Book Reviews January 2007

The giant leap Adrian Berry Headline, 1999 ISBN: 0312877854 Mentioned in Interstellar travel Science fiction seems to tell us that, whatever the difficulties, we will somehow manage to travel to the stars one day. In The Giant Leap Adrian Berry gives us an enthusiastic look at how this might be achieved, with a discussion of the new inventions which will be needed to make it possible. This work doesn't go into the technical details as much as some other books, but if you want a wide overview of how we might travel to the stars and what problems there might be along the way then you should have a look at this book. Continued..

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What we believe but cannot prove John Brockman Pocket, 2005 ISBN: 1416522611 Every year the Edge Foundation asks a question of a selection of eminent intellectuals. In 2005 the question was 'What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it', and this book lists the answers that were given. This gives them the opportunity to discuss those ideas which are important but haven't quite reached the stage of general acceptance. However, the replies are short - often less than a page - which doesn't give much of an opportunity to explain the details of the concepts mentioned. But it does make it easy to read, so it's just the sort of book to dip into at odd moments. Continued..

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Impossibility John Barrow Oxford University Press, 1998 ISBN: 0198518900 Mentioned in Cosmic horizons Technology progresses at such speed that one sometime wonders whether there are any limits to what can be achieved. On the other hand science is built on laws which restrict our ability to do things - we can't travel faster than light or produce energy out of nothing. In Impossibility John Barrow looks such limits, and asks what consequences they will have in future. The book is actually much more positive than the title suggests, and the only things which seem to be really impossible are those which have been mathematically proved to be so. In truth the book is a wide ranging speculation of the possible directions our technology might follow. If you like this sort of peek into the future then this is a book you should read. Continued..

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The Millennium problems Keith Devlin Basic books ISBN: 0465017304 Mentioned in P vs NP To celebrate the coming of the new millennium, the Clay Mathematics Institute offered a $1,000,000 for the solution of each of seven mathematical problems. (If you fancy having a go at one of them, well the Poincaré conjecture has already been solved, but you might be interested in my thoughts on the P vs NP problem) In The Millennium Problems Keith Devlin gives an introduction to each of these problems. The book is written in a non-technical style without too much mathematics, and so is suitable for any reader who wants to get an idea of the nature of these seven problems. Continued..

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Wider than the sky Gerald Edelman Penguin, 2004 ISBN: 0713997338 Gerald Edelman is a well known neuroscientist, and has developed a theory of mind known as the Theory of Neuronal Group Selection, also known as Neural Darwinism. In this theory the brain structures itself as it goes along, based on external inputs and internal feedback loops. In Wider than the sky he gives a concise introuction to this theory, explaining how it leads to the emergence of consciousness. Continued..

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Fabulous Science John Waller Oxford University Press, 2002 ISBN: 0192804049 Famous scientists often get a rather heroic image in later accounts of their work. In Fabulous science John Waller looks at the truth behind some of these stories. In the first part he looks at experiments such as Eddington's eclipse expedition to test general relativity, and shows that these weren't as conclusive as is often claimed. The second part looks at how history has treated various scientists - for instance Alexander Fleming, who is seen as the discoverer of Penicillin, despite not being the first person to notice it's effects nor being responsible for its development into a useful drug. Waller's examination of the details of such stories makes for an informative and enjoyable read. Continued..

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Fermat's Last Theorem Amir Aczel Penguin Books, 1996 ISBN: 0140267085 Mentioned in fermat undecidable Andrew Wiles has now proved Fermat's Last Theorem, but to most of us it's still as much of a mystery as it ever was. In Fermat's Last Theorem Amir Aczel gives us the background to this proof, describing the evolution of the mathematics involved, and the stories of mathematicians who have tried in the past to prove it but failed. Several convinced themselves that they had cracked it, only to have a fatal flaw discovered in their proof. The book is written in a non-technical way, with hardly any mathematical notation, and so it will appeal to the non-mathematical reader who wants to find out what all the fuss was about. Continued..

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The shaky game : Einstein, realism, and the quantum theory Arthur Fine University of Chicago press, 1986 ISBN: 0226249468 Einstein's disagreement with quantum mechanics is often presented in a disparaging manner - as if he had somehow lost the plot. In The Shaky Game Arthur Fine shows that this is an unfair characterisation. In the first half of this set of essays he looks in detail at Einstein's philosophical views, how they changed with time, and how they related to what other people thought. In particular he examines how Einstein's views are reflected in the EPR paper. It's worth reading if you want see why Einstein's position wasn't such a dead end as is often claimed. Continued..

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The dispossessed Ursula Le Guin Gollancz, 1974 ISBN: 1857988825 Annares is the moon of Urras. It's habitable, but a struggle to live there, and is the home of a people devoted to freedom from state control. However, Shevek, a physicist on Annares, finds his freedom to create and discuss a new theory of time and space isn't what it should be. Thus he goes to Urras, where the scientists show a greater appreciation of his ideas, and in doing so hopes to start to heal a long-standing hatred between the two worlds. But will his actions really make any difference? The Dispossesed by Usrula le Guin is an impressive study of different kinds of freedom, but I did have some reservations concerning its plot - or lack of it. Continued..

