How to Build a Time Machine
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Book Overview
With his rare knack for making cutting-edge theoretical science effortlessly accessible, world-renowned physicist Paul Davies has won a devoted readership with his bestselling books The Fifth Miracle, About Time, and God and the New Physics. Now Davies tackles an issue that has intrigued humankind for centuries-is time travel possible? The answer, insists Davies, is definitely yes-once you iron out a few kinks in the space-time continuum. With tongue planted seriously in cheek, Davies explains that to visit the future, all you need is a little help from gravity and a spaceship that can travel just under the speed of light. As for returning to the past, the best bet is to find a convenient black hole equipped with a traversible worm hole-though if you're not careful you may find yourself sucked into a one-way journey to nowhere. Finally, having brilliantly laid the theoretical foundation, Davies sets out a four-stage process for assembling the time machine and getting it to work. He also addresses the ticklish question of why, if time travel is really feasible, we're not swarmed with time tourists visiting us from the future. Wildly inventive and theoretically sound, How to Build a Time Machineis creative science at its best-illuminating, entertaining, thought provoking, and fascinating in every way.
Format:Hardcover
Language:English
ISBN:0670030635
ISBN13:9780670030637
Release Date:March 2002
Publisher:Viking Adult
Length:128 Pages
Weight:0.60 lbs.
Dimensions:7.8" x 0.7" x 5.3"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
A GREAT book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This was my first book on relativity and quantum mechanics. I read it in sixth grade, and had no trouble whatsoever understanding it. I have recommended it to many of my friend, all of whom enjoyed it. This book tackles some of the REALLY weird physics, and does it in simple, nonbigwordable way that the layman can understand. No equations, pictures and illistrations instead. A great introduction for the newbie. -Emmsey Squire
A Real-Science Time Travel Plan!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I have read other books by Paul Davies, and found this one as enlightening, entertaining and challenging as previous ones. This is serious science, not science fiction. Davies outlines in a very readable style, with good diagrams and humorous illustrations, the current thinking in Quantum Physics concerning the concept of time. He discusses the mechanical and mathematical possibilities of moving between points in times, reflecting on principles and implications in the Theory of Relativity. He discusses worm holes and how to create and control them, using anti-gravity, negative energy and time dilation. He goes through the known steps necessary to create a time dilation by connecting one point of time in relation to a certain spatial location to different time conditions in another spatial location. This involves, of course, reflections on light speed and the physical and practical limitations involved in the state of the universes as we know it. This is fascinating reading, with both feet planted firmly on terra firma, but with the mind probing the depths and breadths of existence and possibilities within the laws of physics! Stimulating!
buy it used, if you can get a cheap one
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This book was a very interesting look at what it would take to build a time machine, but it's only 128 pages. Don't expect to go build one after reading this, but at least when you finish you can poke fun at star-trek. It's a quick read, but it's worthwhile.
Time Travel easily understood
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I am almost done reading How To Build A Time Machine and so far it is remarkably easy to understand. This book is perfect for people wanting to get a general idea of the physical possibilities of time travel. Davies does a great job of putting the physics of time travel into lamens terms. I think anyone remotely interested in time physics should start here.
An interesting book
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
If you would like to find a book that talk about time machine and related concepts (the possibility of going back to the past, going to the future, the implied logical paradox, etc), don't miss this book. The author manage to convey complex concepts to the reader with simple languages. I like Stephen Hawking's history of time but it is too difficult for me. Paul Davies's book is small in size, I manage to "finish" and "understand" it within one day.
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