BookOdyssey

Nothing seems more real than time passing. We experience life as a succession of moments. But just as some of us see God as eternal, so physicists understand the truths of mathematics and the laws of nature as constant, transcending time. These laws dictate how the future will evolve: there is no freedom, no uncertainty about the future at all. Yet, argues Lee Smolin, this denial of time is holding back both physics, and our understanding of the universe. We need a major revolution in scientific thought: one that embraces the reality of time and places it at the centre of our thinking. Time, he concludes, is not an illusion: indeed, it is the best clue that we have to fundamental reality. Time Reborn explains how the true nature of time impacts on us, our world, and our universe. Σελίδες: 352, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

Leonard Mlodinow\'s The Drunkard\'s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives is an exhilarating, eye-opening guide to understanding our random world.Randomness and uncertainty surround everything we do. So why are we so bad at understanding them? The same tools that help us understand the random paths of molecules can be applied to the randomness that governs so many aspects of our everyday lives, from winning the lottery to road safety, and reveals the truth about the success of sporting heroes and film stars, and even how to make sense of a blood test.The Drunkard\'s Walk reveals the psychological illusions that prevent us understanding everything from stock-picking to wine-tasting - read it, or risk becoming another victim of chance.\'A wonderfully readable guide to how the mathematical laws of randomness affect our lives\' Stephen Hawking, author of A Brief History of Time Σελίδες: 272, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

\'A great introduction to a crucial topic\' Bill Gates\'Perhaps the most popular book on statistics ever published ... It\'s a marvel ... gave me a peek behind the curtain of statistical manipulation, showing me how the swindling was done so that I would not be fooled again\' Tim HarfordIn 1954, Darrell Huff decided enough was enough. Fed up with politicians, advertisers and journalists using statistics to sensationalise, inflate, confuse, oversimplify and - on occasion - downright lie, he decided to shed light on their ill-informed and sneaky ways. How to Lie with Statistics is the result - the definitive and hilarious primer in the ways statistics are used to deceive.With over one and half million copies sold around the world, it has delighted generations of readers with its cheeky takes on the ins and outs of samples, averages, errors, graphs and indexes. And in the modern world of big data and misinformation, Huff remains the perfect guide through the maze of facts and figures that are designed to make us believe anything.\'A hilarious exploration of mathematical mendacity.... Every time you pick it up, what happens? Bang goes another illusion!\' The New York Times\'A pleasantly subversive little book guaranteed to undermine your faith in the almighty statistic\' Atlantic Σελίδες: 128, Διαστάσεις: 13.1x13.1cm

Sex is as fascinating to scientists as it is to the rest of us. A vast pool of knowledge, therefore, has been gleaned from research into the nature of sex, from the contentious problem of why the wasteful reproductive process exists at all, to how individuals choose their mates and what traits they find attractive. This fascinating book explores those findings, and their implications for the sexual behaviour of our own species. It uses the Red Queen from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ – who has to run at full speed to stay where she is – as a metaphor for a whole range of sexual behaviours. The book was shortlisted for the 1994 Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science Books.‘Animals and plants evolved sex to fend off parasitic infection. Now look where it has got us. Men want BMWs, power and money in order to pair-bond with women who are blonde, youthful and narrow-waisted … a brilliant examination of the scientific debates on the hows and whys of sex and evolution’ Independent. Σελίδες: 416, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Accessible exploration of one of the most exciting areas of scientific inquiry - the nature of light.Following on from his bestseller, SCHRODINGER\'S CAT, John Gribbin presents the recent dramatic improvements in experimental techniques that have enabled physicists to formulate and test new theories about the nature of light. He describes these theories not in terms of hard-to-imagine entities like spinning subnuclear particles, but in terms of the fate of two small cats, separated at a tender age and carried to opposite ends of the universe. In this way Gribbin introduces the reader to such new developments as quantum cryptography, through which unbreakable codes can be made, and goes on to possible future developments such as the idea that the ¿entanglement\' of quantum particles could be a way to build a STAR TREK style teleportation machine. Σελίδες: 272, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0501, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

