Download or read book Probable Impossibilities written by Alan Lightman and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2022-04-19 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The acclaimed author of Einstein’s Dreams tackles "big questions like the origin of the universe and the nature of consciousness ... in an entertaining and easily digestible way” (Wall Street Journal) with a collection of meditative essays on the possibilities—and impossibilities—of nothingness and infinity, and how our place in the cosmos falls somewhere in between. Can space be divided into smaller and smaller units, ad infinitum? Does space extend to larger and larger regions, on and on to infinity? Is consciousness reducible to the material brain and its neurons? What was the origin of life, and can biologists create life from scratch in the lab? Physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, whom The Washington Post has called “the poet laureate of science writers,” explores these questions and more—from the anatomy of a smile to the capriciousness of memory to the specialness of life in the universe to what came before the Big Bang. Probable Impossibilities is a deeply engaged consideration of what we know of the universe, of life and the mind, and of things vastly larger and smaller than ourselves.
Download or read book Chaos In The Cosmos written by Barry Parker and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2001-10-15 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From award-winning science writer Barry Parker, the only book to consider chaos theory in all areas of astronomy.
Download or read book New Insights Into the Universe written by Miguel Portilla and published by Springer. This book was released on 1992-10-12 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Indispensable for the building of cosmological models are precise observational data. To provide such data is the main purpose of this book. First, an analysis of recent cosmological observations using artificial satellites and large ground-based telescopes is given. Among these are the observation of the spatial distribution of galaxies and clusters, the detection of peculiar velocity fields in large regions, and the measurement of anisotropies in the microwave background radiation. Second, the authors present theoretical models which best fit the given observational data. The book addresses graduate students and astronomers and astrophysicists.
Download or read book At Home in the Universe written by Stuart Kauffman and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1996-11-21 with total page 335 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A major scientific revolution has begun, a new paradigm that rivals Darwin's theory in importance. At its heart is the discovery of the order that lies deep within the most complex of systems, from the origin of life, to the workings of giant corporations, to the rise and fall of great civilizations. And more than anyone else, this revolution is the work of one man, Stuart Kauffman, a MacArthur Fellow and visionary pioneer of the new science of complexity. Now, in At Home in the Universe, Kauffman brilliantly weaves together the excitement of intellectual discovery and a fertile mix of insights to give the general reader a fascinating look at this new science--and at the forces for order that lie at the edge of chaos. We all know of instances of spontaneous order in nature--an oil droplet in water forms a sphere, snowflakes have a six-fold symmetry. What we are only now discovering, Kauffman says, is that the range of spontaneous order is enormously greater than we had supposed. Indeed, self-organization is a great undiscovered principle of nature. But how does this spontaneous order arise? Kauffman contends that complexity itself triggers self-organization, or what he calls "order for free," that if enough different molecules pass a certain threshold of complexity, they begin to self-organize into a new entity--a living cell. Kauffman uses the analogy of a thousand buttons on a rug--join two buttons randomly with thread, then another two, and so on. At first, you have isolated pairs; later, small clusters; but suddenly at around the 500th repetition, a remarkable transformation occurs--much like the phase transition when water abruptly turns to ice--and the buttons link up in one giant network. Likewise, life may have originated when the mix of different molecules in the primordial soup passed a certain level of complexity and self-organized into living entities (if so, then life is not a highly improbable chance event, but almost inevitable). Kauffman uses the basic insight of "order for free" to illuminate a staggering range of phenomena. We see how a single-celled embryo can grow to a highly complex organism with over two hundred different cell types. We learn how the science of complexity extends Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection: that self-organization, selection, and chance are the engines of the biosphere. And we gain insights into biotechnology, the stunning magic of the new frontier of genetic engineering--generating trillions of novel molecules to find new drugs, vaccines, enzymes, biosensors, and more. Indeed, Kauffman shows that ecosystems, economic systems, and even cultural systems may all evolve according to similar general laws, that tissues and terra cotta evolve in similar ways. And finally, there is a profoundly spiritual element to Kauffman's thought. If, as he argues, life were bound to arise, not as an incalculably improbable accident, but as an expected fulfillment of the natural order, then we truly are at home in the universe. Kauffman's earlier volume, The Origins of Order, written for specialists, received lavish praise. Stephen Jay Gould called it "a landmark and a classic." And Nobel Laureate Philip Anderson wrote that "there are few people in this world who ever ask the right questions of science, and they are the ones who affect its future most profoundly. Stuart Kauffman is one of these." In At Home in the Universe, this visionary thinker takes you along as he explores new insights into the nature of life.
