Universal

Science with Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw

by Brian Cox

An awe-inspiring, unforgettable journey of scientific exploration from Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, the top ten bestselling authors of The Quantum Universe.

We dare to imagine a time before the Big Bang, when the entire Universe was compressed into a space smaller than an atom. And now, as Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw show, we can do more than imagine: we can understand. Over the centuries, the human urge to discover has unlocked an incredible amount of knowledge. What it reveals to us is breathtaking.

Universal takes us on an epic journey of scientific exploration and, in doing so, reveals how we can all understand some of the most fundamental questions about our Earth, Sun, Solar System and the star-filled galaxies beyond. Some of these questions - How big is our solar system? How fast is space expanding? - can be answered from your back garden; the answers to others - How big is the Universe? What is it made of? - draw on the astonishing information now being gathered by teams of astronomers operating at the frontiers of the known universe.

At the heart of all these questions - from the earliest attempts to quantify gravity, to our efforts to understand what dark matter is and what really happened at the birth of our universe - is the scientific process. Science reveals a deeper beauty, connects us to each other, to our world, and to our Universe; and, by understanding the groundbreaking work of others, reaches out into the unknown. What's more, as Universal shows us, if we dare to imagine, we can all do it.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Physics, Astronomy, Space, Popular Science, Unfinished

294 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2016

About the author

Not to be confused with actor [Author: Brian Cox].

Brian Edward Cox, OBE (born 3 March 1968) is a British particle physicist, a Royal Society University Research Fellow, PPARC Advanced Fellow and Professor at the University of Manchester. He is a member of the High Energy Physics group at the University of Manchester, and works on the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, near Geneva, Switzerland. He is working on the R&D project of the FP420 experiment in an international collaboration to upgrade the ATLAS and the CMS experiment by installing additional, smaller detectors at a distance of 420 metres from the interaction points of the main experiments.

He is best known to the public as the presenter of a number of science programmes for the BBC, boosting the popularity of subjects such as astronomy; so is a science popularizer, and science communicator. He also had some fame in the 1990s as the keyboard player for the pop band D:Ream.

Reviews

[Vartika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many years ago while browsing at the New Delhi World Book Fair, a friend and I reached out for the only-available copy of this book at the same time. There was a short, good-natured tussle, but given the book's premise—making complex cosmological concepts accessible to "anyone"—it eventually ended up in my bag (the friend in question is a scientist by training). As it turns out, the "anyone" in question happens to be someone with at least an undergraduate-level familiarity with Physics and Mathematics (not me!). Even so, I had a fairly good time on this journey into the cosmos.

One of the most striking features of Universal is that unlike most popular science books that attempt to trace a history of scientific discovery, it makes an attempt to demonstrate how scientific conclusions are arrived at instead of merely stating them: the reader is invited to partake in deducing the nature of the universe through (relatively) simple experiments and calculations (all of which the targeted "anyone" this book is addressed to can easily perform at home). Scientific methodology and spirit are also affirmed in how the authors, Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw, focus on looking at multiple, independent ways to arrive at the same result.

While I could not fully appreciate this—I am terribly mathematically impaired—I was nevertheless able to understand the basics of certain important and interesting ideas (The Theory of General Relativity, Inflation, String Theory and Multiverses...) thanks to the authors' diligent and humourous use of some everyday concepts and examples, as well as engaging graphs and some truly gorgeous image plates.

Finally, I really admired how Universal doesn't merely explore scientific processes, but also wonder: curiosity and love—the two greatest motivators of science—truly shine through the authors' words, and parts of this book even read like poetry, which in many ways is what the universe really is.

[Sud666 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Universal: A Guide to the Cosmos is amazing. Broken into several different chapters, it is a journey through time to explain some of the most important scientific cosmological concepts out there. Written by two Physics Professors from the University of Manchester it is at once mind boggling, witty, relatively easy to read (an undergraduate level of science and math help) and engagingly written.
While the book does not expect anyone to have a graduate school level of familiarity with the concepts presented-at least an undergraduate, non-major of course, understanding of the subject matter. If this is too much for you and words like calculus or certain basic math is anathema to you-then you will most likely not appreciate this book. Trying to read a science book without getting math/science seems rather redundant to me.
But for those of you wondering if your science background holds up- do not worry. This really is a non-technical explanation of high end science. But, even the non-technical version can be daunting to someone with a poor science background. That having been said, I can now state that complexity aside there are truly no other complaints with this superb book.

