Reviews (17)

encourages intellectual expansion
Yourgrau's book A World Without Time is part biography (or a dual biography of Einstein and Gödel), part history (of the transitional culture that arose from the end of the 19th to the early 20th centuries), part nostalgia (for the Café Society of Vienna during that period, which was for philosophers what the Café Society of Paris was for artists), part gossip (about the behavioral eccentricities and estrangement of both men), part philosophical discussion (of Gödel's distinctions between proof and truth and physical and intuitive reality in his incompleteness theorems), and part apologia for Gödel, whom the author feels has been much neglected by history and the scientific establishment, a fact which he attributes to a marked lack of understanding or a general misunderstanding of Gödel's work.Whew.And it attempts to do all of this in a brief 200 pages.
A Most Unusual Friendship
A fasciniating account of the friendship between two geniuses, who although complete opposites in many ways, shared a passion for the truth in the worlds of mathematics and physics.The book makes you wish you could have eavesdropped on their conversation during the walks they took together at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Princeton.
Time! Gentlemen! Time!
I have rarely if ever read such a riveting book. Clear readable English, remarkable clarity on philosophical, mathematical and physical topics, penetrating insights into character and personality of most leading thinkers of the inter-war (Weimar) years. My only nitpick: Martin Heidegger's views are not covered. Fascinated by the nature of time for most of my life, this book is probably the most important and illuminating of all I've read. Congratulations, Doctor Yourgrau! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1879-1955    2. 20th century    3. Cosmology    4. Einstein, Albert,    5. Gèodel, Kurt    6. History    7. Relativity    8. Relativity Theory    9. Science    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Time    12. Cosmology & the universe    13. Quantum physics (quantum mechanics)   

Reviews (32)

Excellent "You Were There" Style
This is the best book about space travel I have ever read. Michael Collins is able to tell the story in a way that makes the reader feel he was actually there. He tells his story in a very knowledable and professional manner, but even more importantly, Collins uses polite mannerisms and dignity in his writing, a virtue absent from most modern writers. This book gave me a great deal of respect for Michael Collins as an astronaut and writer, and for Michael Collins as an American with dignity.
No Question About It--The Best Astronaut Memoir Ever!
There have been several excellent Apollo astronaut memoirs, especially Gene Cernan's "The Last Man on the Moon" and Jim Lovell's "Lost Moon," which was made into the feature film "Apollo 13." This one is still the most honest and reflective of them all. It extends a tradition of the aviator as litterateur into the age of space travel. One of the best
This is an excellent book.One of the best in regards to the space program and the ultimate in goals, the moon.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Apollo 11 (Spacecraft)    4. Astronauts    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography / Autobiography    8. Biography/Autobiography    9. Collins, Michael,    10. Project Apollo (U.S.)    11. Scientists - Astronauts    12. Scientists - General    13. United States    14. Astronautics    15. Biography: general    16. Space travel & exploration   

Reviews (14)

Great Book About the Universe
This is a book about the history of the universe and the physical laws governing it. It also tells the story of the scientists whose work brought modern physics to the point where it is today.
Not what I expected
I considered this book because of two main reasons: trying to get a deeper knowldege of the symmetries that are behind the main scientific theories, and Leon Lederman, its well-known author. After reading the book, I can say that I have not learnt almost anything new about Symmetry. Actually, I have read other physics books that have taught me much more on Symmetry, even if they did not focus on it.
A superb book on modern physics
Wow.This is some book.Unlike many books that describe the evolution of modern cosmological theory, this one is dedicated to the understanding of physics itself, both its history and it's collation of knowledge about reality.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Popular works    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Symmetry    6. System Theory    7. Cosmology & the universe    8. Particle & high-energy physics   

Editorial Review

In 1957, the Russians launched Read more

Reviews (84)

