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The Matter Myth: Dramatic Discoveries that Challenge Our Understanding of Physical Reality (Paperback)

by Paul Davies (Author), John Gribbin (Author) "In daily life we are aware that some things change while others do not ..." (more)

4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (Oct 23 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743290917
ISBN-13: 978-0743290913
Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 15.5 x 2.8 cm
Shipping Weight: 363 g

Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

Amazon.ca Sales Rank: #168,301 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Recent breakthroughs in physics are causing a revolution in how scientists view the universe, according to Davies ( The Cosmic Blueprint ) and Gribbin ( In Search of the Big Bang ). The authors survey the discoveries that have caused this shift from the traditional mechanistic worldview (which sees the universe as "a gigantic purposeless machine") to a less rigidly determined one that includes chaos, black holes, antimatter and even the possibility of multiple universes. They explore how it would feel to be swallowed by a black hole (one would be stretched and squeezed before being crushed into nonexistence) and why going through a wormhole, a kind of space tunnel, would allow one to travel backward in time. The authors explain why cosmic strings (which may stretch across the universe and outweigh galaxies) could fit into a single atom and how space can be curved. This accessible work also examines fundamental questions such as how the universe's "big bang" origin probably sealed its fate (it will end in a reverse process known as the "big crunch") and whether time is real or simply an illusion.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Wormholes, cosmic strings, quarks, relativity, quantum mechanics--Davis and Gribbin explain all the basic elements of the universe in a comprehensive summary of modern physics written on the layperson's level. Beginning with Isaac Newton's conception of the universe as a great cosmic clock, they follow the growth of materialistic determinism, where all events were assumed to result from absolutely determinable interactions of inert particles. This idea of matter turned out to be a myth, shattered early in this century by the uncertainties of relativity and quantum physics. The authors unseat materialism from its exalted position and along the way discuss chaos, the origin of the universe, multidimensional spacetime, evolution, the Gaia hypothesis, and extraterrestrial life. Very readable, with mathematics kept to a minimum. An essential volume for anyone wanting to understand today's physics. Recommended for all libraries.
-Doug Kranch, Ambassador Coll. Lib., Big Sandy, Tex.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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In daily life we are aware that some things change while others do not. Read the first page

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7 Reviews

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4.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, Jan 4 2004

By	Luigi (NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Matter Myth: Dogmatic Discoveries that Challenge Our Understanding of Physical Reality (Paperback)

Simply an awesome book. Only reason I don't give it 5 stars is because some explanations are not as straightforward as they should be. Overall: VERY GOOD!

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5.0 out of 5 stars Matter and substance., Jan 9 2003

By	Luc REYNAERT (Beernem, Belgium) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Matter Myth: Dogmatic Discoveries that Challenge Our Understanding of Physical Reality (Paperback)

If somebody is interested in modern physical theories about 'matter', he should read this book. It is written in a clear and very understandable vocabulary.
The main items in this book are the transformation of matter in waves and/or particles in the quantum theory, or its replacement by weird excitations and vibrations in the quantum field theory.

But he will also find good explanations of other phenomena, like the Kaluza-Klein space, the mathematical foundation of anti-matter, the not so empty empty space, the not so present present, the flowing or not flowing time, the disappearance of time, superstrings and chaos theory.
A further must read is the book of Brian Greene 'The elegant universe'.

Not to be missed.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Aging paradigms crumble beneath the 'new' physics., Mar 21 2002

By	Wesley L. Janssen (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Matter Myth: Dogmatic Discoveries that Challenge Our Understanding of Physical Reality (Paperback)

Issues regarding nonlinear phenomena and systems, as well as quantum physics, string theory, and philosophy of science are examined.
Physicists Davies and Gribbin, two of sciences most prolific writers, discuss the reasons for the impending death of the materialist paradigm which took an almost absolute grip on the philosophy of science immediately after the publication of Newton's Principia. In fact they state that (whether or not it is widely recognized) the reductionists' "mechanistic" paradigm is now dead. "It is fitting that physics -- the science that gave rise to materialism -- should also signal the demise of materialism. ...the new physics has blown apart the central tenets of materialist doctrine in a sequence of stunning developments. ...in the abstract wonderland of the new physics it seems that only mathematics can help us to make sense of nature."
The problem is not that mechanistic Newtonian science is "wrong" but rather that it addresses only a limited representation of actual truth. The book also contains excellent descriptions of things like white dwarfs, neutron stars, and the difficulties in developing a quantum theory of gravity. Theories of wormholes, strings, and GUTs are well presented. The final chapter indulges in speculation about "exotic (non-carbon based, non-DNA based) biologies" -- which the authors concede should not be taken seriously -- and about the difficulties with ideas of "spontaneous generation" and "extra-terrestrial intelligence". The authors proceed to set aside their own cautions and speculate on these ideas, making the final chapter an exercise in science fiction. Otherwise a very good book.

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Good, but not at the level of Gribbin's other books
John Gribbin as usual has written an insightful book that analyses new findings in physics in a big-picture sort of way, digesting them and making them comprehensible to the... Read more

Published on Feb 12 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A very lucid approach to a difficult subject.
I'm not a math-physics type person really. More of a math-physics wanna-be! Because I have more of a verbal/visual than a math mind, I avail myself of every opportunity to read... Read more

Published on Mar 31 2001 by Atheen M. Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars Exploring the Postmechanistic Paradigm
Davies and Gribbin succeed in clarifying some of the most intriguing questions known to mankind, such as "How did spacetime come into existence? Read more

Published on Feb 22 2000 by Cynthia Sue Larson