Achilles in the Quantum Universe

by Richard Morris

Book Overview

Centuries Ago, when the ancient philosopher Zeno proposed his famous paradox involving Achilles and the Tortoise, he struck at the heart of one of science's most intractable problems: How do we define... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805047794
• ISBN13: 9780805047790
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Misleading subtitle. What about the content? ...nothing new.

The subtitle is completely misleading, it's not "the definitive history of infinity" at all, indeed it's not even a history of infinity (actually, it only has two chapters on this subject). The book is just another (very well written, by the way) popular science book which talks about general relativity, quantum mechanics, time-travel, big-bang, worm holes, etc. So if you have already read others books on this subject (as the ones of Kaku, Hawking, etc.) you won't find much new information. But, in case you are really interested in a "History of Infinity", get the marvelous Rudy Rucker's book "Infinity and the Mind".

Achilles in the Quantam Universe

When I picked up "Achilles in the Quantam Universe" it was soley for a school project. We were assigned to read a physics related book and "A Brief History of Time" wasn't at the library. I found, though, that once I picked it up I couldn't stop reading. Not only is it written so that anyone can understand it, Morris adds humor, anecdotes and footnotes that keep the reader immersed in the amazing accounts of historical events. Starting with Cantor, Plato and Zeno, the book moves through the discoveries of some of the world's greatest physicists. It focuses on the history of the concept of infinity, but while doing so, explains such things as the development of the idea of an electron and the charting of our solar system. He makes Galileo, Newton and Einstein seem real, as if he was a friend telling of thier experiments. The book is informative, fun and an amazing account of the history of "infinity", and I would recommend it to anyone.

A book that contemplates the universe in an easy to read way

Achilles in the quantum universe, was one of the best books I've read. It approached the concept of infinity in a way that the common reader could understand.

Wish I had this book before taking calculus

As a lay reader who's interest in math and quantum physics is limited to the "gee whiz" aspects of science, this book is a must read. There are great mind twisters and insights into the reality of math and physics. I was blown away by the discussion about calculus. Wish I had the insights when I flunked the class....may have helped!

Clarity!

Where other science writers leave many ideas murky and impenetrable, Morris has a knack for making everything clear. As the review excerpt on one of his previous books said, he can explain Stephen Hawking better than Hawking does. In this book, he explains the concept of infinity, beginning with Zeno's paradox of Achilles and the Tortoise, and concluding with black holes and the possibility of an infinite number of universe. When I looked at the table ot contents, I thought, "I'll never be able to understand all this." But I did.