A great American and the exciting story of his experience at NASA.
Reading Gene Kranz's experience as mission controller at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration brought back childhood dreams of being a "space man". Gene Kranz lead an exciting life, and he relates his story through exciting tales from is tenure at NASA.
Tremendous as a Source Text
Let's be very upfront on one point: Kranz is not a gifted prose writer. He is a celebrity as a flight director, a competent test pilot, a keystone of one of the finest scientific and engineering achievements in the history of mankind, and probably one of the excellent leaders of the last century. But he is not a gifted writer.
Gene Kranz - Biographical review - Leadership in Space exploration
Having been interested in this period of the initial years of the space program, I was hoping to gleen more insite into events and people during this period. I was not let down as some of the details and specifically the difficult logistics of operations was layed out and described. All this without the technology that we have today for satellite communication/Internet etc. Superb description of the Apollo 11 landings and mindset for success of the Apollo 13 events, showing the stunning and legendary team building abilities and decision making insites of the period. Worth reading for anyone interested in those years of Space Exploration. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Astronautics    3. Experiments & Projects    4. Ground support systems (Astron    5. Ground support systems (Astronautics)    6. History    7. Manned space flight    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Systems engineering    11. United States    12. United States - General    13. Career in aerospace engineering    14. Kranz, Gene    15. Science / General   

Subjects:  1. Alien abduction    2. Body, Mind & Spirit    3. Human-alien encounters    4. New Age    5. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    6. UFOs & Extraterrestrials    7. United States    8. Body, Mind & Spirit / UFOs    9. Jim Sparks   

Reviews (4)

Very Easy Book To Read
This book is self explanatory and easy to read. I use this book for my SC 102 class. I'm a senior non-science major and it is really a good book.

Very good book and CD
The book is very good and the merchant was excellent in service and delivery.

Nice edition, but it is really necessary?
For over thirty years, McGraw has been putting out various editions of this highly successful textbook. Now in its tenth iteration, McGraw has made an important extension. It added a CD (which was long overdue). Plus, the book gives access to an online resource called PowerWeb. Pretty snazzy! You can access whole bunches of material there which is simply not in the book.Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Physics    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Science / Physics   

Reviews (12)

Einstein's Relativity Theory, Quantum Physics and Marilyn Monroe...and How They Interconnect
Truth be told, I never really had a burning desire to understand Einstein's theory of relativity, but author Marcus Chown, a cosmology consultant for New Scientist magazine, brings the subject within the mental grasp of laymen like myself with his new, compact primer. Addressing his thesis in conjunction with quantum theory, Chown smartly uses popular culture references and everyday objects as examples of the theories in action, for instance, stating that every breath I take has an atom once breathed out of Marilyn Monroe, or that one percent of the static experienced between channels of a television is radiation coming form the Big Bang. These are grand, fun statements, though I still find myself scratching my head on what they really mean, especially when he attempts to brings his level of discussion down to the microscopic world.
Brilliant introduction to what we do and don't know
This book is a gem. In less than 200 pages, Chown presents and explains the basics of relativity, quantum physics, and cosmologyjust about as clearly and understandably as possible. If you want to understand Schrodinger's wave function, uncertainty, why atoms don't collapse, how the sun really works, why quantum rules sort out bosons and fermions, and what we do and don't know about dark matter and dark energy, you coulnd't find a better source. Chown consistently amazes me with his brilliant analogies. For example, in explaining how relativity's spacetime replaced Newtonian absolute space and time, Chown writes, "Like shipwrecked mariners clinging to rocks in a wild sea, to make sense of the world we search desperately for things that are unchanging. . . . When we see the world from a high-speed vantage point, we see neither space nor time but the seamless enity of spacetime." Science writing doesn't get better than this.
Secret of the universe in 200 pages
The best popular science book I have ever read is Marcus Chown's THE MAGIC FURNACE (read it - it's brilliant). That focused on people and ideas and was written with a novelist's eye for detail and anecdote. THE QUANTUM ZOO is principally about ideas. And what ideas! Quantum theory and relativity. I have to say I enjoyed it immensely. Chown has done it again. THE QUANTUM ZOO is quirky, clear, fun and - best of all - short. Normally, when I read a book on these kind of topics it's like swimming through syrup and I give up on page 497! Chown has given us the secret of the universe in 200-odd pages and made a more succesful stab at it than virtually anyone else I have read. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Philosophy & Social Aspects    3. Physics    4. Popular works    5. Quantum theory    6. Relativity (Physics)    7. Science    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Popular astronomy   

Reviews (9)

100 Years of Aviation
I am 12 years old and I found this book to be very informative. Though it is written on an adult level, it is easy enough for a preteen to follow. It gives extensive history on planes from the birth of flight to the present.I highly recommend this book.

