Einstein's Universe

By Nigel Calder

Book Overview

An updated edition of a classic of popular science. Leading science writer Nigel Calder, author of Magic Cosmos, wrote Einstein's Universe to mark the centenary of Einstein's birth in 1979. Now it is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517385708
• ISBN13: 9780517385708
• Release Date: January 1979
• Publisher: Viking Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.89 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.2"

Customer Reviews

Not THE Universe – Einstein’s Universe

Be aware that the copyright is 1979, so the universe has changed, and even the history of Einstein has been redefined since this book came out. However, the book is still relevant as it tells the tale of Einstein’s theories and discoveries. Contents: Cosmic Wind The Wasting Sun Energy of Creation The Ultimate Waterfall Einstein’s Clock Weightlessness Shells of Time Directed Futures The Shifting Stars Tramlines in the Sky Waves of Gravity The Galileo Mystery Methuselah in a Spaceship The Universal Correction The Speed of Light Where Time Flies The Simple Universe A Choice of Histories Judging Fate Timeless Viewpoint Einstein’s Successor If you already know the Einstein story, then you can pretty well guess what each chapter is about. If you are not familiar with Einstein, you get a good “mathless” overview with pictures and diagrams. Then a quickie introduction to Niels Bohr, Max Planck, and a tad of Stephen Hawking.

Amazing book!

Nigel Calder's illuminating account of relativity in plain language is amazing. The summary notes in italics at the beginning of each chapter are particularly useful. I enjoy most reading the "Afterword 2005". As the author puts it: "Einstein's questioning of the quantum theory backfired. Discoveries bolster his theories of gravity and cosmology. In the melting pot of ideas, relativity remains untamed. Dawdling spacecraft hint at a flaw in Einstein's theory. Whatever happens, his achievement is indelible."

Relativity for Dummies

I hesitated on the title because it could imply that this book is for "dummies" when in actuality one must have a "relative" understanding of science (phyics and math) in order to truly tackle the subject. But Nigel Calder has made the whole thing a lot easier.This is NOT one of those small books with large writing and illustrations every over page. It is condensed but not obtuse - no difficult equations or esoteric 11 dimensional theory. The author tackles two subjects - Einstein and his work. Both are interesting to study but as time passes the focus will swing to the latter. The book has chapters on almost every aspect of the theory - time, gravity, space, acceleration, light, energy, matter... It is almost too much to grasp but Calder does a fine job of organizing the material. Good book.

Relativity Made Easy!

For a long time I've desired an understanding of relativity. Having just finished this book, I have achieved my goal -- without struggling with impossible equations. Thank you, Nigel Calder. Due to the complex subject, this book isn't a particularly easy read. But the author keeps it very interesting and does as good a job as possible in translating the theories into understandable concepts. If you want to understand how gravity, time, space, energy, and mass are all tied together via relativity, then this book is for you. There is an incredible amount of information packed into the pages. The famous equation E=Mc2 has never meant anything to me, but after reading just the first 25 pages of this book, I was able to explain to my wife the meaning and significance of the equation and some of the thought processes that led Einstein to develop it! I feel so much smarter now! There were only a few places where I thought the author could have done a better job explaining some concepts, and some illustrations here and there would have been helpful. But if you are capable of understanding the Doppler effect, you are capable of understanding the major concepts of relativity. Now I feel ready to tackle the basics of quantum theory!

The best introduction I've read on the subject

Calder's book is a lucid and revealing introduction to a subject that defies intuition on first exposure. Einstein developed Special Relativity first, then General Relativity. Virtually every other book presents the two theories in this order. Calder's reverses the order, and makes the subject much more approachable.