Starting with the Story of the Universe, our authors then break the book into chapters that all revolve around a central point. Each chapter is full of additional notes, graphs and charts along with some basic variants of the math equations. This is done to show that anyone can do these same calculations and get the same answer.The big questions are as follows:
How Old Are Things?
Weighing the Earth
The Distance to the Stars
Einstein's Theory of Gravity
The Big Bang
Weighing the Universe
What Happened Before the Big Bang?
Our Place

This entire book is superbly written and full of dry humor and fascinating facts. The complex science is explained as easily as is possible and a whole new vista of ideas spill out. each chapter has plenty of side information, especially in regards to the actual equations being used. Not to mention gorgeous photos and engaging charts/graphs make this a truly attractive book.

The authors seem to realize that the majority of their readers will not be Physics students, so they always approach their subject from the standpoint of an ordinary person. Their use of everyday concepts and the vital questions they answer are the main reasons for buying this book. A truly wonderful book and one I can highly recommend to anyone who has an interest in science and in our amazing universe.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is really clearly written, it covers fascinating subjects, and the authors have tried really hard to equip readers with the ability to think things through for themselves. They don’t just state conclusions: they lead the reader through how those conclusions were reached, until they are also inevitable for the reader. It’s a smart way to write, although the right people — the people who look at the conclusions and decide they’re wrong without any evidence — probably won’t actually go through the evidence.

Unfortunately, a lot of this evidence involves thinking mathematically, which is not a strong point for me. I can hammer something into my head for practical purposes (I can now do a bunch of statistical tests using paper and a calculator!) and I can remember how to calculate something I find interesting (the number of base pairs in a fragment of DNA from how far it travelled during gel electrophoresis), but I’m not good with big concepts. And Cox and Forshaw tackle some of the biggest here.

At another time, I might be in the mood to work through this more thoroughly. As it is, I didn’t finish it — not because I think it’s bad (it’s not), but just because this is not the time. Too much for me to learn that’s more immediately relevant.

(Remember that my ratings denote enjoyment, not usefulness or interestingness per se. It’s just… maths. Not for me, not right now.)

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

[Jack Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is scary to think how miniscule we are in this ever expanding universe (or bubble universe...)

[Bettie]

Guardian article

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

okay so. big mistake on my part for starting to read this book 2/3 of the way through and then just NOT finishing it because WOW the last 80 pages or so were AMAZING!
This book does exactly what i love to see from any science book trying to explain complex theories and such - it started off with simple, easy to understand explanations of your bog standard physics and just keeps building on top of it over and over again until you reach the end with (though almost entirely theoretical) a seemingly logical argument for a multiverse! The journey to this is one that is full of excellent supplementary material in the form of astronomical (literally) images and real data, along with additional explanations of some physics throughout for those curious.
I find a good way to describe it is as like a little microcosm of the scientific method.

Whilst there are some quite high brow concepts covered (such is the nature of contemplating the universe, especially near the end of this book), I would still say this is definitely a book that is fully accessible to someone who has little to no idea about the concepts discussed, and it even has an appendix of useful definitions to better understand the more mathematical portions.

Big Recommend for anyone who is looking to get into a bit of astrophysics or for anyone who is already well versed in such a field to widen ones point of view as it has done for me :•)

[Sara 🦷 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely a book i’ve read to escape my comfort zone. Full of theories rather than facts. Expanded my knowledge on cosmology/atomology which was the whole point. Very indecisive/ shaky writing style for a science book tho… very hard to believe all that shit in it.

[Tony Cinque · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating account of the fundamentals of our world and the universe(s?). From the explainable, to the plausible, to the likely and the probable. Concluding at the theoretical.

The authors take care to hold the reader’s hand wherever possible, demonstrating accepted positions with the use of empirical maths and physics.

For a fledgling astronomer/cosmologist, it’s a constant reminder to breathe and keep your wits about you as you fly from page to page.

Expertly written, with explanatory diagrams and a myriad of colour plates showing photos taken of various supporting aspects of the universe.

4.5 🌟

[Stephen Flanagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took my time with this one as it covers a lot of ground. From weighing the Earth to string theory, this book is a journey through human discovery about our solar system, galaxy, universe, and the possible multiverse.

As usual with anything Brian Cox is involved in, these complex subjects are never represented laboriously, and it was a joy to read. long with this, it is a beautiful book, nicely illustrated and it has a unique style of presentation.

Highly recommend.

[Luis Farrolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helps to have some basic understanding of mathematics and physics. Very good read - learned a lot.

