Hawking's (mainly unread) first bestseller (A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking)

Member Name: markos9

Product:	A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking
Date:	16/04/09 (142 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Brings the wonders of the universe to a 'popular' audience.

Disadvantages: Not enough examples to aid understanding of the concepts described.

A Brief History of Time is, of course, written by Professor Stephen Hawking, one of the most eminent scientists of our age. Hawking has been at the forefront of scientific discovery for decades and has contributed significantly to progress in cosmology (he even has a type of radiation named after him; Hawking radiation).

The book was Professor Hawking's first attempt at a 'popular' science volume, after publishing many scientific papers over the years. The book's aim is to bring the scientists' understanding of the origins of the universe, to a popular audience.

This was not a small undertaking, and one unlikely to be successful. On the surface, however, Hawking did succeed. This book stayed on the best seller's list for over four years! On the other hand, A Brief History of Time has been described as the most owned, never read book ever!

Before writing the book, Hawking was advised that every equation he included would reduce his readership by half. For this reason, there is only one equation, the famous E=mc2.

Despite the lack of equations, some very weighty topics are discussed. Fortunately, Hawking's style of writing is quite light, contrasting with the heavy subject matter. He explains the theories being discussed, details the evidence supporting the theory, then uses practical examples of how it works.

Some of the subjects described include:

i) Space and time

Hawking explains that, despite what we think, time is not absolute. The passage of time depends on how fast we are travelling; if we move near the speed of light, time slows drastically. An example, 'the twin paradox' is given; one twin stays on earth, the other has a week's trip in a very fast spaceship. When the travelling twin returns after what appears to him to be a week, he finds his twin has aged by years!

ii) Black holes

Black holes are formed by the collapse of a massive star. The star's mass is so great that it collapses into an infinitely dense 'singularity'. The black hole's resultant gravity is so great that nothing that falls into a black hole can escape; even light is drawn in.

A fascinating, theoretical, trip to observe the formation of a black hole is described, and the surprising fact that black holes are not in fact black at all is revealed.

iii) The origins and fate of the universe

Everyone knows the theory that the universe started with the 'big bang'. What this is and how it happened is discussed. The incredible fact that the universe seems ideally tuned for live on Earth to develop is examined and the so called 'anthropic principle' analysed in detail.

What awaits the universe in the far future is also speculated upon. The universe is expanding, will it continue to do so (if so the universe will end as a cold, black, empty place), or will the expansion reverse and end with a 'big crunch'?

Unfortunately, for me at least, Hawking does not go far enough with his explanations. For such momentous, non-intuitive concepts such as time passing more slowly as you approach the speed of light, Hawking does not give enough explanation of what this means. I feel the book would have been more understandable if multiple examples, showing the effects had been described. In this way, the reader would have had more time to understand the concept before moving on to the next brain-melting topic!

Despite the criticism above, I did enjoy this book. I have read it twice, getting more out of it the second time, and can definitely say that it has helped my understanding of how the universe works. I also have the sequel to this book "The Universe In a Nutshell". I find this one to be much better in getting across the awesome subjects detailed in a more reader friendly way.

If you think you may enjoy this book, I'd encourage you to pick up a copy and give it a try. It is definitely not for everyone, however, as evidenced by the numbers of unread copies sat on book shelves across the world!

This book is available from Amazon for £6.79 in paperback.

Summary: Good, but the sequel is better.