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Hidden in Plain Sight 2: The Equation of the Universe
You never knew theoretical physics could be so simple! Why do things move? Why is the expansion of the universe accelerating? Is the universe a black hole? This exciting book considers some of the deepest and most important questions in physics. Enjoy a thrilling intergalactic tour as Andrew Thomas redefines the force of gravity and introduces a brave new view of the universe!
- GenresScienceNonfictionPhysics
164 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2013
217 people are currently reading
247 people want to read
About the author
Andrew H. Thomas
14 books11 followersDr. Andrew H. Thomas studied physics in the James Clerk Maxwell Building in Edinburgh University, and received his doctorate from Swansea University in 1992.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
September 11, 2013
Hidden in Plain Sight 2: equation of the universe by “Andrew Thomas”
“Hidden in Plain Sight 2" is an informative theoretical physics book that looks at a possible solution to the unsolved mysteries behind gravity, dark energy, and black holes. I found this book to be equally and in some respects even more interesting than his previous book, “Hidden in Plain Sight”. In this rendition, Dr. Thomas looks at various unsolved problems in theoretical physics. Once again, I’m not a qualified physicist and can’t make any assertions to the validity of the theories presented in this book but at the very least I welcome the author’s engaging and accessible approach that makes such books enjoyable for the laypersons to read. This ambitious 170-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. Gravity, 3. Cosmology, 4. Dark Matter and Dark Energy, 5. Black Holes, 6. The Soap Bubble Universe, 7. Gravity Revisited, 8. How to Create Your Own Universe, and 9. Conclusion.
Positives:
1. A well-written, succinct, accessible book for the masses.
2. A fascinating topic in the hands of an inquisitive mind.
3. Does a wonderful job of introducing concepts and/or scientific principles to the readers at an enjoyable and accessible level. Familiar concepts like entropy are explained in a conversational manner thus making it much easier for readers to understand. “Entropy can be thought of as the amount of disorder or randomness in a system.”
4. A list of several of the most important unsolved problems in current theoretical physics including: unification of quantum mechanics and relativity, dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and an inflationary universe.
5. An excellent introduction that captures the essence in the book.
6. Good use of charts, illustrations and tables to assist readers.
7. Our current knowledge of gravity. “The reason behind the weakness of gravity is considered one of the great mysteries of modern physics.”
8. A brief history of gravity. “In the Principia, Newton presented his law of universal gravitation for the first time. He stated that every mass in the universe attracted every other mass by means of the force of gravity.”
9. Einstein’s theory of relativity takes center stage. “In 1915, Einstein finally published the general theory of relativity which revealed how the curvature of spacetime depended on the distribution of mass and energy.”
10. Excellent chapter on cosmology in which the author goes over the Big Bang theory, the shape of the universe, and the inflation hypothesis. Many interesting facts, “The Andromeda galaxy made the news in 2012 when it was announced that the mutual gravitational attraction between it and the Milky Way was so strong that Andromeda will collide with the Milky Way in about 4 billion years time.”
11. A look at the impact of dark matter and dark energy. “We will examine the mystery of the missing 95%. We will see that there are two components to the missing substance, and these are known as dark matter and dark energy.” Great stuff.
12. Some extraordinary discoveries are disclosed. Find out the scientists behind the accelerated expansion of the universe.
13. An enlightening chapter on black holes. “A star produces its energy via nuclear fusion, a process which fuses hydrogen nuclei together under immense temperature and pressure to become helium nuclei.” “Einstein predicted the existence of black holes. The existence of black holes is now an accepted fact in astrophysics — more evidence of the validity of general relativity.”
