Uncovering the Meaning Behind Einstein's Famous Equation: E=mc2 and Its Impact on Our Lives

Firstboomer: I started out wondering why scientific equations are peppered with squares and square roots, i.e., what is it about them that make for satisfying answers. The simplest and ubiquitous formula is Pythagorus’s solution for the length of the hypotenuse in a right triangle. What led him to use the squares of the right angle sides to equal the square of the hypotenuse? It is certainly not intuitively obvious. This book did not answer that directly, but instead explains some of the math and scientific brilliance that led to E=Mc (squared). I planning to re-read the book to absorb more of this fascinating explanation of nature.

United States on Jan 13, 2024

Mr P Ford: An excellent book. This is a difficult subject even for an engineer, like myself, with a reasonably good understanding of Newtonian physics and the laws of conservation. But it is worth the effort. This book uses analogy and real world examples to good effect. It is long, and sometimes I found myself skipping through sections to get to the heart of the argument. The argument leading to e=mc2 through a deeper understanding of momentum, I think, will be difficult for those without any scientific training, because momentum is itself quite an unfamiliar concept. But, the job of books like this it to provide those with the interest, whatever their background, the opportunity to engage with some of the most elegant thinking in the history of thinking. One is left in awe at how Maxwell, Einstein and their like could conceive of this physics which is so counterintuitive. It stands as a testament to their genius. Well done to the authors who have provided the interested general reader with an accessible and readable account of one of the most profound revolutions in science.

United Kingdom on Sep 08, 2023

the big pen: I have a confession. I have a physics degree, I managed to understand Special Relativity, but have always struggled with General Relativity.

It was never the maths, you must have a good grasp of maths to obtain a physics degree, but the concepts were challenging. Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw do an excellent job of building the explanation of Special and General Relativity from the very basics in a clear and easy to follow narrative.

The ideas are still as challenging as when I first came across them as an undergraduate, but Cox and Forshaw have an ability to break down the physics into bite sized manageable issues and build a step-by-step explanation of one of the great achievements of science.

Australia on Jul 24, 2022

Scott vH: An amazing presentation of complex concepts in understandable and clearly stated terms. You do not need calculus or a background in physics or chemistry. Just an ability to read and follow meaningful developments of important and key concepts. It is not necessarily a fast read as I spent a fair amount of time grasping what I had just read and sometimes would go back and reread sections. However, it is the best presentation of these complex ideas I have seen in print. I highly recommend it.

United States on Jul 21, 2022

Buckley: Très satisfait. Livraison parfaite, colis parfait.
Le produit est parfaitement conforme à la description et a été livré dans les délais.

France on May 23, 2022

大顔連: 中古本でしたが，状態もよく，価格も小さくてお買い得でした。前回は海外線で忘れてしまったので，非常にありがたいです。

Japan on Dec 17, 2019

Francesc H.: Creo que por fin he encontrado el libro que me hará entender la teoria de la relatividad! Voy por la mitad y pinta genial. Llego en perfecto estado, de segunda mano, a un precio difícil de creer. Espectacular!

Spain on Apr 13, 2016

Mabus4444: I'm a big fan of Brian Cox, he's fantastic on video documentaries, so when I saw this book I jumped all over it. The focus of the book is quite explicitly an attempt to make relativity accessible to a lay audience, using nothing but the most simple mathematics, with as little mathematics as possible

At times it works, for example, he lays out complex mathematical equations and breaks them down into their individual parts to explain to the lay person what he's looking at, and what the different parts of the equation represent, and why. I didn't get a lot out of this, but it was fun to see the equations dissected in this way.

Where the book fails is when it attempts to tackle geometry. At that point the book's attempt to make relativity accessible falls to pieces. The geometry explanations are baffling to anyone who is not proficient in the field, and are clearly not intended for a lay audience. After reading through numerous chapters where it delves into this, I came away understanding absolutely nothing.

If you can get through the geometry sections, you do actually get something from the book. There are two key areas where the book absolutely...

United States on May 06, 2011

Jaume Puigbo Vila: Francis Ford Coppola has said that happiness consists on learning new things every day. People like Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw help us to become happier. Scientists like these who devote part of their precious time to divulge scientific ideas are the real missionaries of the XXIst century helping to extend the gospel of science, which, contrary to other gospels, it is non dogmatic and subjected to possible disproval by experiment , a feature of science introduced by Muslim scientists (!) according to the book (page 40).
The book is not only, as it title suggests, an explanation of the famous Einstein formula but a very up-to-date and understandable review of XXth century physics, including cosmology, special and general relativity and the Standard Model with its awe inspiring master equation.
The book uses, sometimes, very simple mathematics, which the authors suggest the math averse reader to skip, if necessary, but with important results. For instance, making use of the very famous, old and simple Pythagorean theorem Cox and Forshaw prove that the half life of muons accelerated to 99.94% of the speed of light is extended, due to relativistic...

United States on Sep 15, 2009