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Fear of Physics
"Assume the cow is a sphere." So begins this lively, irreverent, and informative look at everything from the physics of boiling water to cutting-edge research at the observable limits of the universe. Rich with anecdotes and accessible examples, Fear of Physics nimbly ranges over the tools and thought behind the world of modern physics, taking the mystery out of what is essentially a very human intellectual endeavour.
287 pages, Paperback
First published October 5, 1993
164 people are currently reading
1277 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence M. Krauss
45 books1,763 followersLawrence Maxwell Krauss is a Canadian-American theoretical physicist and cosmologist who taught at Arizona State University (ASU), Yale University, and Case Western Reserve University. He founded ASU's Origins Project in 2008 to investigate fundamental questions about the universe and served as the project's director.
Krauss is an advocate for public understanding of science, public policy based on sound empirical data, scientific skepticism, and science education. An anti-theist, Krauss seeks to reduce the influence of what he regards as superstition and religious dogma in popular culture. Krauss is the author of several bestselling books, including The Physics of Star Trek (1995) and A Universe from Nothing (2012), and chaired the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Board of Sponsors.
Upon investigating allegations about sexual misconduct by Krauss, ASU determined that Krauss had violated university policy, and did not renew his Origins Project directorship for a third term in July 2018. Krauss retired as a professor at ASU in May 2019, at the end of the following academic year. He currently serves as president of The Origins Project Foundation. Krauss hosts The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss and publishes a blog titled Critical Mass.
Krauss is an advocate for public understanding of science, public policy based on sound empirical data, scientific skepticism, and science education. An anti-theist, Krauss seeks to reduce the influence of what he regards as superstition and religious dogma in popular culture. Krauss is the author of several bestselling books, including The Physics of Star Trek (1995) and A Universe from Nothing (2012), and chaired the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Board of Sponsors.
Upon investigating allegations about sexual misconduct by Krauss, ASU determined that Krauss had violated university policy, and did not renew his Origins Project directorship for a third term in July 2018. Krauss retired as a professor at ASU in May 2019, at the end of the following academic year. He currently serves as president of The Origins Project Foundation. Krauss hosts The Origins Podcast with Lawrence Krauss and publishes a blog titled Critical Mass.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
June 20, 2016
"To be scientifically illiterate is to remain essentially uncultured. And the chief virtue of a cultural activity--be it art, music, literature, or science--is the way it enriches our lives."
― Lawrence M. Krauss, Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed
One of my great loves is reading about physics and science. Richard Feynman, Niels Bohr, Newton, Einstein, etc., are my lower-case "g" gods. While my math and science background is just enough to get me in trouble, it is also enough to keep me coming back.
A couple years ago I decided that I would drop my subscription to 'The Economist' for a year and instead subscribe to 'Science'. Every week I would read. It was like launching myself into an intellectual sphere that got more and more dense toward the center. I would jam easily with THIS WEEK IN SCIENCE and even IN BRIEF, but once I hit RESEARCH ARTICLES and the REPORTS I was usually forced to just dance around the abstract. But I loved it. It was like New York Times crossword puzzles. I found the more often I could finish a Wednesday the more answers I could find without help to the Thursday puzzles.
That, I believe is the essence of what Krauss is trying to communicate in this book. Life is a joy. The search for answers is a thrill. Knowing how science works and where science IS deepens our understanding of our brief moment on this round rock in space. I love literature, but often GOOD literature tries to translate truths found in science. Just look at how closely Cormac McCarthy and Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo follow the discoveries of science. Knowledge is constantly bleeding between science, philosophy, and art. There is a nobility and a beauty to the search, the discovery, and understanding. If we aren't curious and aren't engaged, we might as well be dead or slaves.
― Lawrence M. Krauss, Fear of Physics: A Guide for the Perplexed
One of my great loves is reading about physics and science. Richard Feynman, Niels Bohr, Newton, Einstein, etc., are my lower-case "g" gods. While my math and science background is just enough to get me in trouble, it is also enough to keep me coming back.