Download or read book Welcome to the Universe written by Neil deGrasse Tyson and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-12 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An essential companion to the New York Times bestseller Welcome to the Universe Here is the essential companion to Welcome to the Universe, a New York Times bestseller that was inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course for non science majors that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton. This problem book features more than one hundred problems and exercises used in the original course—ideal for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the original material and to learn to think like an astrophysicist. Whether you’re a student or teacher, citizen scientist or science enthusiast, your guided tour of the cosmos just got even more hands-on with Welcome to the Universe: The Problem Book. The essential companion book to the acclaimed bestseller Features the problems used in the original introductory astronomy course for non science majors at Princeton University Organized according to the structure of Welcome to the Universe, empowering readers to explore real astrophysical problems that are conceptually introduced in each chapter Problems are designed to stimulate physical insight into the frontier of astrophysics Problems develop quantitative skills, yet use math no more advanced than high school algebra Problems are often multipart, building critical thinking and quantitative skills and developing readers’ insight into what astrophysicists do Ideal for course use—either in tandem with Welcome to the Universe or as a supplement to courses using standard astronomy textbooks—or self-study Tested in the classroom over numerous semesters for more than a decade Prefaced with a review of relevant concepts and equations Full solutions and explanations are provided, allowing students and other readers to check their own understanding
Download or read book The New Universe and the Human Future written by Nancy Ellen Abrams and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2011-04-19 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cultural philosopher and an astrophysicist attempt to decipher how we fit into the universe, and the impact our placement has on us. After a four-century rupture between science and the questions of value and meaning, this groundbreaking book presents an explosive and potentially life-altering idea: if the world could agree on a shared creation story based on modern cosmology and biology—a story that has just become available—it would redefine our relationship with Planet Earth and benefit all of humanity, now and into the distant future. Written in eloquent, accessible prose and illustrated in magnificent color throughout, including images from innovative simulations of the evolving universe, this book brings the new scientific picture of the universe to life. It interprets what our human place in the cosmos may mean for us and our descendants. It offers unique insights into the potential use of this newfound knowledge to find solutions to seemingly intractable global problems such as climate change and unsustainable growth. And it explains why we need to “think cosmically, act globally” if we're going to have a long-term, prosperous future on Earth. “Should be read by anyone, not just scientists, who worry about the human condition.”—Deepak Chopra, The Huffington Post “A prophetic book. Its message ranks right up there with those of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Joel. Like the prophets, it is at times poetic, demanding, grounded, soaring, empowering, and always awe-inspiring.”—Matthew Fox, Tikkun “The ideas and images are fascinating and certainly contribute to a sense of the profound stakes involved in what we’re doing to the planet and ourselves.”—William Kowinski, North Coast Journal
Download or read book Insights Into Existence Essays On The Upanisads written by Raghunandan and published by Readworthy. This book was released on 2008 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is generally opined though erroneously, that the Vedanta or Upanisads are beyond the reach of common lot of people, and are meant for only the recluses dedicated to the spiritual quest. Swami Vivekananda not only introduced them to the general public, but also tried to convince them that the Upanisads have solutions to our common problems. The essays presented in this book attempt to give a glimpse into the Upanisadic methodology or Vicara as it is called, which makes use of doubt and inquiry.
Download or read book A Visual Guide to the Universe written by Alberto Hern嫕dez Pamplona and published by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. This book was released on 2017-07-15 with total page 106 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This revealing title offers readers insight into the many transformations our universe has experienced since its origin fourteen billion years ago. Through dynamic illustrations, diagrams, and accompanying text, readers will learn how the universe evolved to its present state and what theorists predict will happen in the future. The origins of the universe are covered, as are theories regarding existence before the big bang. Furthermore, in covering how astronomical observatories and observation instruments work, this title syncs perfectly with basic scientific principles covered by curricular standards.
