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The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics |
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Amazon Sales Rank: 17525
Publication Date: 2009-07-22
Publisher: Back Bay Books
ISBN: 0316016411
Type: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 480
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At the beginning of the 21st century, physics is being driven to very unfamiliar territory--the domain of the incredibly small and the incredibly heavy. The new world is a world in which both quantum mechanics and gravity are equally important. But mysteries remain. One of the biggest involved black holes. Famed physicist Stephen Hawking claimed that anything sucked in a black hole was lost forever. For three decades, Leonard Susskind and Hawking clashed over the answer to this problem. Finally, in 2004, Hawking conceded.
THE BLACK HOLE WAR will explain the mind-blowing science that finally won out, and the emergence of a new paradigm that argues the world--this catalog, your home, your breakfast, you--is actually a hologram projected from the edges of space.
Average Rating: 
Review: 2009-11-16
Science IS Stranger Than Fiction
This is a fantastic book for physics groupies. It's a very fast and (believe it or not) easy read. Complex concepts are laid out in simple analogies for the layman. Susskind explains most all current quantum physics concepts including string theory, holographic principle, multiple dimensions, conservation of data, and (of course) the black hole paradox. I also liked his side note about science being the study of the observable, therefore ideas about black holes leading to alternative universes, heaven, or hell cannot be considered valid hypothesis.
Much kudos to Susskind's editors! I've seen some of his lectures, and even the most elementary concept discussions he has a tendency to skip steps in explanations because they seem obvious to physicists. His editors held his feet to the ground and forced him to flesh out those elementary steps for the reader. On occasion, though, this doesn't happen. So expect a few concepts to have the "miracle happens here" step.
Susskind refers to Steven Hawking a lot in this book. I mean an exorbitant amount. Too much if you ask me. He clearly respects, admires, and challenges Hawking. We get it. No need to go overboard.
One other thing to remember while reading: the analogies drawn to help readers visualize concepts are, for the most part, one dimensional. What I mean is when the author describes something like `energy at the event horizon' as `resembling a TV set tuned to static', the analogy does not go any further than that. It doesn't mean energy shoots out from behind the surface, or it's a flat surface, or you can change the channel to I Love Lucy. It just resembles a static picture. Keep the context literal to understand the point clearly and don't `test' the analogies.
Buy this book it will blow your mind, educate you, and entertain you. This book epitomizes the phrase "Truth is stranger than fiction."
Review: 2009-11-11
Outstanding clarity of presentation
I have been so pleased with this book! It started out rather slowly with some very basic concepts (read boring to those of us with any math skills), but quickly evolved into the most lucid and entertaining description of our universe (and the ultra-bright humans living within it) that I have ever read. It's physics, its personal, it's engaging and clear.
And Susskind seems like the kind of person you would love to invite to dinner - a serious thinker who is endlessly amusing. He knew Feynmann (whose large red text books I still treasure from college days) - he spars with Hawking. Well, he just tells a good story - you won't be disappointed.
Review: 2009-10-24
Great Book
I really enjoyed reading this book! Susskind loves physics and it shows. He is very enthusiastic when he talks about his "battle" with Stephen Hawking, along with string theory and other theoretical physics. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about black hole physics in non-technical language. Or to anyone looking for a fun and interesting book!
Review: 2009-10-04
Simplifies the unsimplifiable
Dr. Susskind does a great job explaining, in non-mathematical terms, some very hard-to-grasp concepts. Read this one first, then Brian Green's "Fabric of the Cosmos," followed by Lisa Randall's "Warped Passages" for a thorough non-credit course in quantum mechanics.
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Amazon List Price: $15.99
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