14. The importance of fundamental principles.
15. Is the universe flat? Find out.
16. The author presents an interesting hypothesis. “The hypothesis presented in this book suggests that a stable equilibrium distance is not only possible, it is a certainty.” “Considering the universe, it appears we could combine the logical principle and the conventional force of gravity together to produce a theory of modified gravity. This modified theory of gravity would act to move the radius of the universe to its equilibrium distance.” Hmmm…
17. Provides a link to simulating your own universe.
18. Interesting and eye-opening conclusion that I won’t spoil here.
19. Further reading section.
20. A tremendous Kindle value! Very few books give you so much for 0.99 cents!
Negatives:
1. Speculative theories that haven’t been validated by the scientific community.
2. Very few endnotes.
In summary, this was a fun and succinct book on theoretical physics. Dr. Thomas builds up the foundation of his theory by educating laypersons on the fundamental principles of physics and then goes on to his eye-opening theory. Is the theory valid? I don’t know but what is presented up to that point is in fact accepted by the scientific community and makes this book worthwhile to read. There are very few digital bargains better than this one, I recommend it!
Further recommendations: “Hidden in Plain Sight” by the same author, “Farewell to Reality: How Modern Physics Has Betrayed the Search for Scientific Truth” by Jim Baggott, “Spectrums” by David Blatner, “The Elegant Universe” and “Hidden Reality” by Brian Greene, “A Universe From Nothing” by Lawrence M. Krauss, “About Time” by Adam Frank, “Higgs Discovery” and “Warped Passages” by Lisa Randall, “The Grand Design” by Stephen Hawking, “The Quantum Universe” by Brian Cox, “The Blind Spot” by William Byers, and “The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning” and “God and the Atom” by Victor Stenger.
“Hidden in Plain Sight 2" is an informative theoretical physics book that looks at a possible solution to the unsolved mysteries behind gravity, dark energy, and black holes. I found this book to be equally and in some respects even more interesting than his previous book, “Hidden in Plain Sight”. In this rendition, Dr. Thomas looks at various unsolved problems in theoretical physics. Once again, I’m not a qualified physicist and can’t make any assertions to the validity of the theories presented in this book but at the very least I welcome the author’s engaging and accessible approach that makes such books enjoyable for the laypersons to read. This ambitious 170-page book includes the following nine chapters: 1. Introduction, 2. Gravity, 3. Cosmology, 4. Dark Matter and Dark Energy, 5. Black Holes, 6. The Soap Bubble Universe, 7. Gravity Revisited, 8. How to Create Your Own Universe, and 9. Conclusion.
Positives:
1. A well-written, succinct, accessible book for the masses.
2. A fascinating topic in the hands of an inquisitive mind.
3. Does a wonderful job of introducing concepts and/or scientific principles to the readers at an enjoyable and accessible level. Familiar concepts like entropy are explained in a conversational manner thus making it much easier for readers to understand. “Entropy can be thought of as the amount of disorder or randomness in a system.”
4. A list of several of the most important unsolved problems in current theoretical physics including: unification of quantum mechanics and relativity, dark matter, dark energy, black holes, and an inflationary universe.
5. An excellent introduction that captures the essence in the book.
6. Good use of charts, illustrations and tables to assist readers.
7. Our current knowledge of gravity. “The reason behind the weakness of gravity is considered one of the great mysteries of modern physics.”
8. A brief history of gravity. “In the Principia, Newton presented his law of universal gravitation for the first time. He stated that every mass in the universe attracted every other mass by means of the force of gravity.”
9. Einstein’s theory of relativity takes center stage. “In 1915, Einstein finally published the general theory of relativity which revealed how the curvature of spacetime depended on the distribution of mass and energy.”
10. Excellent chapter on cosmology in which the author goes over the Big Bang theory, the shape of the universe, and the inflation hypothesis. Many interesting facts, “The Andromeda galaxy made the news in 2012 when it was announced that the mutual gravitational attraction between it and the Milky Way was so strong that Andromeda will collide with the Milky Way in about 4 billion years time.”
11. A look at the impact of dark matter and dark energy. “We will examine the mystery of the missing 95%. We will see that there are two components to the missing substance, and these are known as dark matter and dark energy.” Great stuff.
12. Some extraordinary discoveries are disclosed. Find out the scientists behind the accelerated expansion of the universe.
13. An enlightening chapter on black holes. “A star produces its energy via nuclear fusion, a process which fuses hydrogen nuclei together under immense temperature and pressure to become helium nuclei.” “Einstein predicted the existence of black holes. The existence of black holes is now an accepted fact in astrophysics — more evidence of the validity of general relativity.”
14. The importance of fundamental principles.
15. Is the universe flat? Find out.
16. The author presents an interesting hypothesis. “The hypothesis presented in this book suggests that a stable equilibrium distance is not only possible, it is a certainty.” “Considering the universe, it appears we could combine the logical principle and the conventional force of gravity together to produce a theory of modified gravity. This modified theory of gravity would act to move the radius of the universe to its equilibrium distance.” Hmmm…
17. Provides a link to simulating your own universe.
18. Interesting and eye-opening conclusion that I won’t spoil here.
19. Further reading section.
20. A tremendous Kindle value! Very few books give you so much for 0.99 cents!
Negatives:
1. Speculative theories that haven’t been validated by the scientific community.
2. Very few endnotes.
In summary, this was a fun and succinct book on theoretical physics. Dr. Thomas builds up the foundation of his theory by educating laypersons on the fundamental principles of physics and then goes on to his eye-opening theory. Is the theory valid? I don’t know but what is presented up to that point is in fact accepted by the scientific community and makes this book worthwhile to read. There are very few digital bargains better than this one, I recommend it!
Further recommendations: “Hidden in Plain Sight” by the same author, “Farewell to Reality: How Modern Physics Has Betrayed the Search for Scientific Truth” by Jim Baggott, “Spectrums” by David Blatner, “The Elegant Universe” and “Hidden Reality” by Brian Greene, “A Universe From Nothing” by Lawrence M. Krauss, “About Time” by Adam Frank, “Higgs Discovery” and “Warped Passages” by Lisa Randall, “The Grand Design” by Stephen Hawking, “The Quantum Universe” by Brian Cox, “The Blind Spot” by William Byers, and “The Fallacy of Fine-Tuning” and “God and the Atom” by Victor Stenger.
March 6, 2018
Warning: this book presents a fringe theory, and its second half should be read with great caution.
However, as a source of insights, and simple explanation of major cosmological problems, it shines really well.
However, as a source of insights, and simple explanation of major cosmological problems, it shines really well.
September 15, 2014
I mark the book as read but I only finished half of it. The author makes claims about the inadequacies of cosmic inflation theory yet we have, just recently, had a major breakthrough with the BICEP2 project that is the first "smoking gun" evidence of inflation. I read his first book and thought that it was an oversimplification of some of the foremost problems that are facing the physics community and this book follows the same pattern. Not worth the time to read with so many other, more scientific, options available.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2019
The book is interesting, and a very easy read. However, one needs to keep always in mind the following:
1) The first half of the book is a very clear and engaging description of modern Cosmology and its main problems or paradoxes.
2) The second half of the book is dedicated to explaining a very interesting, although NOT tested, conceptual theory that apparently solves most of the problems of modern Cosmology and explains the "mystery" of the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Here I say "conceptual theory" and not just "theory" because, although the author insists on calling his set of ideas a "theory", and his heuristic reasoning a "logical deduction", he does not really develop a theory, at least not in the book. What he actually does, to my mind, is lay down a couple of (arguably fundamental) axioms and then keeps on reasoning casually from them, until arriving at what he calls a "modified theory of gravity". My criticism here is simply that he does not really show any reference to an actual theory (i.e., mathematical model, with its set of hypotheses and equations and derivations and so on), but just a set of ideas, too simple to be usable, and oversimplifying gravity sometimes. His thinking is cool, and ingenious, but not reproducible. He claims that his theory "predicts" X and Y, but until I see a set of equations really leading to X and Y, I do not buy into those conclusions, sorry (though I liked them!).
Nonetheless, it was a worthwhile read, and the author did a very good job at making hard things simple. If you're new to this topic, I would recommend it, but always having point 2 above in mind, and especially the fact that the author's theory is a possibility, not a fact.
1) The first half of the book is a very clear and engaging description of modern Cosmology and its main problems or paradoxes.
2) The second half of the book is dedicated to explaining a very interesting, although NOT tested, conceptual theory that apparently solves most of the problems of modern Cosmology and explains the "mystery" of the accelerating expansion of the universe.
Here I say "conceptual theory" and not just "theory" because, although the author insists on calling his set of ideas a "theory", and his heuristic reasoning a "logical deduction", he does not really develop a theory, at least not in the book. What he actually does, to my mind, is lay down a couple of (arguably fundamental) axioms and then keeps on reasoning casually from them, until arriving at what he calls a "modified theory of gravity". My criticism here is simply that he does not really show any reference to an actual theory (i.e., mathematical model, with its set of hypotheses and equations and derivations and so on), but just a set of ideas, too simple to be usable, and oversimplifying gravity sometimes. His thinking is cool, and ingenious, but not reproducible. He claims that his theory "predicts" X and Y, but until I see a set of equations really leading to X and Y, I do not buy into those conclusions, sorry (though I liked them!).
Nonetheless, it was a worthwhile read, and the author did a very good job at making hard things simple. If you're new to this topic, I would recommend it, but always having point 2 above in mind, and especially the fact that the author's theory is a possibility, not a fact.
April 14, 2016
I am dubious of scientists who touts their own theories to be "original" and "inventive". We all, scientist included, stand on the shoulders of giants. Having said that the book itself is an absorbing easy read. The book builds up to an intriguing hypothesis that accounts for a flat universe without the need for dark matter-energy. Where it really falls short is in making a prediction. Overall, I liked the book, hence 3 stars.
March 30, 2018
Unconvincing
Ideas with no real basis in evidence are fine, provided they are presented as such. His ideas may have merit - I'm not qualified to judge - but I would find them more convincing if he had done the maths to support his claims or if his "theories" made useful predictions, or if he didn't continually go on about how ingenious his theory is. As it is, it's really just waffle.
Ideas with no real basis in evidence are fine, provided they are presented as such. His ideas may have merit - I'm not qualified to judge - but I would find them more convincing if he had done the maths to support his claims or if his "theories" made useful predictions, or if he didn't continually go on about how ingenious his theory is. As it is, it's really just waffle.
June 26, 2016
The theories presented are... unique. They seem logically consistent enough, but I certainly wouldn't try to answer with any of this stuff on a physics test. Without any empirical evidence, they are just neat ideas.
An interesting read overall, and written in a way that someone without a physics background would understand.
An interesting read overall, and written in a way that someone without a physics background would understand.
September 17, 2017
Good snapshot
This is my second hidden in plain sight read. It presents a nice, understandable description of key theories and new ideas on cosmology, gravity, black holes etc. enlightening stuff.
This is my second hidden in plain sight read. It presents a nice, understandable description of key theories and new ideas on cosmology, gravity, black holes etc. enlightening stuff.
December 8, 2020
There seems to be a lot of negative reviews about this book, however I really enjoyed it! Yes, once again anyone who calls their own idea "ingenious" then does have a bit of an ego problem however he only does it twice and I can forgive it for the amount of information I have gained from it.
The first 70% of the book is describing more theories and hypothesis in physics which is very well researched and Andrew Thomas obviously knows his subject of expertise. From just this section alone I have built on my knowledge and has things clarified and for that it was worth it.
Now, the last 30% where he presents his theory. Just because you haven't read it from a text book it doesn't mean it isn't worth knowing, this is him presenting his idea. Even Einstein had to write a book to get his idea across to more people, I'm sure the armchair scientists tried shooting him down too! I found his theory to be very interesting and well thought out. I can't say that it's correct as I have no idea how relativity works within the Schwartzchild radius, and neither do you. What he does though is logically present potential ideas as to how it could work using the inaccuracies at the plank scale and the subsequent negative gravity energy etc. It's very interesting and something I'm going to look into to try and understand more. However, all he does is present this theory and state how he got there. He does not say you should ignore general relativity or that anyone else is wrong.
Well worth a read and I'm looking forward to the third book.
