From the Publisher
Stephen Hawking's phenomenal, multimillion-copy bestseller,
A Brief History of Time, introduced the ideas of
this brilliant theoretical physicist to readers all over the world.
Now, in a major publishing event, Hawking returns with a lavishly
illustrated sequel that unravels the mysteries of the major
breakthroughs that have occurred in the years since the release of
his acclaimed first book.
The Universe in a Nutshell
• Quantum mechanics
• M-theory
• General relativity
• 11-dimensional supergravity
• 10-dimensional membranes
• Superstrings
• P-branes
• Black holes
One of the most influential thinkers of our time, Stephen Hawking
is an intellectual icon, known not only for the adventurousness of
his ideas but for the clarity and wit with which he expresses them.
In this new book Hawking takes us to the cutting edge of
theoretical physics, where truth is often stranger than fiction, to
explain in laymen's terms the principles that control our
universe.
Like many in the community of theoretical physicists, Professor
Hawking is seeking to uncover the grail of science - the elusive
Theory of Everything that lies at the heart of the cosmos. In his
accessible and often playful style, he guides us on his search to
uncover the secrets of the universe - from supergravity to
supersymmetry, from quantum theory to M-theory, from holography to
duality.
He takes us to the wild frontiers of science, where superstring
theory and p-branes may hold the final clue to the puzzle. And he
lets us behind the scenes of one of his most exciting intellectual
adventures as he seeks "to combine Einstein's General Theory of
Relativity and Richard Feynman's idea of multiple histories into
one complete unified theory that will describe everything that
happens in the universe."
With characteristic exuberance, Professor Hawking invites us to be
fellow travelers on this extraordinary voyage through space-time.
Copious four-color illustrations help clarify this journey into a
surreal wonderland where particles, sheets, and strings move in
eleven dimensions; where black holes evaporate and disappear,
taking their secret with them; and where the original cosmic seed
from which our own universe sprang was a tiny nut.
The Universe in a Nutshell is essential reading
for all of us who want to understand the universe in which we live.
Like its companion volume, A Brief History of
Time, it conveys the excitement felt within the scientific
community as the secrets of the cosmos reveal themselves.
From the Jacket
"Clear, concise and accessible. And he leavens it further with
occasional wry humor."-St Louis Post-Dispatch
"Provocative and informed ... plenty of comprehensible analogies
and no small amount of humor, often self-deprecating.... Best of
all, the book is liberally sprinkled with well-conceived,
gorgeously rendered and frequently whimsical
illustrations."-Time
About the Author
Stephen Hawking is Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the
University of Cambridge; his other books for the general reader
include the essay collection Black Holes and Baby
Universes and The Universe in a
Nutshell.
Format: Hardcover
Published: November 6, 2001
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Language: English
The following ISBNs are associated with this title:
ISBN - 10: 055380202X
ISBN - 13: 9780553802023