If a man supports Arsenal one day and Spurs the next then he is fickle but not necessarily illogical. From this starting point, and assuming no previous knowledge of logic, Wilfrid Hodges takes the reader through the whole gamut of logical expressions in a simple and lively way. Readers who are more mathematically adventurous will find optional sections introducing rather more challenging material. \'A lively and stimulating book\' Philosophy Σελίδες: 304, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

The UK\'s most trusted A level Mathematics resources With over 900,000 copies sold (plus 1.3 million copies sold of the previous edition), Pearson\'s own resources for Pearson Edexcel are the market-leading and most trusted for AS and A level Mathematics. Our A level Mathematics Pure Year 1 Practice Book helps you get exam-ready with confidence and practice at the right pace. Coverage: the practice workbooks cover all Pure, Statistics and Mechanics topicsQuantity: the most A level question practice available, with over 2,000 extra questions per bookPractice at the right pace: start with the essentials, build your skills with various practice questions to make connections between topics, then apply this to exam-style questions at the end of each chapterGet exam-ready with confidence: differentiated questions including ‘Bronze, Silver, Gold\' in each chapter, and a mixed problem-solving section for each book, will guide and help you to develop the skills you need for your examsDesigned to be used flexibly, the practice books are fully mapped to the scheme of work and textbooks so you can use them seamlessly in and out of the classroom and all year round. Use them lesson by lesson, topic by topic, for homework, revision and more - the choice is yoursGreat value practice materials that are cheaper than photocopying, saves more time than independently sourcing questions and answers, and are all in one place   Pearson Edexcel AS and A level Mathematics Pure Mathematics Year 1/AS Practice Book matches the Pearson Edexcel exam structure and is fully integrated with Pearson Edexcel\'s interactive scheme of work. Practice books are also available offering the most comprehensive and flexible AS/A level Maths practice with over 2000 extra questions. Pearson\'s revision resources are the smart choice for those revising for Pearson Edexcel AS and A level Mathematics – there is a Revision Workbook for exam practice and a Revision Guide for classroom and independent study. Practice Papers Plus+ books contain additional full length practice papers, so you can practice answering questions by writing straight into the book and perfect your responses with targeted hints, guidance and support for every question, including fully worked solutions. Σελίδες: 176, Διαστάσεις: 19.4x19.4cm

For thousands of years, mathematicians have used the timeless art of logic to see the world more clearly. In The Art of Logic, Royal Society Science Book Prize nominee Eugenia Cheng shows how anyone can think like a mathematician - and see, argue and think better. Learn how to simplify complex decisions without over-simplifying them. Discover the power of analogies and the dangers of false equivalences. Find out how people construct misleading arguments, and how we can argue back. Eugenia Cheng teaches us how to find clarity without losing nuance, taking a careful scalpel to the complexities of politics, privilege, sexism and dozens of other real-world situations. Her Art of Logic is a practical and inspiring guide to decoding the modern world. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0704, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

Uncertainty is everywhere. It lurks in every consideration of the future - the weather, the economy, the sex of an unborn child - even quantities we think that we know such as populations or the transit of the planets contain the possibility of error. It\'s no wonder that, throughout that history, we have attempted to produce rigidly defined areas of uncertainty - we prefer the surprise party to the surprise asteroid. We began our quest to make certain an uncertain world by reading omens in livers, tea leaves, and the stars. However, over the centuries, driven by curiosity, competition, and a desire be better gamblers, pioneering mathematicians and scientists began to reduce wild uncertainties to tame distributions of probability and statistical inferences. But, even as unknown unknowns became known unknowns, our pessimism made us believe that some problems were unsolvable and our intuition misled us. Worse, as we realized how omnipresent and varied uncertainty is, we encountered chaos, quantum mechanics, and the limitations of our predictive power. Bestselling author Professor Ian Stewart explores the history and mathematics of uncertainty. Touching on gambling, probability, statistics, financial and weather forecasts, censuses, medical studies, chaos, quantum physics, and climate, he makes one thing clear: a reasonable probability is the only certainty. Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0806, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

