Book Review: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking: A summary of humanity’s study of the universe
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As its name suggests, A Brief History of Time sets out the history of our understanding of time and the universe around us. In this bestselling and highly influential book, Stephen Hawking seeks to explain how the universe works and find out where we came from and where we are going, in an accessible style that can be understood even by readers with no prior knowledge of the subject. This clarity and accessibility made A Brief History of Time a publishing phenomenon: it spent over two years on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into over 30 languages, making it one of the most influential popular science books ever written. Stephen Hawking was one of the most respected scientists of the 20th century, and is remembered in particular for his work on general relativity and black holes.
This book review and analysis is perfect for:
•Students of physics at all levels
•Anyone who wants to gain a better understanding of how the universe works
•Anyone who wants to learn about the history of physics and cosmology
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Book Review - 50minutes
A SUMMARY OF HUMANITY’S STUDY OF THE UNIVERSE
Stephen Hawking guides the reader through 2000 years of cosmological investigation that lead us to our current understanding of the universe. He presents the theories of major scientists and explains how they build on each other — from knowledge of our spherical earth in a heliocentric solar system to discussing the impact of quantum mechanics on gravity. This book holds a unique position, being the contribution of a leader in cosmology and theoretical physics that was widely embraced by a popular audience. Hawking weaves together a narrative lecture that explains the seismic shifts in cosmological understanding.
KEY INFORMATION
Reference edition: Hawking, S. (2016) A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes. London: Bantam Press.
1stedition: 1988
Author: Stephen Hawking (professor, theoretical physicist and cosmologist, 1942-2018)
Fields: theoretical physics, cosmology, mathematics
Key words:
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to observe it.
(p. 235)
Antiparticle: Each type of matter particle has a corresponding antiparticle. When a particle collides with its antiparticle, they annihilate, leaving only energy.
(ibid.)
Big bang: The singularity at the beginning of the universe.
(p. 236)
Big crunch: The singularity at the end of the universe.
(ibid.)
Chandrasekhar limit: "The maximum possible mass of