Download or read book Welcome to the Universe written by Neil deGrasse Tyson and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-12 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An essential companion to the New York Times bestseller Welcome to the Universe Here is the essential companion to Welcome to the Universe, a New York Times bestseller that was inspired by the enormously popular introductory astronomy course for non science majors that Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael A. Strauss, and J. Richard Gott taught together at Princeton. This problem book features more than one hundred problems and exercises used in the original course—ideal for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of the original material and to learn to think like an astrophysicist. Whether you’re a student or teacher, citizen scientist or science enthusiast, your guided tour of the cosmos just got even more hands-on with Welcome to the Universe: The Problem Book. The essential companion book to the acclaimed bestseller Features the problems used in the original introductory astronomy course for non science majors at Princeton University Organized according to the structure of Welcome to the Universe, empowering readers to explore real astrophysical problems that are conceptually introduced in each chapter Problems are designed to stimulate physical insight into the frontier of astrophysics Problems develop quantitative skills, yet use math no more advanced than high school algebra Problems are often multipart, building critical thinking and quantitative skills and developing readers’ insight into what astrophysicists do Ideal for course use—either in tandem with Welcome to the Universe or as a supplement to courses using standard astronomy textbooks—or self-study Tested in the classroom over numerous semesters for more than a decade Prefaced with a review of relevant concepts and equations Full solutions and explanations are provided, allowing students and other readers to check their own understanding
Download or read book Science Perception written by Michael Weaver and published by LightWeaver Press. This book was released on 2018-02-18 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The history of science in the West can be traced back almost 2500 years, to a time when science, religion, and the arts all fell under a single discipline, the area of study known as Natural Philosophy, or Philosophia Naturalis. The philosophers of this time period, individuals such as Pythagoras, Plato, and Euclid, literally set the stage for much of modern science, developing tools that are still used to this day. Despite the large swaths of time that have managed to pass, instruments such as number and geometry have remained essentially unchanged, as evidenced by the continued publication (and translation) of texts such as Euclid’s Elements. While many of the tools used by modern science can be traced back to the Platonic and Neoplatonic schools of thought, the current scientific world view is more closely aligned with an altogether different school of thinking. Philosophers such as Democritus posited that the objects found within the physical world were actually composed of small, discrete parts — a world view still held by most of the modern world to this day. Few people stop to consider that this perspective, the atomistic view of the world, is in direct contradiction to the principles espoused by Pythagoras and Plato. This book provides a modern interpretation for the Platonic model of the Universe by making use of both dialogue and diagrams — the same techniques employed by Plato and Euclid more than 2000 years ago to explain their ideas.
Download or read book Timely Insights Into Timeless Truth written by Kenneth J. Brown and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2004-07 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A few gifted people have the insight to observe ordinary events of life—what people say and do and even what they think—and discover the extraordinary. Ken Brown is such an observer. His insight into the ordinary and his ability to relate his observations to truth with practical application is significant. Ken's insight into biblical truth is equally noteworthy. For the Christian, it is not enough merely to observe the events and people around them; it is even more important to interpret them in light of eternal truth. From a broad and deep knowledge of Scripture, Ken Brown applies culturally relevant and timeless biblical principles to life and its challenges.
Download or read book Space Telescopes written by Steff Jaywan and published by Dedona Publishing. This book was released on with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Space telescopes are powerful instruments designed to observe astronomical objects and phenomena from outside the Earth's atmosphere. Unlike ground-based telescopes, which suffer from atmospheric distortion, space telescopes provide a clearer and more detailed view of the universe. They have revolutionized our understanding of the cosmos by capturing images and data across various wavelengths of light, from visible to infrared to ultraviolet and beyond. The primary advantage of space telescopes is their ability to operate above the Earth's atmosphere. The atmosphere absorbs and scatters light, which limits the capabilities of ground-based observations. By placing telescopes in space, astronomers can avoid these issues and achieve several key benefits. Space telescopes have an unobstructed view, not being affected by weather, daylight, or atmospheric turbulence, allowing for continuous and consistent observations. They also have broader wavelength coverage, as Earth's atmosphere blocks many wavelengths of light, such as ultraviolet and X-rays. This enables space telescopes to detect and study these wavelengths, offering a more comprehensive view of the universe. Moreover, without atmospheric distortion, space telescopes can capture sharper and more detailed images.
Download or read book The Origin and Evolution of the Universe written by Ben Zuckerman and published by Jones & Bartlett Learning. This book was released on 1996 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of the origin and evolution of the universe encompasses many of the most fascinating questions in science. What is our place in the universe? How did everything in it get started, from galaxies and stars, to planets and people? And what does the future hold, for our star, and our universe? Recently, scientists have made remarkable advances in providing concrete answers to these profound questions. The new technologies of observational astronomy, with its ground- and space-based gamma-ray, X-ray, ultraviolet, infrared and radio telescopes, is truly producing a new golden age of discovery. This book presents the excitement of these new discoveries in the larger context of cosmic evolution. The distinguished contributors are leading researchers at the cutting edge of these fields, and they also excel in explaining these subjects to the broader public. They offer the latest insights into these rapidly advancing fields, covering the origin and evolution of the universe, the chemical elements, galaxies, the evolution of stars, planets, and biological life. Essential physical concepts are clearly and carefully explained at the introductory college level. Related concepts from chemistry, geology, and biology are organized and integrated into the discussions. An extensive glossary is provided, and mathematical detail has been deliberately kept simple, to make the chapters accessible to anyone with an appreciation of science. The result is stimulating exploration of the frontiers of modern science that will intrigue both amateurs and professionals.