The first 70% of the book is describing more theories and hypothesis in physics which is very well researched and Andrew Thomas obviously knows his subject of expertise. From just this section alone I have built on my knowledge and has things clarified and for that it was worth it.
Now, the last 30% where he presents his theory. Just because you haven't read it from a text book it doesn't mean it isn't worth knowing, this is him presenting his idea. Even Einstein had to write a book to get his idea across to more people, I'm sure the armchair scientists tried shooting him down too! I found his theory to be very interesting and well thought out. I can't say that it's correct as I have no idea how relativity works within the Schwartzchild radius, and neither do you. What he does though is logically present potential ideas as to how it could work using the inaccuracies at the plank scale and the subsequent negative gravity energy etc. It's very interesting and something I'm going to look into to try and understand more. However, all he does is present this theory and state how he got there. He does not say you should ignore general relativity or that anyone else is wrong.
Well worth a read and I'm looking forward to the third book.
February 19, 2018
Excellent, even brilliant
I'm not a physicist so I don't have the authority to ponder the central idea of the book which solves, no more no less, the problem of the expanding universe by using just one equation. But I can say on the other hand that, in fact, it sounds beautiful, therefore it could be true. It is simple and compelling. At last you're left asking yourself why not?
I've read almost all the series of Hidden in plain sight by Andrew Thomas, and not one of them is boring or unnatractive. Just the opposite, they bring you to the extremes and make you think hard but with very (and I mean it) good examples and/or analogies that help you see, something that not everyone gets in trying to explain these topics.
Highly recommended.
I'm not a physicist so I don't have the authority to ponder the central idea of the book which solves, no more no less, the problem of the expanding universe by using just one equation. But I can say on the other hand that, in fact, it sounds beautiful, therefore it could be true. It is simple and compelling. At last you're left asking yourself why not?
I've read almost all the series of Hidden in plain sight by Andrew Thomas, and not one of them is boring or unnatractive. Just the opposite, they bring you to the extremes and make you think hard but with very (and I mean it) good examples and/or analogies that help you see, something that not everyone gets in trying to explain these topics.
Highly recommended.
March 6, 2021
Thomas, Penrose & Sabine are the few free thinkers challenging idiots
Started with Thomas’ books written with the understanding that some are able to understand concepts and the maths which is invaluable. This was the base needed to understand Penrose CCC and how his assumptions are easier to stomach than exponential inflation and the high entropy in early universe Still can’t believe so many still waste time on string theory, if one can consider it a theory. Hidden in Plain Sight are more informative and best I’ve found, exceeding Brief History of Time for those who have a true wish to learn Quantum Physics, Cosmology and related subjects. e wish to learn Quantum Physics, Cosmology and related subjects.
Started with Thomas’ books written with the understanding that some are able to understand concepts and the maths which is invaluable. This was the base needed to understand Penrose CCC and how his assumptions are easier to stomach than exponential inflation and the high entropy in early universe Still can’t believe so many still waste time on string theory, if one can consider it a theory. Hidden in Plain Sight are more informative and best I’ve found, exceeding Brief History of Time for those who have a true wish to learn Quantum Physics, Cosmology and related subjects. e wish to learn Quantum Physics, Cosmology and related subjects.
March 18, 2023
Very well written, brilliantly argued
I have read many very good books on general relativity and quantum mechanics. This is certainly one of the best. The writing style is clear and succinct. The arguments as presented are compelling. I now want to follow up on the references and read around the subject even more as the idea is so brilliantly simple and yet seems to explain so much
I have read many very good books on general relativity and quantum mechanics. This is certainly one of the best. The writing style is clear and succinct. The arguments as presented are compelling. I now want to follow up on the references and read around the subject even more as the idea is so brilliantly simple and yet seems to explain so much
January 3, 2018
I found the book very interesting. The beginning provides an excellent overview of the general theory of relativity and the second section delves into some speculative theories that extend the theory beyond its current limits. I found the speculative part especially interesting and thought provoking. For a short book, there is a lot of material and the writing is good.