From Newton\'s Law of Gravity to the Black-Scholes model used by bankers to predict the markets, equations, are everywhere -- and they are fundamental to everyday life.Seventeen Equations that Changed the World examines seventeen ground-breaking equations that have altered the course of human history. He explores how Pythagoras\'s Theorem led to GPS and Satnav; how logarithms are applied in architecture; why imaginary numbers were important in the development of the digital camera, and what is really going on with Schrödinger\'s cat. Entertaining, surprising and vastly informative, Seventeen Equations that Changed the World is a highly original exploration -- and explanation -- of life on earth. Σελίδες: 352, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

Exam Board: AQA, Edexcel, CCEA, OCR, WJEC Eduqas Level: A-level Subject: Chemistry First teaching: September 2015 First exams: Summer 2017 Master the skills you need to set yourself apart and hit the highest grades; this year-round course companion develops the higher-order thinking skills that top-achieving students possess, providing step-by-step guidance, examples and tips for getting an A grade.Written by experienced author and teacher Sarah Longshaw, Aiming for an A in A-level Chemistry:- Helps you develop the \'A grade skills\' of analysis, evaluation, creation and application- Takes you step by step through specific skills you need to master in A-level Chemistry, including scientific reading, quantitative and practical skills, so you can apply these skills and approach each exam question as an A/A* candidate- Clearly shows how to move up the grades with sample responses annotated to highlight the key features of A/A* answers- Helps you practise to achieve the levels expected of top-performing students, using in-class or homework activities and further reading tasks that stretch towards university-level study- Perfects exam technique through practical tips and examples of common pitfalls to avoid - Cultivates effective revision habits for success, with tips and strategies for producing and using revision resources- Supports all exam boards, outlining the Assessment Objectives for reaching the higher levels under the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas and CCEA specifications. Σελίδες: 96, Διαστάσεις: 21.1x21.1cm

Exam Board: AQA, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas Level: A-level Subject: Biology First teaching: September 2015 First exams: Summer 2017Master the skills you need to set yourself apart and hit the highest grades; this year-round course companion develops the higher-order thinking skills that top-achieving students possess, providing step-by-step guidance, examples and tips for getting an A grade.Written by experienced author and teacher Jo Ormisher, Aiming for an A in A-level Biology:- Helps you develop the \'A grade skills\' of analysis, evaluation, creation and application- Takes you step by step through specific skills you need to master in A-level Biology, including scientific reading, quantitative and practical skills , so you can apply these skills and approach each exam question as an A/A* candidate- Clearly shows how to move up the grades with sample responses annotated to highlight the key features of A/A* answers- Helps you practise to achieve the levels expected of top-performing students, using in-class or homework activities and further reading tasks that stretch towards university-level study- Perfects exam technique through practical tips and examples of common pitfalls to avoid - Cultivates effective revision habits for success, with tips and strategies for producing and using revision resources- Supports all exam boards, outlining the Assessment Objectives for reaching the higher levels under the AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC/Eduqas and CCEA specifications Σελίδες: 96, Διαστάσεις: 20.8x20.8cm