[Peter Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to read straight after a book on Quantum Physics by Jim Al-Khalili. To my surprise, where Jim's book ultimately struggled to get over difficult concepts, this book, bit by bit took you, sometimes gently, by the hand from back garden science to estimate the size of the earth to inflaton fields and multiverses. This made me think that it is the job of a popular science writer to get difficult concepts across to an audience whose powers of algebra are limited and not to rely on 'the maths shows' type arguments. By and large, Brian and Jim achieve this. Yes, there was some maths but they spelt it out - although often at what felt like break neck speed, and, sometimes, mathematical terms seemed to appear from nowhere. Frustratingly, there was the occasional invitation to the 'mathematically minded' to do some equation solving - which made it feel that there were extra nuggets in the book denied to us lesser mortals. Then, as topics became increasingly complex, the explanations declined and the introduction of new concepts in a 'this is how it is' way increased - especially scalar and inflaton fields and the 'most important graph in physics' (not fully explained to my mind). To be fair, a reread of the penultimate chapter did help with this but also highlighted another issue with this book - the separate box explanations often served to get in the way of the authors' thread; this not helped by them being in a smaller font on a grey background. And I needed a magnifying glass for the footnotes!
Despite all this, I learnt a lot from this book and, whilst I could never get these concepts across to others, these two made a good fist of it.

[Marwa Shafique · Rating 4 out of 5]

A month or so ago, I felt the urge to discover more about our universe. The picture itself was quite unclear, and I wanted to delve more into cosmology and astrophysics.
But I didn't know where to start...until I found this book. And I'm glad I did.

It's essentially a beginner's guide to what lies beyond our imaginations: the universe as a whole. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading it, although I did realise how dumb I am when it comes to physics when reading the theories and the like.

Highly recommended to those fascinated by Physics; it was quite an enthralling read.

[Justin B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book. it brings you through simple concepts to more complex ones so you can see how physicists can determine seemingly crazy determinations (like determining the weight of the universe).

Reading other reviews, I can understand a core criticism, the book requires you to stop and think and reread. This is a prose science book that can have tough concepts (such as thinking about math). This may take you more effort than the typical book but the universe's secrets don't come without effort

[Orla Macfarlane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this more than I thought. If you’re interested in space and the kinda big questions about earth and the universe, this is a good one. Tbh a lot of the maths went over my head but the physics etc is explained in a way that you can understand most of it without being a science head. Would recommend

[Alyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

hmm.
so much physics
too many numbers.
neil degrasse tyson is my number 1

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book goes into the science behind what we know about the universe, and allows you to do the observations and calculations yourself to test this knowledge.

I think you need slightly more than just a basic understanding of physics and maths to understand this book. It is extremely difficult to grasp the theories, calculations and experiments described if you are, like me, someone who remembers a little from school, has watched science programs on TV, and has done a bit of reading at home but not a lot. I think I understood about 10% of what I read. My recommendation would be do not read this unless you have a good understanding of physics (and maths), or it will go over your head like a lot of it went over mine.

That being said, I enjoyed some of this, and it did give me a better understanding of the universe. It was just too much for me to thoroughly enjoy it because of how much I skim read and how much of what I read went straight over my head. There are a number of mathematical equations featured, which I also didn't understand. I did none of the maths, either, and though I have access to a telescope, I do not have the interest or inclination to go stargazing very frequently.

My rating is based on enjoyment rather than content - as I am not an expert in this subject, I don't feel qualified to rate the content. I picked this book up thinking it would be entry level stuff and it wasn't, so that is partly my fault. That is why I rated this as a three, a middle of the road rating, rather than anything lower or higher.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Universal: A Guide to the Cosmos" Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw take readers on a journey of discovery, enhancing our understanding of the Universe using science, logical reasoning, and careful observations. It answers questions about our Solar System, Sun, and Earth, looks at Einstein's theory of gravity, and explores whether or not the Universe has continued to expand after the Big Bang.

Well thought out, backed by research and uniquely presented with illustrations while highlighting the work of groundbreaking pioneers this book boosts an interest in science as it gives an easy-to-understand explanation about the wonders beyond our Earth's frontier. Impressive with an eye-catching cover and captivating in content although it took time to understand and appreciate some of the more technical parts, I highly recommend it.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sure it’s very interesting for people who understand maths and physics but I way overestimated myself buying this. I was like sPACE, MAN and then I was like oh shoot, this is actually way more mathematical than I thought from flicking through it beforehand. Anyway, I did read it all, and I enjoyed how they explained how conclusions were reached with loads of handy diagrams and descriptions. But honestly this is not quite the kind of non-fic book I will be reading again. Still, very impressive, and the whole subject still bewilders and overawes me!

[Matthew Tyas · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent guide to the physics that govern the properties of our world and the universe beyond. Each chapter offers a different question then seeks to answer it with simple experiements and observations, with great adherence to the scientific method. By the end I was left with a deeper understanding of the laws of physics, a basic understanding of inflation, a much better grasp of general relativity and spacetime, and a deep felt desire to learn more.

I highly recommend this book.

[Carmine Spagnoletti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw’s Universal sets out to demystify the cosmos, blending science, history, and storytelling to explain the universe’s workings. While it’s an ambitious and often awe-inspiring effort, the book’s approach may not suit every reader.

