Matthew Jackson &
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking

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.

Hawking's ability to explain hard concepts like quantum physics, black hole, and theory of relativity simply and thoroughly is prove of how deep he understands his fields.

my favourite non-fiction book

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

In his book "A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes", Stephen Hawking takes us on a journey through the history of the universe, exploring its origins, evolution, and ultimate fate. Along the way, he highlights a number of fascinating facts and open questions that continue to intrigue scientists and laypeople alike. The Big Bang According to Hawking, the universe began with the Big Bang, a massive explosion that occurred approximately 13.8 billion years ago. At this moment, the universe was incredibly hot and dense, and it rapidly expanded and cooled, eventually forming the galaxies, stars, and planets we see today. Despite our current understanding of the Big Bang, many questions remain unanswered. For example, what caused the explosion? Was there anything before the Big Bang? The Expanding Universe One of the most remarkable discoveries in modern astronomy is that the universe is not only expanding, but that the rate of expansion is accelerating. This discovery was made possible by the study of Type Ia supernovae, which are used as standard candles to measure distances to galaxies. Despite this discovery, the cause of the accelerated expansion remains a mystery. Hawking also notes that the universe's expansion raises another question: will it continue to expand indefinitely, or will it eventually collapse in on itself? Black Holes Black holes are one of the most intriguing and mysterious objects in the universe. According to Hawking, black holes are formed when massive stars collapse under their own gravity, creating a singularity - a point of infinite density and zero volume. Once inside the black hole's event horizon, nothing can escape its gravitational pull, not even light. Although we have made significant progress in our understanding of black holes, many questions remain. For example, what happens to the information that falls into a black hole? Does it disappear forever, violating the laws of quantum mechanics? In conclusion, "A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes" is a fascinating exploration of the history of the universe and the open questions that continue to intrigue scientists. Although we have made significant progress in our understanding of the universe, there is still much we do not know. As Stephen Hawking notes, "The universe is full of surprises, and there is much to be learned from exploring its mysteries."

Beware of your antiparticle body.

I read this in order to compare to A Brief History of Time, thinking this might be a better recommendation for most people. Both books felt pretty much the same to me (although I didn’t read them back to back). I was particularly interested in the presence of more diagrams. My purely scientific thoughts on those, however, were “meh”. It felt like an excuse to advertise “color pictures!” without actually including anything of value. I’d stick with the original, which I do recommend.

Some of the stuff is hard to understand and I definitely want to read it again. It helped open my mind to some new ideas and push me in a new direction in life.

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.

Stephen Hawking was a very skilled writer and a very funny man. He succinctly summarizes the state of physics in a very interesting and very organized way. Though I do have some doubts whether it is clear enough to the general public. Nevertheless, it is surprisingly digestible. In my opinion, way more digestible than Astrophysics for People in a Hurry which doesn't go into such detail and somehow is more confusing. I really enjoyed all the history he threw in there when relevant. About Einstein, Newton and random funny anecdotes. I learned, I laughed, it made me eager to know more and read other books by Stephen Hawking.

mmm echt mijn voormalige pindabrein begreep hierdoor zelfs relativiteit, ik heb hier ook echt een crush op

Suxh brilliance abd still understandable by most.

Finally came to an End.😊 He never told God doesn't exist it was his theory which which tells that God may not exist and the universe is self regulatory.But then he also mentioned that who knows God doesn't exist .When ever we are unable to solve an equation or theory furthermore we leave it on God. I loved the following answer because it solved the mystery in my mind. WHEN ASKED: WHAT DID GOD DO BEFORE HE CREATED THE UNIVERSE? AUGUSTINE DIDN'T REPLY: HE WAS PREPARING HELL FOR PEOPLE WHO ASKED SUCH QUESTIONS. INSTEAD,HE SAID THAT TIME WAS A PROPERTY OF THE UNIVERSE THAT GOD CREATED,AND THAT TIME DID NOT EXIST BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE.😊 I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK Except that one idea that God may not exist.Indeed Allah is the Holy Creator.

What a journey.

This was incredibly interesting and quite well written and explained.

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

Definitely not the easiest subject matter but presented in a clear manner. Probably helps that I have a math background though. The idea of folded space is not a new one to me.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

i didn’t understand most of this book, but i like to think that i’m smarter for reading it 😂