\'fascinating\' Brian Cox This is the story of citizen science. Where once astronomers sat at the controls of giant telescopes in remote locations, praying for clear skies, now they have no need to budge from their desks, as data arrives in their inbox. And what they receive is overwhelming; projects now being built provide more data in a few nights than in the whole of humanity\'s history of observing the Universe. It\'s not just astronomy either--dealing with this deluge of data is the major challenge for scientists at CERN, and for biologists who use automated cameras to spy on animals in their natural habitats. Artificial intelligence is one part of the solution--but will it spell the end of human involvement in scientific discovery? No, argues Chris Lintott. We humans still have unique capabilities to bring to bear--our curiosity, our capacity for wonder, and, most importantly, our capacity for surprise. It seems that humans and computers working together do better than computers can on their own. But with so much scientific data, you need a lot of scientists--a crowd, in fact. Lintott found such a crowd in the Zooniverse, the web-based project that allows hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic volunteers to contribute to science. In this book, Lintott describes the exciting discoveries that people all over the world have made, from galaxies to pulsars, exoplanets to moons, and from penguin behaviour to old ship\'s logs. This approach builds on a long history of so-called \'citizen science\', given new power by fast internet and distributed data. Discovery is no longer the remit only of scientists in specialist labs or academics in ivory towers. It\'s something we can all take part in. As Lintott shows, it\'s a wonderful way to engage with science, yielding new insights daily. You, too, can help explore the Universe in your lunch hour. Σελίδες: 304, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Any literate person should be familiar with the central ideas of modern science. In his sparkling new book, Peter Atkins introduces his choice of the ten great ideas of science. With wit, charm, patience, and astonishing insights, he leads the reader through the emergence of the concepts, and then presents them in a strikingly effective manner. At the same time, he works into his engaging narrative an illustration of the scientific method and shows how simple ideas can have enormous consequences. His choice of the ten great ideas are: * Evolution occurs by natural selection, in which the early attempts at explaining the origin of species is followed by an account of the modern approach and some of its unsolved problems. * Inheritance is encoded in DNA, in which the story of the emergence of an understanding of inheritance is followed through to the mapping of the human genome. * Energy is conserved, in which we see how the central concept of energy gradually dawned on scientists as they mastered the motion of particles and the concept of heat. * All change is the consequence of the purposeless collapse of energy and matter into disorder, in which the extraordinarily simple concept of entropy is used to account for events in the world. * Matter is atomic, in which we see how the concept of atoms emerged and how the different personalities of the elements arise from the structures of their atoms. * Symmetry limits, guides, and drives, in which we see how concepts related to beauty can be extended to understand the nature of fundamental particles and the forces that act between them. * Waves behave like particles and particles behave like waves, in which we see how old familiar ideas gave way to the extraordinary insights of quantum theory and transformed our perception of matter. * The universe is expanding, in which we see how a combination of astronomy and a knowledge of elementary particles accounts for the origin of the universe and its long term future. * Spacetime is curved by matter, in which we see the emergence of the theories of special and general relativity and come to understand the nature of space and time. * If arithmetic is consistent, then it is incomplete, in which we learn the origin of numbers and arithmetic, see how the philosophy of mathematics lets us understand the nature of this most cerebral of subjects, and are brought to the limits of its power. C. P. Snow once said \'not knowing the second law of thermodynamics is like never having read a work by Shakespeare\'. This is an extraordinary, exciting book that not only will make you literate in science but give you deep enjoyment on the way. Σελίδες: 398, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

Joy, sorrow, jealousy and awe - these and other feelings are the stuff of our daily lives. Presumed to be too private for science to explain and not to be essential for comprehending human rationality and understanding, they have largely been ignored. But not by the great seventeenth-century Dutch philosopher Spinoza. And not by Antonio Damasio. In this book Dr. Damasio draws on his innovative research and on his experience with neurological patients to examine how feelings and the emotions that underlie them support the governance of human affairs. Σελίδες: 368, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY BILL GATESIn this warm, insightful portrait of the Winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965, we see the wisdom, humour and curiosity of Richard Feynman through a series of conversations with his friend Ralph Leighton.Winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1965, Richard Feynman was one of the world\'s greatest theoretical physicists, but he was also a man who fell, often jumped, into adventure. An artist, safecracker, practical joker and storyteller, Feynman\'s life was a series of combustible combinations made possible by his unique mixture of high intelligence, unquenchable curiosity and eternal scepticism.Over a period of years, Feynman\'s conversations with his friend Ralph Leighton were first taped and then set down as they appear here, little changed from their spoken form, giving a wise, funny, passionate and totally honest self-portrait of one of the greatest men of our age. Σελίδες: 368, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice: A vivid account of the generations-long dispute over Bayes’ rule, one of the greatest breakthroughs in the history of applied mathematics and statistics  “An intellectual romp touching on, among other topics, military ingenuity, the origins of modern epidemiology, and the theological foundation of modern mathematics.”—Michael Washburn, Boston Globe   “To have crafted a page-turner out of the history of statistics is an impressive feat. If only lectures at university had been this racy.”—David Robson, New Scientist   Bayes’ rule appears to be a straightforward, one-line theorem: by updating our initial beliefs with objective new information, we get a new and improved belief. To its adherents, it is an elegant statement about learning from experience. To its opponents, it is subjectivity run amok.   In the first-ever account of Bayes’ rule for general readers, Sharon Bertsch McGrayne explores this controversial theorem and the human obsessions surrounding it. She traces its discovery by an amateur mathematician in the 1740s through its development into roughly its modern form by French scientist Pierre Simon Laplace. She reveals why respected statisticians rendered it professionally taboo for 150 years—at the same time that practitioners relied on it to solve crises involving great uncertainty and scanty information (Alan Turing’s role in breaking Germany’s Enigma code during World War II), and explains how the advent of off-the-shelf computer technology in the 1980s proved to be a game-changer. Today, Bayes’ rule is used everywhere from DNA de-coding to Homeland Security.   Drawing on primary source material and interviews with statisticians and other scientists, The Theory That Would Not Die is the riveting account of how a seemingly simple theorem ignited one of the greatest controversies of all time. Σελίδες: 360, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0925, Διαστάσεις: 15.6x15.6cm