WOW !!!
I bought this for my husband as a Christmas gift, and when it came today and I saw the quality and beauty of this book in person, I immediately went back to Amazon and bought two more for my Father and Father-in-Law.This book is a steal at that price and it is huge!Jam packed with gorgeous photos and a LOT of reading to go with the pictures.The book would be treasured by anyone interested in the subject and by far the best one they will ever own.If I think of any more men they will probably get one too!!

A Luxury
There are many pictorial histories of flight available (I can't imagine an all-text history of the same subject), but this one has to be the jewel in the crown.True, there is not much on the pre-flight days of Leonardo and baloons and weird contraptions that crashed into the marshes.But the rest is a sheer delight for the eyes and compiles enough information to make it more than just a collection of pictures.Pretty much anything DK Publishing does is first rate, sometimes a bit too polished for my taste.But this is a perfect vehicle for the DK Publishing magic touch, and they pull it off extremely well. And that paper!Great gift material. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Aviation - General    4. Aviation - History    5. History    6. Transportation    7. Transportation / Aviation / History   

Reviews (5)

About the book
The book is in good condition but the shipping is too bad. O have to wait 2 weeks for it

The best of geology
This book is indeed the best introduction to geology you can ever get. It has the most fundamental knowlegde and at the same time it includes a higher level. So it is for all people with an interest in geology. If you are a student and even if you are a normal person with great interest this book will become your favorite. It combins beautyful pictures with nice drawings and great text. It gives a good picture of what it is like to be a geologist and what the work includes.
New Revised Edition Is Even Better
The sub-title 'Portrait of a Planet' gives you some idea of what this book is all about. It is almost a coffee table picture book, filled with photographs of the earth. Yet at the same time its first edition became the text book of choice at over 300 colleges and universities around the world.
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Subjects:  1. Earth Sciences - General    2. Geology    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Textbooks    6. Cosmology & the universe   

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics    2. Aeronautics & Astronautics    3. Aviation - General    4. Civil Procedure    5. Law and legislation    6. Popular works    7. Reference    8. Technology    9. Transportation    10. United States    11. Energy & natural resources law    12. International law of transport & communications    13. Transportation / Aviation / General    14. USA   

Reviews (7)

A Real Gem!
Andrew Liddle's little book is a real gem,and, apart from cosmology students, it should appeal to anyone seriously interested in understanding modern cosmology. Of course, there is an important prerequisite: the reader should have a college-level knowledge of maths and physics. Therefore, this is not a book for the general public, such as, e.g "A Brief History of Time" by S.W. HAWKING, or "The First Three Minutes" by S.WEINBERG.
An Introduction to Modern Cosmology
I sent this book back and got my mony back.
Terrific introduction to cosmology
That is a very good introduction book to cosmology at an undergraduate level. Although there are not many complicated equations, the physics ideas are very clear. It covers a lot of materials with easy-to-understand languages. The big bang model is the main part, with concise introduction to dark matter/energy, neuclosynthesis, cosmic microwave background, inflation etc. After reading this book, you will have a general idea about most of the concepts in cosmology and about what is going on in modern cosmology. Each chapter is accompanied by some problems, which are good exercise to understand the context. But I think it is a little outdated now, so maybe you should buy the 2nd edition. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Universe    2. Cosmology    3. Molecular Physics    4. Physics    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Cosmology & the universe    8. Science / Molecular Physics   

Reviews (4)

Great intro
An introductory book on cosmology, I find this enjoyable book to be easy to read and comprehend.A background in General Relativity (GR) is not required, but it helps--I suggest an equally accessible book on GR (A short course in General Relativity" by Foster Nightingale.This is a great book to show you deep connections between particle physics and cosmology.Each field constrains the theoretical study of the other and provides guidance to active researchers.This book will grow your maturity as physicists.
Ease your way into cosmology
As an undergraduate studying particle physics, I have found Ryden to be an excellent first-book in cosmology for self-study. The text requires no previous knowledge of general relativity (though this certainly helps, perhaps at the level of Carroll's text) or astrophysics, which is refreshing for those who would rather not wade through the astrophysics part of an astrophysics-cosmology course.
Very well written
It seems lately people have been writing very good textbooks, for example "Gravity: from the ground up", "String theory: First Course" and "Spacetime and Geometry" etc, and this is among the best. As has been mentioned, there are no tensors in this book. General relativity is introduced with equivalence principle and the metric and by investigating different kind of curvatures and corresponding metrics. Clarity is outstanding in almost every chapter.
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Subjects:  1. Astronomy - Universe    2. Cosmology    3. Physics    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Cosmology & the universe    7. Science / Physics   