Download or read book Discovering the Universe written by Neil F. Comins and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-04-25 with total page 674 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discovering the Universe is the bestselling brief text for descriptive one-term astronomy courses (especially those with no mathematics prerequisites). Carried along by the book's vibrant main theme, "the process of scientific discovery," the Ninth Edition furthers the book’s legacy for presenting concepts clearly and accurately while providing all the pedagogical tools to make the learning process memorable.
Download or read book Universe Before the Big Bang written by Prof. (Dr.) Jai Paul Dudeja and published by Notion Press. This book was released on 2024-03-18 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the most discussed topics among physicists, astronomers and cosmologists, is the origin of our universe. A number of theories have been put forward to explain the origin of the universe. Based on the evidence, the theory of Big Bang is widely accepted today. What is the Big Bang? Around 13.8 billion years ago, all the energy and the matter was compressed into a miniscule point. There was nothing else, no space or sky outside it. Everything was contained in that point. All at once, this point (which could not bear that high density and very high temperature), started expanding at an incredibly fast rate. In a split-second, it was the size of a grape, an instant later, a km-wide. Within a minute, it was billions of km-wide…and so on. Since then, the universe is not only expanding, it is expanding with faster speed as the time is passing. It's a mind-boggling question that has intrigued the scientists and the commoners alike for centuries is: “What was there before the Big Bang? Was there a universe or many more universes before our own universe? Will there be more universes after this universe? Are there parallel universes or cyclic universes? Was there just one big bang (that we know for this universe) or were there two or more big bangs? What are the theories which attempt to explain the phenomenon of the ‘Universe before the Big Bang’.
Download or read book Galactic Encounters written by William Sheehan and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-09-17 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Written by William Sheehan, a noted historian of astronomy, and Christopher J. Conselice, a professional astronomer specializing in galaxies in the early universe, this book tells the story of how astronomers have pieced together what is known about the vast and complicated systems of stars and dust known as galaxies. The first galaxies appeared as violently disturbed exotic objects when the Universe was only a few 100 million years old. From that tortured beginning, they have evolved though processes of accretion, merging and star formation into the majestic spirals and massive ellipticals that dominate our local part of the Universe. This of course includes the Milky Way, to which the Sun and Solar System belong; it is our galactic home, and the only galaxy we will ever know from the inside. Sheehan and Conselice show how astronomers’ understanding has grown from the early catalogs of Charles Messier and William Herschel; developed through the pioneering efforts of astronomers like E.E. Barnard, V.M. Slipher, Henrietta Leavitt, Edwin Hubble and W.W. Morgan; and finally is reaching fruition in cutting-edge research with state-of-the-art instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope that can see back to nearly the beginning of the Universe. By combining archival research that reveals fascinating details about the personalities, rivalries and insights of the astronomers who created extragalactic astronomy with the latest data gleaned from a host of observa tions, the authors provide a view of galaxies – and their place in our understanding of the Universe – as they have never been seen before.
Download or read book The Biggest Ideas in the Universe written by Sean Carroll and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-09-20 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Most appealing... technical accuracy and lightness of tone... Impeccable.”—Wall Street Journal “A porthole into another world.”—Scientific American “Brings science dissemination to a new level.”—Science The most trusted explainer of the most mind-boggling concepts pulls back the veil of mystery that has too long cloaked the most valuable building blocks of modern science. Sean Carroll, with his genius for making complex notions entertaining, presents in his uniquely lucid voice the fundamental ideas informing the modern physics of reality. Physics offers deep insights into the workings of the universe but those insights come in the form of equations that often look like gobbledygook. Sean Carroll shows that they are really like meaningful poems that can help us fly over sierras to discover a miraculous multidimensional landscape alive with radiant giants, warped space-time, and bewilderingly powerful forces. High school calculus is itself a centuries-old marvel as worthy of our gaze as the Mona Lisa. And it may come as a surprise the extent to which all our most cutting-edge ideas about black holes are built on the math calculus enables. No one else could so smoothly guide readers toward grasping the very equation Einstein used to describe his theory of general relativity. In the tradition of the legendary Richard Feynman lectures presented sixty years ago, this book is an inspiring, dazzling introduction to a way of seeing that will resonate across cultural and generational boundaries for many years to come.