Both simple and accessible, Maths in Minutes is a visually led introduction to 200 key mathematical ideas. Each concept is quick and easy to remember, described by means of an easy-to-understand picture and a maximum 200-word explanation. Concepts span all of the key areas of mathematics, including Fundamentals of Mathematics, Sets and Numbers, Geometry, Equations, Limits, Functions and Calculus, Vectors and Algebra, Complex Numbers, Combinatorics, Number Theory, Metrics and Measures and Topology. Incredibly quick - clear artworks and simple explanations that can be easily remembered. Based on scientific research that the brain best absorbs information visually. Compact and portable format - the ideal, handy reference. Σελίδες: 416, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0301, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

Biology: 100 Ideas in 100 Words offers the essential facts at your fingertips, satisfying your scientific curiosity and helping you to understand the biggest concepts in biology in concise, 100-word summaries. One of the titles in a cutting-edge new series created in partnership with The Science Museum, this book introduces 100 key areas of biology such as life processes, evolution, DNA and inheritance, diversity of plants, immunity and disease, and explains each topic in just 100 words. Perfect for getting your head around big ideas clearly and quickly, or refreshing your memory of the fundamentals of life on earth, this book covers the most up-to-date terms and theories and inspires a heightened level of understanding and enjoyment to the core areas of biology explored in The Science Museum. Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 13.7x13.7cm

\'A brilliant account of how models are so often abused and of how they should be used\' John KayHow do mathematical models shape our world - and how can we harness their power for good?Models are at the centre of everything we do. Whether we use them or are simply affected by them, they act as metaphors that help us better understand the increasingly complex problems facing us in the modern world. Without models, we couldn\'t begin to tackle three of the major challenges facing modern society: regulation of the economy, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet in recent years, the validity of the models we use has been hotly debated and there has been renewed awareness of the disastrous consequences when the makers and interpreters of models get things wrong.Drawing on contemporary examples from finance, climate and health policy, Erica Thompson explores what models are, why we need them, how they work and what happens when they go wrong. This is not a book that argues we should do away with models, but rather, that we need to properly understand how they are constructed - and how some of the assumptions that underlie the models we use can have significant unintended consequences. Unexpectedly humorous, thought-provoking and passionate, this is essential reading for everyone. Σελίδες: 256, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1123, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

‘A delight. Popular science doesn’t come much better than this’ IndependentEverything you might want to know about infinity - in history and all the way to today\'s cutting-edge science.Infinity is surely the strangest idea that humans have ever had. Where did it come from and what is it telling us about our Universe? Can there actually be infinities? Can you do an infinite number of things in a finite amount of time? Is the Universe infinite?Infinity is also the place where things happen that don\'t. What is it like to live in a Universe where nothing is original, where you can live forever, where anything that can be done, is done, over and over again?These are some of the deep questions that the idea of the infinite pushes us to ask. Throughout history, the infinite has been a dangerous concept. Many have lost their lives, their careers, or their freedom for talking about it. The Infinite Book will take you on a tour of these dangerous questions and the strange answers that scientists, mathematicians, philosophers and theologians have come up with to deal with its threats to our sanity. Σελίδες: 352, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

What is time? The Janus Point offers a ground-breaking solution to one of the greatest mysteries in physics.For over a century, the greatest minds have sought to understand why time seems to flow in one direction, ever forward. In The Janus Point, Julian Barbour offers a radically new answer: it doesn\'t.At the heart of this book, Barbour provides a new vision of the Big Bang - the Janus Point - from which time flows in two directions, its currents driven by the expansion of the universe and the growth of order in the galaxies, planets and life itself. What emerges is not just a revolutionary new theory of time, but a hopeful argument about the destiny of our universe.\'Both a work of literature and a masterpiece of scientific thought\' Lee Smolin, author of The Trouble with Physics\'Profound...original...accessible to anyone who has pondered the mysteries of space and time\' Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal \'Takes on fundamental questions, offering a new perspective on how the Universe started and where it may be headed\' Science Magazine Σελίδες: 400, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

The International Bestseller by \'The Galileo of number crunchers\' (Independent)Every time we choose a route to work, decide whether to go on a second date, or set aside money for a rainy day, we are making a prediction about the future. Yet from the financial crisis to ecological disasters, we routinely fail to foresee hugely significant events, often at great cost to society. The rise of \'big data\' has the potential to help us predict the future, yet much of it is misleading, useless or distracting.In The Signal and the Noise, the New York Times political forecaster Nate Silver, who accurately predicted the results of every state in the 2012 US election, reveals how we can all develop better foresight in an uncertain world. From the stock market to the poker table, from earthquakes to the economy, he takes us on an enthralling insider\'s tour of the high-stakes world of forecasting, showing how we can all learn to detect the true signals amid a noise of data. \'Remarkable and rewarding\' Matthew D\'Ancona, Sunday Telegraph\'A lucid explanation of how to think probabilistically\' Guardian Σελίδες: 544, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

An icon of science, the Periodic Table defines the fundamental chemistry of everything in the universe. In this compact yet comprehensive guide, Dan Green outlines the history, development and workings of the table, shows how its design reflects and illuminates the organisation of all matter, and even explains what it has to tell us about the chemistry of distant stars and of our own bodies. Contents include an individual entry for every known element - detailing properties, uses and key data - and sections on the patterns and groups of the famous table, as well as explanations of basic chemistry concepts such as elements and compounds, atomic structure, chemical bonds, reactions and radioactivity, amongst many others. Σελίδες: 416, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0531, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

Widely considered the greatest genius of all time, Albert Einstein revolutionised our understanding of the cosmos with his general theory of relativity and helped to lead us into the atomic age. Yet in the final decades of his life he was also ignored by most working scientists, his ideas opposed by even his closest friends. This stunning downfall can be traced to Einstein\'s earliest successes and to personal qualities that were at first his best assets. Einstein\'s imagination and self-confidence served him well as he sought to reveal the universe\'s structure, but when it came to newer revelations in the field of quantum mechanics, these same traits undermined his quest for the ultimate truth. David Bodanis traces the arc of Einstein\'s intellectual development across his professional and personal life, showing how Einstein\'s confidence in his own powers of intuition proved to be both his greatest strength and his ultimate undoing. He was a fallible genius. An intimate and enlightening biography of the celebrated physicist, Einstein\'s Greatest Mistake reveals how much we owe Einstein today - and how much more he might have achieved if not for his all-too-human flaws. Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0530, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

