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 eleven dimensions where all matter is generated by the vibrations of microscopically tiny loops of energy. Greene uses everything from an amusement park ride to ants on a garden hose to explain 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 scientific writing - a delightful, lucid voyage through modern physics that brings us closer to understanding how the universe works.

About the Author

Brian Greene is Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University and Cornell University.

Reviews

Scientific advances, the domains of researchers and subject specialists, for the most part elude the general public. Greene illuminates here superstring theory, one of the most exciting developments of modern physics. The twin pillars of modern physics‘quantum mechanics and relativity‘appear to be at odds with each other. Uniting these two divergent theories has been the holy grail of physicists for more than 50 years. Many researchers see string theory as the grand unification theory they have been seeking. They believe these tiny vibrating strings, a billionth of a billionth the size of an atom, are the fundamental building blocks of nature. Greene (mathematics and physics, Columbia and Cornell universities) should be commended for his lucid account of this development. Excellent notes as well as a glossary and list of further reading are included. Recommended. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/98.]‘James Olson, Northeastern Illinois Univ., Chicago

Not since the extraordinary success of A Brief History of Time has a scientific book caused such a stir. An eloquent sweep through the history of modern physics and cosmology. - Sunday Times; A theory of physics which defies empirical confirmation, predicts there are ten dimensions and proposes that the fundamental particles of matter are infinitely tiny strings is not the obvious basis for a bestseller, but Greene makes it zip along. - Nigel Hawkes, The Times; The Elegant Universe is a delightful, lucid introduction to the greatest problem in all of physics, the quest to unify the laws of nature. Greene does a masterful job in presenting complex materials in a lively, engaging manner. Highly recommended to anyone who has aver gazed at the heavens and wondered, as Einstein did, if God had a choice in making the Universe. - Michio Kaku; If you want to tangle with string theory then this lucid unweaving of its intricacies and knottiest problems in words and pictures will take you to the frontiers of modern physics. Outstanding. - John D Barrow

One of the more compelling scientific (cum-theological) questions in the Middle Ages was: "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" Today's version in cutting-edge science is, "How many strings... ?" As posited by s tring theory physics, strings are furiously vibrating loops of stuff. The concept of strings was devised to help scientists describe simultaneously both energy and matter. The frequency and resonance of strings' vibration, just like those of strings on an instrument, determine charge, spin and other familiar properties of energy‘and eventually the structure of the universe: a true music of the spheres. There's a chance that strings are themselves made up of something still smaller. But scientists can prove their existence only on the blackboard and computer, because they are much too tiny‘a hundred billion billion times smaller than the nucleus of an atom‘to be observed experimentally. Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics at Cornell and Columbia universities, makes the terribly complex theory of strings accessible to all. He possesses a remarkable gift for using the everyday to illustrate what may be going on in dimensions beyond our feeble human perception. Just when we might be tempted to dismiss strings as grist for the publish-or-perish mill, Greene explains how they have demonstrated connections between mathematics and physics that have helped solve age-old conundrums in each field. This book will appeal to astronomy as well as math and physics fans because it probes the important insights string theory gives into hotly debated issues in cosmology. Later chapters require careful attention to Greene's explications, but the effort will prepare readers to follow the scientific advances likely to be made in the next millennium through application of string theory. Author tour. (Feb.)