Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe

By Clegg Brian and Brian Clegg

Book Overview

How patterns--from diagrams of spacetime to particle trails revealed by supercolliders--offer clues to the fundamental workings of the physical world.

Our universe might appear chaotic, but deep down it's simply a myriad of rules working independently to create patterns of action, force, and consequence. In Ten Patterns That Explain the Universe, Brian Clegg explores the phenomena that make up the very fabric of our world by examining ten essential sequenced systems. From diagrams that show the deep relationships between space and time to the quantum behaviors that rule the way that matter and light interact, Clegg shows how these patterns provide a unique view of the physical world and its fundamental workings.
Guiding readers on a tour of our world and the universe beyond, Clegg describes the cosmic microwave background, sometimes called the "echo of the big bang," and how it offers clues to the universe's beginnings; the diagrams that illustrate Einstein's revelation of the intertwined nature of space and time; the particle trail patterns revealed by the Large Hadron Collider and other accelerators; and the simple-looking patterns that predict quantum behavior (and decorated Richard Feynman's van). Clegg explains how the periodic table reflects the underlying pattern of the configuration of atoms, discusses the power of the number line, demonstrates the explanatory uses of tree diagrams, and more.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262542862
• ISBN13: 9780262542869
• Release Date: September 2021
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Ten Patterns that Explain the Universe

This book is graphically designed to be appealing to general readers. It is disappointing if you are looking for a deeper discussion of the meanings of the patterns in broader psychological or cultural contexts. This book offers one person’s selection of ten patterns he finds meaningful, rather than allowing you to grasp patterns that are evident in varied or different contexts in the works or lives of many people—scientists and otherwise. Little evidence is presented that the patters have been spoken or written about in contexts other than this book. The patterns do not so much explain the universe as they do a particular person's view of the universe. This is fair enough, psychologically, for everyone does see patterns, but the title might have reflected this: Add "to Me" to the title.