Time is an illusion. Although the laws of physics create a powerful impression that time is flowing, in fact there are only timeless \'nows\'. In THE END OF TIME, the British theoretical physicist Julian Barbour describes the coming revolution in our understanding of the world: a quantum theory of the universe that brings together Einstein\'s general theory of relativity, which denies the existence of a unique time, and quantum mechanics, which demands one. Barbour believes that only the most radical of ideas can resolve the conflict between these two theories: that there is, quite literally, no time at all. This is the first full-length account of the crisis in our understanding that has enveloped quantum cosmology. Unifying thinking that has never been brought together before in a book for the general reader, Barbour reveals the true architecture of the universe and demonstrates how physics is coming up sharp against the extraordinary possibility that the sense of time passing emerges from a universe that is timeless. The heart of the book is the author\'s lucid description of how a world of stillness can appear to be teeming with motion: in this timeless world where all possible instants coexist, complex mathematical rules of quantum mechanics bind together a special selection of these instants in a coherent order that consciousness perceives as the flow of time. Finally, in a lucid and eloquent epilogue, the author speculates on the philosophical implications of his theory: Does free will exist? Is time travel possible? How did the universe begin? Where is heaven? Does the denial of time make life meaningless? Written with exceptional clarity and elegance, this profound and original work presents a dazzlingly powerful argument that all will be able to follow, but no-one with an interest in the workings of the universe will be able to ignore. Σελίδες: 384, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0701, Διαστάσεις: 19.6x19.6cm

\'Bite-sized, cutting edge science delivered with enormous enthusiasm - all you need to travel the cosmos\' CHRIS LINTOTT \'A lot of astrophysics is packed into this neat little book . . . I guarantee you will come away knowing your dark matter from your supermassive black holes\' JIM AL-KHALILI This book is for anyone who wants to easily understand the mind-blowing fundamentals of our extraordinary, expanding universe.Written by Oxford astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst and composed of ten captivating, simple essays, it guides you swiftly through the galaxies, explaining the mysteries of black holes, dark matter and what existed before the Big Bang, presenting the evidence as to whether we really are alone, illuminating what we still don\'t know, and much more besides.If you have big questions about Space, this book will provide you with the answers in an engaging and succinct way. Σελίδες: 128, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0910, Διαστάσεις: 13.6x13.6cm

George Johnson tells the stories of ten beautiful experiments which changed the world. From Galileo singing to mark time as he measured the pull of gravity and Newton carefully inserting a needle behind his own eye, to Joule packing a thermometer on his honeymoon to take the temperature of waterfalls and Michelson recovering from a dark depression to discover that light moves at the same speed in every direction - these ten dedicated men employed diamonds, dogs, frogs and even their own bodies as they worked to discover the laws of nature and of the universe. Σελίδες: 208, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

Sunday Times Science Book of the Year 2011.We are poised on the edge of discovery in particle physics (the study of the smallest objects we know of) and cosmology (the study of the largest), and when these breakthroughs come, they will revolutionise what we think we know about the universe, and the modern world.Lisa Randall guides us through the latest ideas, charting the thrilling progress we have made in understanding the universe – from Galileo and Newton to Einstein and the Large Hadron Collider and the search for the Higgs boson. Yet it\'s about more than just physics - Randall explains how we decide what questions to ask; how risk, beauty, creativity and truth play a role in scientific thinking; and how answering the big questions will ultimately tell us who we are and where we came from. Σελίδες: 464, Διαστάσεις: 12.9x12.9cm

The most thrilling, genre-busting, unlikely science book you’ll ever read, from the world-renowned, multi-award-winning, superstar physicist Lisa Randal.66 million years ago, a ten-mile-wide object from outer space hurtled into the Earth at incredible speed. The impact annihilated the dinosaurs, along with three-quarters of the other species on the planet. But what if this catastrophe was the sign of something greater: an opening vista onto the interconnectedness of the universe itself? This is the story of the astounding forces that underpin our existence; a horizon-expanding tour of the cosmos that unifies what we know about the universe with new thinking. From the far-flung reaches of space, the makeup of the universe and our solar system\'s place within it, to the mysterious and elusive stuff of dark matter and how it affects life here on Earth.‘A fascinating, and surprisingly simple, theory…and a tantalising premise’ The Times‘Extremely engaging’ BBC Focus Σελίδες: 432, Διαστάσεις: 13x13cm

\'A rare treat and it comes in seven servings, each essay will grip you at once\' NEW SCIENTIST\'There is a lovely tribute to Dawkins\'s friend Douglas Adams, some interesting speculations on the next few decades of genetic engineering, an explanation of what crystals really are, and some heartfelt reminiscences of Africa\' GUARDIAN\'Essential reading\' SUNDAY TIMESRichard Dawkins is one of the finest minds in science, and in this superb collection of essays and letters, he demonstrates the depth of his knowledge and the rich variety of his interests. Whether he is examining postmodernism or the Human Genome Project, penning a letter to his daughter, or writing a moving eulogy to Douglas Adams and e-mailing Stephen Jay Gould, Dawkins writes with an intellectual vigour and grace that is second to none. This is a very human collection that shows not only the acuity of Dawkins\' scientific mind, but also his sense of humour and the warmth of his relationships with friends and family. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0401, Διαστάσεις: 13.1x13.1cm

Physics: 100 Ideas in 100 Words offers the essential facts at your fingertips, satisfying your scientific curiosity and helping you to understand the biggest concepts in physics in concise, 100-word summaries. One of the first titles in a cutting-edge new series created in partnership with The Science Museum, this book introduces 100 key areas of physics - such as gravitational fields, momentum, general relativity and quantum uncertainty - and explains each topic in just 100 words. Perfect for getting your head around big ideas clearly and quickly, or refreshing your memory of the fundamentals of physics, this book covers the most up-to-date terms and theories and inspires a heightened level of understanding and enjoyment to the core areas of physics explored in The Science Museum. Σελίδες: 192, Διαστάσεις: 13.7x13.7cm

Geometry is both elegantly simple and infinitely profound. Many professionals find they need to be able to draw geometric shapes accurately, and this unique book shows them how.It provides step-by-step instructions for constructing two-dimensional geometric shapes, which can be readily followed by a beginner, or used as an invaluable source book by students and professionals. Σελίδες: 88, Διαστάσεις: 21x21cm

Which mathematician elaborated a crucial concept the night before he died in a duel? Who funded his maths and medical career through gambling and chess? Who learned maths from her wallpaper? Ian Stewart presents the extraordinary lives and amazing discoveries of twenty-five of history\'s greatest mathematicians from Archimedes and Liu Hui to Benoit Mandelbrot and William Thurston. His subjects are the inspiring individuals from all over the world who have made crucial contributions to mathematics. They include the rediscovered geniuses Srinivasa Ramanujan and Emmy Noether, alongside the towering figures of Muhammad al-Khwarizmi (inventor of the algorithm), Pierre de Fermat, Isaac Newton, Carl Friedrich Gauss, Nikolai Ivanovich Lobachevsky, Bernhard Reimann (precursor to Einstein), Henri Poincaré, Ada Lovelace (arguably the first computer programmer), Kurt Gödel and Alan Turing. Ian Stewart\'s vivid accounts are fascinating in themselves and, taken together, cohere into a riveting history of key steps in the development of mathematics. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 0802, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm

Black holes are the most extreme objects in the universe, yet every galaxy harbours a black hole at its centre. In Einstein’s Monsters, Chris Impey builds on this profound discovery to explore questions at the cutting edge of cosmology, such as what happens if you travel into a black hole and whether the galaxy or its black hole came first. Impey chronicles the role black holes have played in theoretical physics. He then describes the phenomena that scientists have witnessed while observing black holes: dozens of stars swarming around the dark object at the centre of our galaxy; black holes performing gravitational waltzes with normal stars; the cymbal clash of two black holes colliding, releasing ripples in spacetime. Einstein’s Monsters is the incredible story of one of the most enigmatic entities in nature. Σελίδες: 304, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1018, Διαστάσεις: 14x14cm

Did you know that it\'s easier to add and subtract from left to right, rather than the other way round? And that you can be taught to square a three-digit number in seconds? In Think Like A Maths Genius, two mathematicians offer tips and tricks for doing tricky maths the easy way. With their help, you can learn how to perform lightning calculations in your head, discover methods of incredible memorisation and other feats of mental agility. Learn maths secrets for the real world, from adding up your shopping and calculating a restaurant tip, to figuring out gambling odds (or how much you\'ve won) and how to solve sudoku faster. Σελίδες: 320, Έτος Έκδοσης: 1019, Διαστάσεις: 12.8x12.8cm