun to read. He doesn't take himself or the high frontier of science that is his domain to the limit of knowability. I appreciate his style that delivers on the matters of, we know `x', we don't know `y', and we are rather clueless on `z'. U=0 still unifies in its sarcastic way. That's refreshing.

The appendices are fun and are due a particular kudo to the author for the creative application to the normally mundane. Even the glossary is an informative, independent read.

Wilczek is an outstanding writer in the domain!

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Most recent customer reviews

Good education book.

Published 6 months ago by Amazon Customer

Excellent book written in an understandable and witty manner.

Published 8 months ago by James E. Montgomery

THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING WILCZEK

A mixture of caricature, metaphor, and bull - perfect for the times !

Published 9 months ago by ratty

Marginal reprint

I wish I'd read this book earlier in its career. The book is good...Wilczek's usual half scientific, half hippie writing is engaging and personal and undeniably informative.Read more

Published 11 months ago by Nick

Especially good in explaining what we do know and what we ...

Especially good in explaining what we do know and what we don't know in modern physics. Especially good in emphasizing that what we are doing in particle physics is studying the...Read more

Published 12 months ago by Robert E. Hetrick

Expand your view of reality

A fascinating read requiring some acquaintance with quantum physics. Worth the effort.

Published 1 year ago by J. Richard Hunt

Soon to be a great piece of history. For now, it's science on the edge.

Published 1 year ago by Curt Weinstein

Great book! I bought this is so I can have him sign it when I met him but I handed up loving the book. Thanks Frank!

Published 1 year ago by Robert Vargas

Published 1 year ago by W. Upson

Wilczek writes knowledgably (of course) and affably, cracking mercifully few clumsy physicist jokes (Alice and Bob do not appear in these pages), but inevitably, as with most...Read more

Published 1 year ago by Christopher Marlowe

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