Reviews (4)

Great Textbook
This beautiful, full-color, highly-informative textbook has been great for my Astronomy class. Completely up-to-date (well, with the exception of the possible two new planets, one of which has been confirmed only recently and definitely since the text's Spring 2005 publication), it teaches astronomy equally well to the physics major and the humanities student (such as myslef) who is taking the class for a science credit. The authors present the information in a fun way and introduce terms simply for the student. Supplemental material includes an excellent computer program, Starry Night, as well as web resources for reviewing the text material for tests. I highly recommend this text! (And so, of course, does my Astronomy teacher)

Good not Great...too
This was one of the two books I bought this semester and it was ok also same thing it was quite used and not too sturdy...it was the correct item and it arrived in a timely fashion. overall about 3.5 stars

Great Book, Great Subject.
I think that the book is great, however, if you are getting this book for as an astronomy textbook for a College course you should be aware that the 7th edition (this is the 6th, is already out) seems to be required these days for class.Some instructors might let you use the 6th edition (it is MUCH cheaper, so it wouldn't hurt to check,) but I recommend that you make sure that this is actually the book that you need.It comes with Astronomy Software on the CD that, alone, makes it worth the low price it is selling for anyway. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy    2. Astronomy - General    3. Cosmology    4. Science    5. Science/Mathematics    6. Textbooks    7. Cosmology & the universe    8. Science / Astronomy   

Reviews (11)

Fresh perspective, creative explanations
I keep reading these sorts of books hoping that someday I'll actually arrive at some reasonable conception of relativity, the quantum world, and cosmology generally. I can't claim that I'm there just yet, but I'm confident I'm a step or two closer thanks to Seife.
Seife Strikes Again
Charles Seife's books do more than just aim for that,
If there ever was a Mother-of-All Theories....
In reviews thus far of "Decoding the Universe," both formal and informal, there is a pattern of confusion and disorientation about the book's real topic.
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Subjects:  1. Computer Science    2. Cosmology    3. Expert systems (Computer scien    4. Expert systems (Computer science)    5. Research & Methodology    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Science / Methodology   

Reviews (4)

A must-have
This beautifully presented large hardback is actually a series of essays covering the story of the search for Longitude from the 16th century to the 19th. The essays deal with a range of subjects from the mathematical to the absurd, from astronomy to cartography and has 4 excellent appendices. The book is well laid out with both black&white and color photography in a manner that means you don't need to be a student of the sea of chronology to understand it. A good book to have on the shelf.

review
Excellent book focused on the Longitude act's of the 1700's.The primary emphasis is on the two technologies Lunar-distance and chonometer for determining longitude with a precision under 1 degree. The relative percentages are: 50% chonometer, 30% lunar distance, 10% Jupiter's moons, 10% general history pre-1600's.I gave it four stars instead of 5 because I thought the book was going to be a balanced discussion ( i.e. equal time)encompassing all methods of determining longitude irrespective of a 1 degree precision. All that said, I would still recommend the book to anyone interested in the topic.

Most comprehensive coverage
This review is top notch and comprehensive.It's the book of choice to cover the background and the technology.I'm not a watch or clock fanatic, but I slam dunked this whole book in just a couple days; a 15 hour Qantasflight kept me captive.I wish there was more discussion on the nature ofastronomy and how the clocks were calibrated.I want to read up onoctants, sextants and basic navigation now.This book deserves five stars. The A&E four hour documentary, "Longitude", this month alsodeserves high marks.If someone knows of a good read on navigating withastronomy that's more layman oriented, please email me (thanks). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1693-1776    2. Astronomy - General    3. Congresses    4. Harrison, John,    5. History    6. Horology    7. Longitude    8. Measurement    9. Navigation    10. Practical And Spherical Astronomy    11. Science    12. Science/Mathematics    13. Harrison, John    14. Maritime history    15. Time (chronology)    16. World history: c 1500 to c 1750    17. World history: c 1750 to c 1900    18. c 1500 to c 1600    19. c 1600 to c 1700    20. c 1700 to c 1800   