A couple years ago I decided that I would drop my subscription to 'The Economist' for a year and instead subscribe to 'Science'. Every week I would read. It was like launching myself into an intellectual sphere that got more and more dense toward the center. I would jam easily with THIS WEEK IN SCIENCE and even IN BRIEF, but once I hit RESEARCH ARTICLES and the REPORTS I was usually forced to just dance around the abstract. But I loved it. It was like New York Times crossword puzzles. I found the more often I could finish a Wednesday the more answers I could find without help to the Thursday puzzles.
That, I believe is the essence of what Krauss is trying to communicate in this book. Life is a joy. The search for answers is a thrill. Knowing how science works and where science IS deepens our understanding of our brief moment on this round rock in space. I love literature, but often GOOD literature tries to translate truths found in science. Just look at how closely Cormac McCarthy and Thomas Pynchon and Don DeLillo follow the discoveries of science. Knowledge is constantly bleeding between science, philosophy, and art. There is a nobility and a beauty to the search, the discovery, and understanding. If we aren't curious and aren't engaged, we might as well be dead or slaves.
February 4, 2015
There are a few gems in this book. Krauss dedicates some time to explaining how scientists (physicists in particular) think. He scratches the surface of why this is successful (and even talks about when it hasn't been as successful).
But the title of the book is misleading. This book is mostly anecdote. If you want to be told a bunch of random physics facts, read this book. If you're actually weary of physics, and feel it's beyond your grasp, and best left to the experts, don't read this book. Yet. First, read about this history of science.
You see, people need to first learn how we came to know the things we know. Telling science as a story, starting in antiquity, and blossoming into modern speculative cosmological theories. Telling science as a list of facts robs the reader of a good reason to believe any of it.
Also, if you're considering the audio form of this book, be warned. It's read by the author. Don't get me wrong. I love to hear Krauss speak. But they apparently recorded this one in "record time" and it shows.
But the title of the book is misleading. This book is mostly anecdote. If you want to be told a bunch of random physics facts, read this book. If you're actually weary of physics, and feel it's beyond your grasp, and best left to the experts, don't read this book. Yet. First, read about this history of science.
You see, people need to first learn how we came to know the things we know. Telling science as a story, starting in antiquity, and blossoming into modern speculative cosmological theories. Telling science as a list of facts robs the reader of a good reason to believe any of it.
Also, if you're considering the audio form of this book, be warned. It's read by the author. Don't get me wrong. I love to hear Krauss speak. But they apparently recorded this one in "record time" and it shows.
June 30, 2017
I have read many books similar to this one, and most of the concepts included in this book are familiar to me, but my goodness, by no means that I understand them all. However, there is one important piece that this book spends more time on, and personally, I find this piece needs to be spread more widely. I am afraid that my words might venture into the wrong lane, so I am going to just use the author's.
"Scientific truth does not require the expectation that the theories we work with are truly fundamental. In this sense, physics is still clearly guided by the same principles introduced by Galileo 400 years ago and indeed the very same principles I introduced at the beginning and throughout this book. All of our wonderful theories of nature involve approximations that we use with impunity. We are guided by ignoring the irrelevant. What is irrelevant is generally guided by considering the dimensional nature of physical quantities, which determine the scale of the problems we are interested in and those we can safely ignore. All the while we creatively try to adapt what has already worked to new situations. In so doing, we have revealed a remarkable hidden universe that exists beyond our limited human senses, a universe that is thus far simpler and more symmetric. So far, everywhere we look, spherical cows still surround us."
"Scientific truth does not require the expectation that the theories we work with are truly fundamental. In this sense, physics is still clearly guided by the same principles introduced by Galileo 400 years ago and indeed the very same principles I introduced at the beginning and throughout this book. All of our wonderful theories of nature involve approximations that we use with impunity. We are guided by ignoring the irrelevant. What is irrelevant is generally guided by considering the dimensional nature of physical quantities, which determine the scale of the problems we are interested in and those we can safely ignore. All the while we creatively try to adapt what has already worked to new situations. In so doing, we have revealed a remarkable hidden universe that exists beyond our limited human senses, a universe that is thus far simpler and more symmetric. So far, everywhere we look, spherical cows still surround us."
February 4, 2020
Sort of glad to circle back and re-read this decade old gift (Thanks nameless oldest brother!). It holds up really well, and it does a better job at explaining things than I had realized. At least, for the first half of the book. I think it's appropriately chill on the side of the grand theory of everything, although not necessarily for the Kuhnian reasons I want it to acknowledge the power and organizing science of narrative tales. (Though the organizing story of the post nuclear gathering in ny is tongue in cheek enough.)
Mostly, this made we wish that my physics teacher at Longview had been even halfway decent as a teacher or a physicist, because this book, especially the first half, makes it exciting and particularly interesting to boil most questions down into ones of magnitude and scale. Very glad for the re read, but I think my sciency heart of interest lies in cosmology rather than quantum weak forces. But I am apparently excited about bovine spheres.
Wish I had done my actual science courses at an r2 or r1 school. Alas.
Mostly, this made we wish that my physics teacher at Longview had been even halfway decent as a teacher or a physicist, because this book, especially the first half, makes it exciting and particularly interesting to boil most questions down into ones of magnitude and scale. Very glad for the re read, but I think my sciency heart of interest lies in cosmology rather than quantum weak forces. But I am apparently excited about bovine spheres.
Wish I had done my actual science courses at an r2 or r1 school. Alas.
January 7, 2014
Después de leer a Brief History of Time de Hawking este libro me resultó mucho más complejo de leer, la manera en que Hawking describe fenómenos y teorías físicas es mucho más fácil de entender que las explicaciones de Lawrence. Sin embargo este libro va más allá y describe fenómenos con mayor detalle y deja vislumbrar lo complejo de la física moderna. En muchas ocasiones tuve que reeler párrafos enteros y en otras hasta buscar términos y conceptos en wikipedia (donde por cierto se explican con mayor sencillez). En general es un buen libro sobre física para no físicos, deja mucho aprendizaje y mucha duda, como todo buen libro debería de hacer, es algo pesado de leer y se le debe de tener paciencia.
October 12, 2016
Just when I thought I had forgotten all my Physics undergrad education, this book comes as a refresher to prove the contrary.
Physical intuition (and the acquired ability to perform order of magnitude estimates and back-of-the napkin calculations) is more relevant now than ever, as we enter the understanding of complex socio-economic systems.
Fantastic book by Lawrence Krauss; I almost wish this book had a live update (to include the Higgs Boson discovery and other more recent developments). What a fascinating read!
Physical intuition (and the acquired ability to perform order of magnitude estimates and back-of-the napkin calculations) is more relevant now than ever, as we enter the understanding of complex socio-economic systems.
Fantastic book by Lawrence Krauss; I almost wish this book had a live update (to include the Higgs Boson discovery and other more recent developments). What a fascinating read!
January 23, 2022
Generally an ok book, but all over the place. An initial understanding of some of the physics was enormously helpful, which is the opposite of the title implies. Last chapter was the the best chapter by far. Author felt a bit pretentious and didn’t explain things in an intuitive way in my opinion.
July 5, 2018
An excellent guide to what can be a complicated subject. One of the best science communicators around, Lawrence Krauss delivers with a book that is wonderfully informative and humourous. You'll never look at a cow quite the same way again.
February 22, 2011
Krauss, a physicist, sets out for the non scientist what it means to do physics. He starts by talking about how physics is essentially a creative act figuring out how to discard as much unessential information as possibly. That launches him into a discussion about some of the basic ideas behind modern physics in relativity and quantum mechanics, and ends with an interesting relfection on what it means for a physics theory to be true. Some theories work on different scales, can there be a theory which works on all scales? Does it matter? I think Krauss does an admirable job of making some rather complex ideas accessible to all. The weakest part of the book was some of his discussion on symmetry which got to be a bit rambly but included some gold nuggets such as his discussion of imaginary time and anti-particles.
May 23, 2017
When I got to know the figure of CP Snow and ran across his famous essay 'The two cultures', I realised my knowledge of natural laws was insufficient, not to say completely absent. Still, they make up the fabric of my everyday life - so why didn't I make an effort to try to understand some of those laws?
Although It took quite an effort (at times it gave me the same sensation when you're trying to talk in a strange language: you feel like you have lost a considerable amount of your thinking power) and I didn't get it all (not by a long shot) - it still was a rewarding reading experience. For example: when Krauss writes about water being the only material that actually expands when temperatures drop below zero, he took me by surprise. I knew the fact, but I never released the consequences of that simple fact.
Although It took quite an effort (at times it gave me the same sensation when you're trying to talk in a strange language: you feel like you have lost a considerable amount of your thinking power) and I didn't get it all (not by a long shot) - it still was a rewarding reading experience. For example: when Krauss writes about water being the only material that actually expands when temperatures drop below zero, he took me by surprise. I knew the fact, but I never released the consequences of that simple fact.
September 12, 2017
While there is no doubt as to the depth of Lawrence Krauss' knowledge, this book is everything that it is trying not to be. I challenge anyone who rated this book five stars to now explain their renewed understanding of gauge symmetry, special relativity, or why the universe is flat! If you are an average ignoramus (like me) trying to understand the universe, then this book is not for you. This book is written for university level physics students. After reading this book I've traded my fear of physics for complete despair! Honestly...the author could have written anything and I would have no idea whether it was true or not. I'm left with the feeling that making sense of the universe is reserved for the scientific elite, the chosen ones. Disappointing.
May 23, 2020
3.5 stars. I loved how this book gave an insight into how physicists think and approach problems. It did, however, feel longer than the 200 pages it was and was somewhat uneven. Definitely something I would need to read more than once to fully digest.
October 18, 2008
I feel a little better about my relationship with physics now than I did before reading this book. I still don't get it as well as I'd like, but at least I learned some new words.
February 4, 2015
This book is the reason why I love mr.Krauss, one of the best, most engaging and brilliant science educators. A must read for everyone.
December 5, 2021
Kualitas terjemahan sukar dipahami dan tidak natural, seperti hasil terjemahan mesin yang dipoles manusia. Buku ini mungkin bagus, tetapi membuat tidak nyaman membaca terjemahannya yang buruk.
June 7, 2025
This quirky collection of allegories made me rethink physics—something I probably should’ve embraced back in middle school. Maybe my relationship with the subject wouldn’t have been so… tragic. 🙏
The title alone is enough to scare off anyone who hated physics class. If you already know you dislike it, why bother, right? That was me—until I realized how obsessed I am with sci-fi movies. Then it hit me: maybe what I hated wasn’t physics itself, but the way it was taught—dull and lacking imagination.
I accidentally stumbled upon this book on a shelf in Akik, an independent bookstore in Yogyakarta (yes, I’m one of those readers who pick books based on their covers). Our encounter was quick and impulsive, and before I knew it, I was completely hooked.
While this book doesn’t dive deep into technical details or complicated formulas, it bridges my past dislike of physics and my curiosity for sci-fi.
The content? Weird. But hilarious. It’s not the typical kind of humor—it's that awkward, nerdy kind. There are no spells in italics or daunting equations. Instead, you get “baby-language” analogies that are surprisingly relatable. One of the most memorable? “Imagine a cow as a spherical shell.” Like—what? But somehow, it works. You laugh, then you think.
Krauss shows that physics isn’t just about formulas—it’s a way of understanding reality on a deeper, even philosophical level. I imagine him as the kind of scientist you could hang out with: sarcastic, brilliant, and surprisingly relatable. Behind all his casual sentences, he discusses relativity, quantum mechanics, and the structure of the universe. That is what the book is about.
Fear of Physics is perfect for anyone who has ever felt scared, lost, or overwhelmed by the subject. Whether you’re a student, a non-science major, or someone who wants to understand science without drowning in equations—it’s for you. It’s also a treat for sci-fi fans, philosophy nerds, or anyone curious about how physicists see the world.
With its light tone, clever analogies, and unexpected humor, this book opens the door to making peace with—and maybe even falling in love with—physics.
Thank you, Mr. Krauss. After reading this, watching Interstellar won’t feel the same anymore. 😌🚀
The title alone is enough to scare off anyone who hated physics class. If you already know you dislike it, why bother, right? That was me—until I realized how obsessed I am with sci-fi movies. Then it hit me: maybe what I hated wasn’t physics itself, but the way it was taught—dull and lacking imagination.
I accidentally stumbled upon this book on a shelf in Akik, an independent bookstore in Yogyakarta (yes, I’m one of those readers who pick books based on their covers). Our encounter was quick and impulsive, and before I knew it, I was completely hooked.
While this book doesn’t dive deep into technical details or complicated formulas, it bridges my past dislike of physics and my curiosity for sci-fi.
The content? Weird. But hilarious. It’s not the typical kind of humor—it's that awkward, nerdy kind. There are no spells in italics or daunting equations. Instead, you get “baby-language” analogies that are surprisingly relatable. One of the most memorable? “Imagine a cow as a spherical shell.” Like—what? But somehow, it works. You laugh, then you think.
Krauss shows that physics isn’t just about formulas—it’s a way of understanding reality on a deeper, even philosophical level. I imagine him as the kind of scientist you could hang out with: sarcastic, brilliant, and surprisingly relatable. Behind all his casual sentences, he discusses relativity, quantum mechanics, and the structure of the universe. That is what the book is about.
Fear of Physics is perfect for anyone who has ever felt scared, lost, or overwhelmed by the subject. Whether you’re a student, a non-science major, or someone who wants to understand science without drowning in equations—it’s for you. It’s also a treat for sci-fi fans, philosophy nerds, or anyone curious about how physicists see the world.
With its light tone, clever analogies, and unexpected humor, this book opens the door to making peace with—and maybe even falling in love with—physics.
Thank you, Mr. Krauss. After reading this, watching Interstellar won’t feel the same anymore. 😌🚀
February 6, 2019
LOL, het massamiddelpunt van een donut, zit in het gat van de donut waar hij geen massa heeft. En andere rare voorbeelden. Interessant om te lezen maar ik kan er weer eens niks van navertellen, laat staan toepassen. Sommige stukken waten echt onleesbaar. Of zoals mijn docent natuurkunde vroeger tegen mij zei: jij begreep er echt geen bal van. Ik heb wel geleerd dat als je de bal vergroot, dat de bal niet altijd bal kan blijven. Massa, enzo.
April 28, 2020
Uitstekend geschreven. Ware het niet dat het boek naar het einde toe moeilijker te volgen is, met uitzondering van het laatste hoofdstuk, dan zou ik dit boek zeker 5 sterren gegeven hebben. In tegenstelling tot de gebruikelijke manier om fysica te presenteren, een uiteenzetting van welke processen door welke formules beschreven worden, benadert de schrijver het onderwerp vanuit historisch perspectief en legt hij uit hoe een fysicus zijn onderwerp bekijkt: door details te negeren.
September 5, 2022
The fear of physics is an outstanding book readable by anyone interested in science. It makes it easy to understand what it takes to do physics. I would say it is also a motivational science book. It would have been great if Krauss had added more about how reductionist physics relates to the complexity of the natural world and the importance of fundamental physics in engineering and our day-to-day life.
March 11, 2018
Even though I understood almost every word in the book, I didn't understand much apart from the fact that physics is really hard. Can't say I am less perplexed by physics after reading this but it might be a great book for you if you're smart and had some physics in the university.
July 7, 2022
I don't know what I expected from this book, but I didn't get it. I suppose it is a fine introduction to physics for novices, but considering it calls itself a Guide for the Perplexed, I'm not sure you would come away less perplexed. I ended up skimming most of the last three chapters.
May 13, 2017
Like most pulp science writing, it meanders, but it's unique theme provides unexpected insights.
October 4, 2022
Great science read with no fluff!
October 3, 2024
Less confused by all things physics now
helped me change the way I think about the world a bit (scientifically speaking🤓)
helped me change the way I think about the world a bit (scientifically speaking🤓)
January 5, 2026
Much like listening to half of a very intelligently, convincingly made telephone conversation.
Krauss is making the case that problems should be solved by simplifying the problem and making estimates. Ironically, he complicates his text by jumping right into whichever topic he chooses to exemplify his point.
He does so by discussing concepts and terms he doesn’t bother to define. He also doesn’t keep you guided by letting you know where you are going and remind you why he’s describing the concepts he is discussing as he goes.
Krauss is making the case that problems should be solved by simplifying the problem and making estimates. Ironically, he complicates his text by jumping right into whichever topic he chooses to exemplify his point.
He does so by discussing concepts and terms he doesn’t bother to define. He also doesn’t keep you guided by letting you know where you are going and remind you why he’s describing the concepts he is discussing as he goes.
January 31, 2022
Krauss aims to guide readers both familiar and unfamiliar with physics through thinking as a physicist, applying logic to our observations of reality. I see how some readers may be confused by the depth of topics presented at times, but understanding individual content should not deter readers from entertaining the context and overall goal of the guide: "more to present the flavor of Physics than a working knowledge [of physics]..."
Readers unfamiliar with science will gain the mindset of a physicist and a better understanding how to apply logic to daily problem-solving: removing irrelevant details, abstracting assumptions from scale and magnitude, and scaling arguments. As already having a strong foundation in physics, I found this book to be a good reflection of perspectives and logic. The continually referenced example of assuming a cow as a sphere, a favorite amongst scientists, was also well received.
Readers unfamiliar with science will gain the mindset of a physicist and a better understanding how to apply logic to daily problem-solving: removing irrelevant details, abstracting assumptions from scale and magnitude, and scaling arguments. As already having a strong foundation in physics, I found this book to be a good reflection of perspectives and logic. The continually referenced example of assuming a cow as a sphere, a favorite amongst scientists, was also well received.
July 6, 2016
I never took a physics course. I don't know if my comfort with mathematics helped with this book, but it certainly didn't hurt. That said, this was a general introduction to early theories in physics as well as an explanation of the implications of recent experiments on our understanding of the univers. The book also examines how early explanations laid the groundwork for later predictions and theories. In some cases, it describes how early predictions were validated (or invalidated) as the equipment to run more sophisticated tests became available.
This book didn't give me enough information for me to pick up a physics book full of formulas, and that's fine. That was not my goal. My goal was to understand some of the basic concepts of physics and to understand the relevance of terms such as "quark" and "neutrino". On that level, the book succeeded. It also gave me a deep appreciation of all the science that went into my GPS app.
If you listen to the audio version, there is an interview with the author at the end. This is worth listening to all the way until the end.
Bottom line: Listen to this if you have a strong interest in science but not much background in physics, or if you have a passing interest in science and are willing to forgive yourself for not understanding all of it.
This book didn't give me enough information for me to pick up a physics book full of formulas, and that's fine. That was not my goal. My goal was to understand some of the basic concepts of physics and to understand the relevance of terms such as "quark" and "neutrino". On that level, the book succeeded. It also gave me a deep appreciation of all the science that went into my GPS app.
If you listen to the audio version, there is an interview with the author at the end. This is worth listening to all the way until the end.
Bottom line: Listen to this if you have a strong interest in science but not much background in physics, or if you have a passing interest in science and are willing to forgive yourself for not understanding all of it.
May 1, 2015
This book was a fantastic read. I am sure that some topics might be a bit more difficult to follow for someone completely new to the subjects, but I found the book very interesting. Krauss did a phenomenal job bringing difficult to understand scientific topics and comparing them to everyday things that make visualizing them much easier. Anyone that has a... fear of physics... (or even those with a non-scientist's understanding like me) should read this book. You'll come out thinking a lot more like a physicist than you thought possible.
May 5, 2011
I'm afraid that after muddling through this book I still have a fear of physics. I appreciated his "a cow is a circle" explanation, and I appreciated the math section. But, honestly, the last chapter dealing with conservation and symmetry I did not get at all. I'm sure I would get a lot more out of this book if I read it again, but at this point, I'm unwilling. I guess I assumed by the title that it would be more remedial than it was.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews