Name: A Brief History of Time
Rating: 4.211171662125341 (367 reviews)
ISBN: 9781586638627

Stephen Hawking

Howard Rich

Stephen Hawking's surprise blockbuster A Brief History of Time is that rare book that brings huge, abstract scientific ideas down to a layman's level. Hawkings tackles the biggest questions the universe has to offer and comes up with some fascinating and unexpected answers. This guide adds context and background for the reader who wants more: * Is time travel possible? * If you got sucked into a black hole, where would you end up? * Will the universe last forever, or is time running out? * How did Hawking end up on The Simpsons?

A Brief History of Time

"One can imagine that God created the universe at literally anytime in the past. On the other hand, if the universe is really expanding, they may be physical reasons why there had to be beginning."

"An expanding universe does not preclude a creator, but it does place limits on when he might carried out his job!"

"Today scientist describe the universe in terms of two basic partial theories-- the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. They are the great intellectual achievements of the first half of the century." 

"One of the major endeavor of physics today is to search for a new theory that will incorporate them both-- a quantum theory of gravity." 

My note: General relativity explains big things like space, time and gravity. Meanwhile, quantum mechanics explains small things like atoms and particles. Combining both will give understanding of black holes and first second of the Big Bang. 

Was there a beginning of time? Could time run backwards? Is the universe infinite or does it have boundaries? These are just some of the questions considered in an internationally acclaimed masterpiece by one of the world's greatest thinkers. It begins by reviewing the great theories of the cosmos from Newton to Einstein, before delving into the secrets which still lie at the heart of space and time, from the Big Bang to black holes, via spiral galaxies and strong theory. To this day A Brief History of Time remains a staple of the scientific canon, and its succinct and clear language continues to introduce millions to the universe and its wonders.

From the Big Bang to Black Holes

Physics was never my strongest subject back in school and that shaped the value I found in this book. Hawking oscillates between explaining basic principles of physics to a seeming assumption that the reader has understood them or retained them within the reading experience or was already familiar with them - while explaining more complex and abstract principles and ideas. But I guess this is, after all, a book and not a lecture so the reader can always go back and re-read what they might have not understood and take their time with absorbing the information.

What Hawking does very well and the reason why I opened this review with the above disclaimer is the absolute excitement and fascination this book provokes. It really made me both convinced that I could have studied physics in higher education and regret not having done that. But even more, I felt like it was a prime example that STEM disciplines and humanities / the arts have a lot more in common than we keep being told they do - but this is not the place for me to give you my thoughts on this in particular. Just know that it gave me a specific appreciation for the book.

Physics was never my strongest subject back in school and that shaped the value I found in this book. Hawking oscillates between explaining basic principles of physics to a seeming assumption that the reader has understood them or retained them within the reading experience or was already familiar with them - while explaining more complex and abstract principles and ideas. But I guess this is, after all, a book and not a lecture so the reader can always go back and re-read what they might have not understood and take their time with absorbing the information.

What Hawking does very well and the reason why I opened this review with the above disclaimer is the absolute excitement and fascination this book provokes. It really made me both convinced that I could have studied physics in higher education and regret not having done that. But even more, I felt like it was a prime example that STEM disciplines and humanities / the arts have a lot more in common than we keep being told they do - but this is not the place for me to give you my thoughts on this in particular. Just know that it gave me a specific appreciation for the book.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A landmark volume in science writing by one of the great minds of our time, Stephen Hawking's book explores such profound questions as: How did the universe begin--and what made its start possible? Does time always flow forward? Is the universe unending--or are there boundaries? Are there other dimensions in space? What will happen when it all ends? Told in language we all can understand, A Brief History of Time plunges into the exotic realms of black holes and quarks, of antimatter and "arrows of time," of the big bang and a bigger God--where the possibilities are wondrous and unexpected. With exciting images and profound imagination, Stephen Hawking brings us closer to the ultimate secrets at the very heart of creation.

Christian Bager Bach Houmann

Both witty and exciting - no easy feat for such a book.

Hardik Prajapati

If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason—for then we would know the mind of God.

Andy Sporring

Suxh brilliance abd still understandable by most.

Meriem💫

Flavia Louise

This was incredibly interesting and quite well written and explained.

Mircea Tara

I could almost, almost understand all of the theories exposed. This is high-science distilled for the mind of the novice.

Yash Agarwal

A good book. But I felt that the author sometimes explained concepts in a straightforward language without assuming any prerequisite from the reader, and sometimes he used some ideas which required some basic primer before use. The first half of the book was an easy read for me, but the latter half was relatively difficult to understand. One of the reasons that I can think of is that I have not studied the advancements in Physics after WWII during my school. So I did not have a basic understanding of the concepts.

It is one of those books, which will make you feel intelligent and dumb at the same time, still, definitely worth a read.

Nona G

Sheldon: It's a warm summer evening, circa 600 BC. You've finished your shopping at the local market, or agora... and you look up at the night sky. There you notice some of the stars seem to move, so you name them planetes or wanderer.
[Penny puts her hand up]
Sheldon: Yes, Penny.
Penny: Um, does this have anything to do with Leonard's work?
Sheldon: This is the beginning of a 2,600-year journey we're going to take together from the ancient Greeks through Isaac Newton to Niels Bohr to Erwin Schrodinger to the Dutch researchers that Leonard is currently ripping off.
Penny: 2,600 years?
Sheldon: Yeah, give or take. As I was saying: It's a warm summer evening in ancient Greece... 

Just like Penny at the end of that episode, I was left more confused than illuminated by this book. I'm not a physicist. I'm not even a little bit scientifically inclined other than reading the occasional article written for the plebe. But I lived under the impression - as this book is marketed - that I would have no issues going through this book and actually comprehending what it wants to transmit.

I don't contest Stephen Hawking's merits as a scientist or as a professor, I'm sure he was great and all. But in writing this book, he obviously did not know whom he wanted to address. The cover says it's addressed to everyone - scientists and noobs alike, and it's supposed to attract more people who may not really be scientifically inclined to want to understand more about the universe, where it began and where it's going.

However, and despite having a few anecdotes and passages where he actually explained things in a more clear language, the book is one big mess. It wants to be approachable but instead it's a poor man's soup, with a little bit of everything, leaving you confused in the end as to what exactly you were supposed to be eating.

I'm sure people who actually studied physics got through it in a breeze, but, as I turned the last page, I was left in a state of confusion greater than the one I was in before starting to read it. No, the book is not for the regular Joe who studied physics some decades ago in elementary school. It's for people who actually have a foundation and have kept more or less up to date with recent discoveries (no, apparently watching TBBT does not count). It's written in a very abstract language, with few practical examples that make someone like me understand it and want to investigate further. Despite its claim as being "succinct and clear" and meant to be understood by everyone, no matter the background, it's mainly academic and confusing.

Brief History of Time

Hamed Khalidi

One of the very first books i read about astrology or science. I distinctly recall the wonder i felt as i began to gradually understand about the early years of the formation of the universe. The latter chapters got increasingly harder to understand. Perhaps I'm old enough now, that a second reading is warranted. 

Dana Musser

Hawking does an amazing job of explaining all the goings on of worm holes and molecular movement for the common people without being condescending somehow. Reading this book, I felt like there was an easy banter Hawking had with himself and with me, the reader, about spin 1/2 particles and the like, making jokes and seeming almost giddy when talking about new discoveries.

del big bang a los agujeros negros

Historia del tiempo

Jose Vera

Historia del Tiempo: del Big Bang a los Agujeros Negros es un libro de divulgación científica centrado en diversas teorías que tratan de explicar el universo, exponiendo diversos tópicos que van desde la mecánica newtoniana hasta la mecánica cuántica.

Hice una reseña del libro en mi blog:
http://lectorcompulsivo.com/2017/03/h...

Jay Carter

Mind Blown. Black holes emitting something (sort of), no time before the Big Bang (could be), primordial black holes, the notion that intelligent life can only live in an expanding universe... I also enjoyed very much the historical contexts. Surely this is the classic popular science book that the hype says it is.

A Brief History of Time

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