The book shines when it delves into the wonders of the universe. Cox and Forshaw’s enthusiasm for stars, galaxies, and black holes is infectious, and these sections are genuinely captivating. Their ability to intertwine scientific discovery with historical context adds depth and a human element to what might otherwise feel abstract. For moments, it captures the magic of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos with its vivid explanations and sheer sense of scale.

Where Universal falters is in its reliance on mathematical detail. Despite efforts to simplify, concepts like trigonometry and relativity are often presented in ways that assume a stronger mathematical foundation than the average reader might have. As someone with an interest in science but limited comfort with advanced maths, I found these sections difficult to engage with, which slowed the book’s overall pace.

This isn’t a book that humanises and simplifies every idea for broad accessibility. Instead, it straddles the line between popular science and a more academic text, occasionally leaning too heavily toward the latter.

For readers with a solid grasp of maths and a passion for exploring complex scientific concepts, Universal could be a rewarding read. However, if you’re hoping for an engaging, narrative-driven exploration of the cosmos akin to Sagan or Neil deGrasse Tyson, this book might prove challenging.

That said, Universal did succeed in sparking my curiosity about topics like relativity and the mechanics of the universe. While it wasn’t quite what I’d hoped for, it planted seeds for further exploration.

[nozama · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great walkthrough of how we deduce the nature of the universe

A good primer about cosmology, the book takes you on a journey through our current theories of the universe, and how we deduced those theories. It requires little more than basic mathematics (mostly arithmetic, but some algebra} with some simple experiments that anyone can replicate. There are experiments that aren't so easy to replicate at home as well, but that's the nature of the more advanced topics.

The book is written in an approachable, informal, occasionally chatty, style, with plenty of diagrams and call-out boxes that go into some of the more complex ideas in more detail. The authors keep it fairly easy to read and make few assumptions about the reader's knowledge of the subject. There are some minor typos, but they're obvious enough that you can work out what is being described and don't detract from the book as a whole.

[Marty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been waiting to get some time to read this for months. While the authors a engaging writers, find they, like nearly all physicists really on a lot of assumptions. I got frustrated by how many sentences start with the phrase “let us assume...” what if that assumption is incorrect? It seems to me that theoretical physics is a faith based system wrapped up in mathematics. It leaves me wanting evidence- which to be fair may come one day, but at the moment there appears to be a lot of snake oil.

[Wendelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great guide to the cosmos, it focuses not simply on what we know, but on how we know what we know. It aims to recreate the steps of deduction, logical trains of thought, and back-of-the-envelope calculations used by the scientific greats to answer the foundational questions, such as, how old is the earth? How far away are the stars? How much does the universe weigh? What came before the Big Bang? And it successfully shows how much we could know through simple calculations and observations. Great for young readers too.

[Will Marler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Along with A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, this was an amazing read. It allowed me to better understand how science can comprehend something as mad as the size of the universe or even how you measure the distance between planets. Admittedly I didn't understand the entirety of the book, but it'll just give me an excuse to re-read it at a later date. I'll certainly be reading more from these two.

[Carl Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent working-class science, surprisingly clear on subjects that are usually considered anything but (in this Universal is much like the author's earlier book covering quantum mechanics). A quick, thoroughly interesting and engaging read that informs without looking down its knowledgeable nose at you. Naff cover, though.

[Amina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I would like this book and that it would provide me with some answers about the universe. Instead it raised even many more and for that I loved it. If you want to fall in love with science, physics or even a bit of math read this. If you want to understand the universe and how it came to be, this could be one of the first steps in that journey.

[Yates Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable book that dashes through the structure of our universe while trying all the time to explain how you get there by looking at simple everyday calculations.

I have read many similar books so not much new information but I really enjoyed the grounding of results into everyday measures. I would figure this book is perfect to convert skeptical conspiracists into some form of reason.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. This was excellent early on in making the observations and predictions match up in very digestible ways. Very approachable. Moves from relativity, incorporates standard model, but moves smoothly to inflation and string theory. Really useful infographics and plates are well selected to bring concepts to light.

[Alex Hardiment · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant insight into the way the most ordinary of circumstances can lead to the most extraordinary outcomes. The book takes you on a journey through the history of the cosmos, from before the Big Bang to the present day and does so eloquently, with a smattering of humour and a whole bucket of awe.

[Elliott Ottley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly humbling journey.

Ultimately, a Journey Through the Cosmos grapples with some of the most complex and ambitious scientific discoveries and the theories behind them in a reasonably understandable manner.

This book has certainly reignited my curiosity and passion for astrophysics, but has left me feeling completely empty-headed, much like the Boötes Void.