The Ascent of Gravity: The Quest to Understand the Force that Explains Everything

· Hachette UK
4.4
9 reviews
Ebook
256
Pages
Eligible
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About this ebook

The Sunday Times Science Book of the Year 2017

'Does Einstein proud . . . Eminently readable' Guardian

'No one has covered the topic with such a light touch and joie de vivre . . . a delight' Brian Clegg

Gravity was the first force to be recognised and described yet it is still the least understood. If we can unlock its secrets, the force that keeps our feet on the ground holds the key to understanding the biggest questions in science: what is space? What is time? What is the universe? And where did it all come from?

Award-winning writer Marcus Chown takes us on an unforgettable journey from the recognition of the 'force' of gravity in 1666 to the discovery of gravitational waves in the twenty-first century. And, as we stand on the brink of a seismic revolution in our worldview, he brings us up to speed on the greatest challenge ever to confront physics.

Ratings and reviews

4.4
9 reviews
21stcenturypirate
February 20, 2020
Trule enjoyed the book. In fact, I read it in one sitting! It's well structured, easy to read for a novice, even the quantum part. As a summery and reminder of previous knowledge it's great and gives an easy way to find further reading and topics. It's also very funny and one can't but love the sci-fi references throughout. Not to mention the small hints one might guess has helped build characters in the sit-com show. Books like this always interest me in their philosophical meaning and interpretation. Hypothetically, what if nature/physics is like an infinite babushka? What if String Theory is correct, but the dimensions needed are infinite? What if Wheelers guess that in the end presents a simple beautiful truth everyone searched for, but the only logical conclusion is a deity, that physics is simply just a loop back to a belief system? What if nature/reality in fact is NOT a book you read, but a book you write? Then what? - Whatever you look for, you'll find it, to no end?
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Joshua Byrd
November 28, 2018
This book gives me more information about gravity than I care to have. Loved it!
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About the author

Marcus Chown is an award-winning writer and broadcaster. Formerly a radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, he is cosmology consultant for NEW SCIENTIST. His books include WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD, QUANTUM THEORY CANNOT HURT YOU and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KELVIN, which was shortlisted for the 2010 Royal Society Book Prize. He is also the author of the app SOLAR SYSTEM FOR iPAD, which won THE BOOKSELLER Digital Innovation of the Year award. Marcus was a regular guest on the BBC4 comedy-science show, IT'S ONLY A THEORY, and Channel 4's SUNDAY BRUNCH. He has spoken at a variety of events, including the Cheltenham Literary Festival, Sydney Writers Festival, the National Theatre and Wilderness Festival. And he has also performed stand-up comedy at a variety of venues from an upturned inflatable cow on London's South Bank to a glass-bottomed boat in a shark tank at the Brighton Sealife Centre.

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