Stephen Hawking's worldwide bestseller, A Brief
History of Time, has been a landmark volume in
scientific writing. Its author's engaging voice is one
reason, and the compelling subjects he addresses is
another: the nature of space and time, the role of God
in creation, the history and future of the universe. But
it is also true that in the years since its publication,
readers have repeatedly told Professor Hawking of their
great difficulty in understanding some of the book's
most important concepts. This is the origin of and the
reason for A Briefer History of Time: its author's wish
to make its content accessible to readers -- as well as
to bring it up-to-date with the latest scientific
observations and findings. Although this book is
literally somewhat 'briefer', it actually expands on the
great subjects of the original. Purely technical
concepts, such as the mathematics of chaotic boundary
conditions, are gone. Conversely, subjects of wide
interest that were difficult to follow because they were
interspersed throughout the book have now been given
entire chapters of their own, including relativity,
curved space, and quantum theory.This reorganization has
allowed the authors to expand areas of special interest
and recent progress, from the latest developments in
string theory to exciting developments in the search for
a complete, unified theory of all the forces of physics.
Like prior editions of the book--but even more so -- A
Briefer History of Time will guide nonscientists
everywhere in the ongoing search for the tantalizing
secrets at the heart of time and space. Thirty-eight
full-colour illustrations enhance the text and make A
Briefer History of Time an exhilarating addition in its
own right to the literature of science. |
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