September 6, 2019
Enjoyable read
Comprehensible, conversational intro to very complex subject. You will not get a degree in computational astrophysics, might suggest further study for the technically inclined.
Comprehensible, conversational intro to very complex subject. You will not get a degree in computational astrophysics, might suggest further study for the technically inclined.
July 28, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book. I will say I found myself a little out of my league with this one as far as the equations and math was concerned. I still learned a lot and I am still looking forward to reading the 3rd part of the series.
January 13, 2018
It was interesting
It was fine. Easy read again. I probably liked it more than the first book. The concepts and reasoning he gave were interesting.
It was fine. Easy read again. I probably liked it more than the first book. The concepts and reasoning he gave were interesting.
March 27, 2018
Slight, dry and rather repetitive and he's rather too keen to blow his own trumpet for my liking.
February 2, 2019
Gravity with gravitas
Draws you in and keeps you there. Good for beginners like me at 70 plus years. I will read the rest!
Draws you in and keeps you there. Good for beginners like me at 70 plus years. I will read the rest!
March 25, 2022
RELIEF! IT FITS!
Excellent! Readable. Thought provoking. New and better insight offered by showing how one can utilize known information to construct better theory.
Excellent! Readable. Thought provoking. New and better insight offered by showing how one can utilize known information to construct better theory.
May 27, 2023
Again, I'm no physicist, but I like his theories. They could simplfy physics. Of course, they lack the math, but they make sense to me.
May 3, 2015
The Equation of the Universe.....
This second installment of Hidden in Plain Sight mostly focuses on gravity. I'm not sure if I completely agree with his proposal of how to adjust Einstein's theory of gravity to comply with the issues between quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is an interesting hypothesis though and worth exploring. The writing style is still solid and the series is still enjoyable. This is not my favorite of the series though. Therefore I gave it only four stars instead of five.
This second installment of Hidden in Plain Sight mostly focuses on gravity. I'm not sure if I completely agree with his proposal of how to adjust Einstein's theory of gravity to comply with the issues between quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is an interesting hypothesis though and worth exploring. The writing style is still solid and the series is still enjoyable. This is not my favorite of the series though. Therefore I gave it only four stars instead of five.
May 16, 2014
Wow! Impressively argued hypothesis of MOND. Kudos!
This book presents a hypothesis for modified gravity which explains the accelerating expansion of the Universe without the need for Dark energy and Inflation using very well written, compelling, minimally mathematical arguments. The final argument with the analogy of the resistance to this hypothesis being a reprise of the reluctance to accept modification of Newton's law of gravity is particularly compelling.
This book presents a hypothesis for modified gravity which explains the accelerating expansion of the Universe without the need for Dark energy and Inflation using very well written, compelling, minimally mathematical arguments. The final argument with the analogy of the resistance to this hypothesis being a reprise of the reluctance to accept modification of Newton's law of gravity is particularly compelling.
March 22, 2015
Again, like with the first book, I am really impressed. On the first one he showed why quantum effects happen, and this time he gives an alternative gravitational theory!! By reading these new concepts we have to take care not to believe that it is the real truth, but just an alternative point of view. But the way he explains cosmology, quantum theory and relativity is really impressive, easy to understand.
March 28, 2015
Interesting hypothesis but not embraced by the physics community. It will be fun watching to see how further physics knowledge compares with theories of Andrew Thomas.
June 6, 2015
Gravity ... Not just a song title
I'm now ready to go on to book three. Like a series, the book's climax indicates the continuing story. Gravity.
I'm now ready to go on to book three. Like a series, the book's climax indicates the continuing story. Gravity.
January 24, 2016
Great read.
I enjoyed this concise cosmological voyage very much, do not have the knowledge to question the book's hypothesis, but enough to learn more of this great subject.
I enjoyed this concise cosmological voyage very much, do not have the knowledge to question the book's hypothesis, but enough to learn more of this great subject.
July 14, 2016
Want to know about black holes? The shape of the universe? The density of the universe?
October 24, 2016
Great book very clear, insightful, encouraging and logical. I hope this theory gains the recognition it needs and deserves.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews