Three Steps to the Universe: From the Sun to Black Holes to the Mystery of Dark Matter | Date: 28 April 2011, 07:24
|
Three Steps to the Universe: From the Sun to Black Holes to the Mystery of Dark Matter
By David Garfinkle, Richard Garfinkle
* Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
* Number Of Pages: 280
* Publication Date: 2008-11-01
* ISBN-10 / ASIN: 0226283461
* ISBN-13 / EAN: 9780226283463
Product Description:
If scientists can’t touch the Sun, how do they know what it’s made of? And if we can’t see black holes, how can we be confident they exist? Gravitational physicist David Garfinkle and his brother, science fiction writer Richard Garfinkle, tackle these questions and more in Three Steps to the Universe, a tour through some of the most complex phenomena in the cosmos and an accessible exploration of how scientists acquire knowledge about the universe through observation, indirect detection, and theory.
The authors begin by inviting readers to step away from the Earth and reconsider our Sun. What we can directly observe of this star is limited to its surface, but with the advent of telescopes and spectroscopy, scientists know more than ever about its physical characteristics, origins, and projected lifetime. From the Sun, the authors journey further out into space to explore black holes. The Garfinkle brothers explain that our understanding of these astronomical oddities began in theory, and growing mathematical and physical evidence has unexpectedly supported it. From black holes, the authors lead us further into the unknown, to the dark matter and energy that pervade our universe, where science teeters on the edge of theory and discovery. Returning from the depths of space, the final section of the book brings the reader back down to Earth for a final look at the practice of science, ending with a practical guide to discerning real science from pseudoscience among the cacophony of print and online scientific sources.
Three Steps to the Universe will reward anyone interested in learning more about the universe around us and shows how scientists uncover its mysteries.
Summary: Well written and composed.
Rating: 5
I think, it is a true popular book among plethora of great but less-popular-more science oriented attempts by prominent cosmologists/physicists. Science at work - this is what we learn here; what we know for sure (how our Sun and stars "live" is particularly unique example of what science is capable to achieve), what we know because models are created based on observations and what are just hypothesis on a border of s-f waiting to be proven by experiments, adequate way of detecting (or both). I recommend this very approachable title mostly to high school students who contemplate studying astronomy or astrophysics in the future.
Summary: Good science, HONESTLY explained!
Rating: 5
The Garfinkle brothers have done a real service for popular science writing. Unlike so many other popular
books, they give the reader a taste of how science is ACTUALLY done. Their explanations are both honest and accurate - not at all an easy task for this type of book. Their central emphasis is on the question: "How do they know this?" The Garfinkles divide the universe into three types: the "perceived", the "detected", and the "theoretical", and discuss how the three are necessarily intertwined. They start with the Sun, then discuss black holes, and finally dark matter and dark energy. There is an enormous amount of information presented along the way in this slim volume, e.g. a detailed discussion of the life and properties of stars and the origins of life. Step-by-step the Garfinkle brothers take the reader through what we know with confidence (and how we know it), what we think we know (and what reasons we have to believe it), and what is still up for grabs (and what some of the possibilities are). Their book is for the reader who really wants to UNDERSTAND, not just be "gee-whizzed" and told, "that's how it is." I particularly like the last chapter, which rightly criticizes the way science is usually marketed to the general public.
Summary: Three Steps to understanding the universe
Rating: 5
This book takes a novel approach to explaining cosmology to the public. Most attempts give the gee whiz approach and state the findings as if they were set in stone. After all how could the reader understand even in a general sense how cosmological science has come to its findings? The authors have successfully answered this question. They explain how science of cosmology has worked and how we have built up our understanding of the universe by use of critical measurement and logic. I found myself taken through the facts and reasoning in a readable fashion. The discussions of star formation and the forces at work in the eventual collapse to neutron stars and black holes were very illuminating. In one sense this book is a primer on how science is done. What is known is described but the cosmological front lines between the known and unknown are also made clear in descriptions of dark energy and dark matter.
|
DISCLAIMER:
This site does not store Three Steps to the Universe: From the Sun to Black Holes to the Mystery of Dark Matter on its server. We only index and link to Three Steps to the Universe: From the Sun to Black Holes to the Mystery of Dark Matter provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete Three Steps to the Universe: From the Sun to Black Holes to the Mystery of Dark Matter if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
|
 |
|
Comments (0)
All