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Einstein's Refrigerator Gino Segre Penguin, 2002 ISBN: 0140290877 In 1926 Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard patented a new design of refrigerator which avoided the dangers of poisonous refrigerants used in existing designs. However, Einstein's Refrigerator by Gino Segré isn't about that. Well the book does devote a couple of pages to it, but it's really a more general look at the concept of temperature and together with discussion of various scientific topics related to temperature. It contains plenty of interesting science, but it written in a non-technical way and so is a fairly easy read, even if you've had no previous experience of the subjects dealt with. Continued..

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QED: The strange theory of light and matter Richard Feynman Penguin, 1985 ISBN: 0140125051 One of the problems with quantum theory is that is usually the version from the 1920's which is talked about, but this doesn't answer many important questions concerning the interaction of light and matter. For that you need the more advanced quantum electrodynamics (QED). So how can you find out about this vital subject without spending many years doing graduate level physics? Well QED by Richard Feynman would be an excellent place to start. It's based on a series of lectures he gave for an audience of non-physicists. Hence a lack of previous knowledge of the subject shouldn't be a problem - provided you're prepared to do a bit of work in following his explanations. Continued..

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Flu Gina Kolata Macmillan, 1999 ISBN: 0333751051 The flu outbreak of 1918 was one of the worst killers in history, but for some reason it doesn't feature very much in history lessons. In Flu, Gina Kolata takes a look at this outbreak, and the influence it has had since that time. However, this book is not primarily a history of the 1918 outbreak. Nor does it explain the details of the science of the flu virus to the reader. Rather it is a collection of stories related to the outbreak, and in particular those of scientists who have sought to prevent a recurrence. Continued..

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The Universe and the Teacup K.C Cole Little, Brown, 1998 ISBN: 0156006561 Mathematics is vital part of all of our lives, but many people try to hide from this fact - they find the subject too indimidating to accept. In The Universe and the Teacup K.C. Cole provides an easy to read account of how maths relates to everyday life. She looks at many different issues, such as how the size of an object affects its physical behaviour, our perception of risk, and fairness in different methods of voting. The final chapter looks at the work of Emmy Noether and the applications of symmetry to physics. Continued..

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The physics of immortality Frank Tipler Macmillan, 1994 ISBN: 0333618645 You might think that if you wanted to live forever then it would be better if the universe didn't collapse to a singularity within a finite time. In The physics of immortality Frank Tipler argues otherwise, that if we manipulate the collapse then we can allow an infinity of events to happen, thus providing the opportunity of eternal life for all. The first part of the book provides that wonderful speculation which, when done by someone such as Tipler who knows his science, will leave a lasting impression in your mind. Unfortunately, after that comes some pseudo-theology of the worst kind. Continued..

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Children's Literature:The development of criticism Peter Hunt Routledge, 1990 ISBN: 0415029945 Writing about children's literature can be a problem. Do you try to look at a book from the point of view of a child? Or do you ask what the book does to educate children (a rather old fashioned view perhaps). Maybe you view the book as a preparation for more advanced works. In Children's Literature:The development of criticism, Peter Hunt brings together a collection of essays which look at these, and many other questions. The book starts with early examples of such essays (starting with one from 1749), and so the reader sees how children's literature, and the criticism of it, has developed over time. Continued..

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Stepping Stones Stephen Drury Oxford University Press, 1999 ISBN: 0198508077 With today's worry about climate change and other environmental problems it is vital for people to have some background knowledge of the workings of the earth and its environment. Stepping Stones by Stephen Drury has the potential to fulfil this requirement, providing a grand overview of the history of the earth. It starts with the Earth's formation, and takes the reader through the origins and motions of continents as well as the evolution of life. All the while Drury looks at the effects of these changes on the climate, explaining how methods such as isotope ratios give us pretty detailed knowledge of what was happening hundreds of millions of years ago. I have to say though that I feel the book fails in its task. Continued..

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Modern cosmology in retrospect B Bertotti ,R Balbinot and S Bergia Cambridge University Press, 1990 ISBN: 0521372135 In the 20th century cosmology advanced from the realm of speculation to a precise science. Modern cosmology in retrospect contains talks from a 1988 meeting looking back at the development of cosmology. However, it differs from many other works on the history of science in that several of the key players in that development were present at the conference. The talks are not particularly technical, so anyone with a grounding in the subject should be able to follow the talks. (On the other hand, it is experts talking to experts, rather than one author writing for a general readership). Overall it is a very valuable resource for anyone interested in the history of cosmology, and how the disputes in the subject were resolved. Continued..

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Feynman Lectures on Gravitation Richard Feynman Penguin Books, 1995 ISBN: 0140284508 Discussions on the lack of a full theory of quantum gravity generally dwell on the incompatibility between quantum theory and general relativity. In his Lectures on Gravitation Richard Feynman takes a different approach. He starts off by ignoring GR and trying to quantize the gravitational field, and then shows that his results match up with the geometrical theory of GR. The book benefits from Feynman's unique presentation - he explains the 'why' of choices made in physics and explores possible alternatives. It will be of particular interest to those readers wishing to get a background to the current arguments about theories of quantum gravity. Continued..

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