The Search for Superstrings, Symmetry, and the Theory of Everything

by John Gribbin

Book Overview

Since Einstein's time, a "theory of everything" -- one coherent mathematical model that would encompass all the forces and particles of nature -- has become the Holy Grail of physics, and its pursuit has resulted in some of the most extraordinary ideas in the history of science.

This invaluable primer at last enables all of us to understand these ideas. John Gribbin provides a brief, succinct, accessible overview of the hundred-year saga of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316326143
• ISBN13: 9780316326148
• Release Date: August 2000
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A good book but not for beginners

Yes, perhaps a little slow on the introduction and a drag for those of who had a beginners course in quantum physics or a college physical science background. But the author does an excellent job, in my opinion, of explaining in detail WHY it is that we're searching for SUSY, not just the buzzwords of this science for the impressionable readers. It also keeps a good psychological reality check, and defends certain theories over others; a very honest and unbiased book, and an interesting one too. Thanks!

Overview of particle (not astro) physics since quantum

If you haven't had a solid introduction to quantum physics, this book is not the place to start -- Gribbin's excellent earlier book (Schroedinger's Cat) is the place to start. However, if you've read about the Cat and have a decent conceptual grasp, this book is a good update. Gribbin's strength is explaining the concepts, independent of the intense math that's involved in physics. The science is so complicated that this is clearly not an easy task, yet Gribbin is, in my opinion, quite good at bringing the concepts to a level that I can mostly, usually, get a grasp of. On this level, this book covers what's happened in physics from the quantum revolution up to the present. Superstrings, Symmetry, & TOE is really not the best title for it though, because I read the first half of the book waiting for Gribbin to get to any of the title concepts. I don't think Superstrings is nearly as solid an effort by Gribbin as Cat was. I had a hard time grasping the symmetry concept. I was solid on the review of quantum mechanics (which was well done, but was not enough information to make me suggest skipping Schroedinger's Cat). I was right with him through the spin function, and I was doing pretty well all through quarks. When he (finally!) got to strings, I could understand again. Unfortunately, all through the discussion of symmetry -- which I read and re-read several times -- I just wasn't getting it.All in all, I think this is a pretty solid book for covering the physics concepts of the last 70 years or so, but I recommend reading Schroedinger's Cat, or at least having a conceptual understanding of quantum mechanics first.

Excellent overview of a challenging topic

I discovered John Gribbin relatively recently and have been going through any of his books that I could find. Even though his enthusiasm leads him into the realm of speculation at times, he is a very competent source of exciting and important information and remains a consistently good writer for whom clarity comes naturally.This book is shorter and more succinct than many others by the author, and he mostly remains within the mainstream boundaries. It can serve two purposes: as a quick refresher in modern physics, and as an overview of some of the latest developments in force unification efforts.For me, the writing was of just the right level of difficulty to make it worth-while to put in the effort necessary for the enjoyment of understanding the ideas it is trying to convey. Usually, they made good sense on the second reading of a given section (allowing for some inevitable vagueness of the subject as explained in words without the underlying mathematics).I would advise, however, that the complete neophyte starts elsewhere (maybe some earlier books by the same author); on the other hand, people who are interested in much more detail of string theory in popular form could read e.g. "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene.

A clear nonmathematical treatment of quantum theory, and TOE

Popular books on quantum theory are like cheap toilet paper, they fall apart easily. Gribbin's latest book is a triumph for the quantum wanabees who think they know some of the basic concepts, but in reality can only recite what they've read. Gribbin has a way of giving the reader an insight into what can only be properly understood mathematically. This book was written for those who don't know the math, but wish they did. The only thing "cheap" about this book is the price. Excellent!

Sophisticated and readable.

I've been a Gribbin fan for a long time, and am of the opinion that each of his offerings is better than the last. I concur with the professional reviewers': this meets the very high standard of Gribbin's other work and easily exceeds the average for the genre. In a conversational style laced with wit, an ability to *write* that is unfortunately lacking among some of the scientific intelligentsia, he addresses some of the most exciting issues in physics in this decade. It's a book about what we don't know, our thrilling ignorance and tantalizing hints, guesses, glimpses of an awesome explanation just around the corner... The field in itself is intoxicating, and one suspects that Dr. Gribbin must have enjoyed the process of researching and writing the book as much as his readers enjoy the results.This is a complex subject, and requires a thorough grounding in quantum theory. Readers who, like myself, are familiar with Gribbin's other work, will find that while the first section covers some of the same ground, it does so on a higher level of technical detail. This is presented in a quick, concise summary, and makes a good refresher, though it may go a bit over the heads of some who are completely new to the subject (they might want to read another of his books as an introduction, and then treat _Superstrings_ as a sequel of sorts, picking up where earlier attempts to explain the quantum world leave off). From there, he moves onto the tricky ground of modern theoretical constructs, the ever shifting leading edge of research. This is subtle stuff, but Gribbin is a competent and confident guide. Follow him closely, and you can be sure of your footing.Adventure metaphors aren't miss-placed here, the subject is exciting, especially rinsed of the dry language of journal publications and deftly displayed by a very articulate expert. Anyone with an appreciation for conceptual beauty will enjoy this, I think. I certainly did.