Reviews (3)

Great Introduction for graduate fluid flow
Review Source: Graduate Mechanical Engineer, BE Mech. Eng. Excellent Reference Book
This book gives an excellent summary of viscous flow and is a valuable addition to any engineers bookshelf. A good knowledge of fluid mechanic fundamentals is essential to understand the material presented. This bookis definitely not for a freshman. The author quickly covers the fundamentalequations of fluid motion and then proceeds to discuss the viscous flow andboundary layer theory. Laminar boundary layers, transition, turbulentboundary layers and compressible boundary layers each receive a chapter.Each topic is reviewed and examples are given. The treatment is a littleterse, which makes reading the book a tough job. Alot of excellentreferences are given and I would advise anybody serious about viscous flowto review this material as Whites treatment can be skimpy. The chapter onturbulent flow provides an excellent summary of useful empiricalcorrelations and an introduction to the K-epsilon model.In summary, thisis an excellent and reasonably comprehensive reference book(weak onboundary layers in rotating flows), but a poor book to learn from.

One of the better Fluid Mechanics textbooks
"Viscous Fluid Flow" is quite thorough and well thought out.I won't go so far as to say that it reads like a novel, but it flows quite nicely.This book is for senior undergraduate or first-year graduates.The topics contained within are quite advanced in comparison to typical undergraduate Fluid Mechanics.The only problem I had with this text is that at times (not often) the hierarchy of the topics would get jumbled.For example, the explanation for a topic might come before the topic was even introduced leading to some confusion.Regardless, this textbook is REQUIRED for the bookshelf of any serious Fluid Dynamicist. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Engineering - Mechanical    2. Mechanics - Dynamics - Fluid Dynamics    3. Science    4. Science/Mathematics    5. Technology & Industrial Arts    6. Viscous flow    7. Mechanics of fluids    8. Technology / Engineering / Mechanical   

Reviews (10)

The Mayan Calendar
The reviews here certainly have a wide range of critics. Just one thought. It's my understanding that things didn't end well for the highly advanced Mayan civilization sooooooo.... my question is... Why the heck would we want to model/listen to/heed advice from ect..., like, anything after them? Again , Just a thought.

What a total puzzle
What bothers me about most of the reviews of books on Amazon is that they are written by staff of some publishing houses, whether for or against the book. They are mostly not written by readers. Just look at the time and effort put into writing some reviews.
had high hopes but was let down
I couldn't wait to get this book in the mail. After reading it I could have waited. I was really disappointed in the material. I found it to be about 5% information and 95% interpretation. This book was written by a Swedish Christian. That means that both Sweden and Christianity were largely the basis for that 95% interpretation. This book, despite the 'official' review, is nothing more than 'the end of the world is coming and so is the second coming of Christ' book. More specifically, 10/28/2011 is the end of everything we know today. Read more

Subjects:  1. Controversial Knowledge    2. Cosmology    3. New Age    4. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Mind, Body, Spirit   

Reviews (1)

nice deal
this is the right book for combustion with in depth subject. go for it! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Chemistry - Physical & Theoretical    2. Combustion    3. Combustion (Chemistry)    4. Engineering - Mechanical    5. Physics    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Electrochemistry & magnetochemistry    10. Fluid mechanics    11. Technology / Aeronautics & Astronautics   

Subjects:  1. Aeronautics & Astronautics    2. Technology & Industrial Arts    3. Aerodynamics    4. Aerospace & aviation technology    5. Technology / Aeronautics & Astronautics   

Reviews (1)

Poor layout but good material
I own the first 2 volumes of this set that I had to get for a Graduate Astrophysics class.Read more

Subjects:  1. Astronomy - General    2. Astrophysics    3. Astrophysics & Space Science    4. General    5. Science    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Cosmology & the universe    8. Galaxies, clusters, intergalactic matter    9. Science / Astrophysics & Space Science