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Big Bang Revised Updated Edition
Book by Silk, Joseph
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
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June 11, 2025
ENGLISH: When this book was published on the year 2000, the standard cosmological model was not as developed as it is today. It is obvious however that Silk would have accepted the current model easily, for he is prepared to accept (and takes for granted) a lot of unsupported theories that have been included in the standard model, such as dark matter, inflation, the existence of magnetic monopoles, as well as others someway dubious now, such as string theory.
One problem with this book is that Silk writes sometimes as though those dubious theories were true. About monopoles, for instance, he says: searches have found that monopoles are few and far between in our galaxy. In fact, searches have never detected a single monopole. But he phrase he uses seems to imply their existence, giving the impression that the existence of theorical particles is proved by the fact that there is a theory that predicts them.
Let's look at what he says about the photino. This particle, predicted by supersymmetry theories, has never been found. However, Silk says this: We know precisely how frequently [the photino] annihilation process occurs, because once, long ago in the very early universe, it occurred very frequently. How do we know, if it's quite possible that the fotino doesn't even exist?
And then the chargino. About this hypothetical particle, Silk says: Experiments have shown that the actual chargino abundance in terrestrial rocks and seawater is far less than the predicted upper limit. This way of expressing it gives the false impression that the existence of the chargino has been proved. To prevent misunderstanding, the paragraph should be rephrased thus: As the existence of the chargino has not been detected in rocks or seawater, its abundance, if it actually existed, would be much lower than theoretical predictions.
Curiously, in Chapter 17 Silk jokes about this supposed abundance of undetectable theoretical particles, when he says this: ...the exotic weakly interacting particle candidates, of which there must exist a number about equal to the square root of the number of particle physicists. In other words, Silk is aware of the current precarious state of the predictions about the existence of exotic particles that would explain dark matter, but sometimes he is carried away by the optimism that others undoubtedly have.
In most parts of the book, the inflationary cosmology is taken for granted. However, this theory has never been confirmed, as the author himself recognizes in page 175 ("it is merely a hypothesis"). The two main reasons to adopt it, the problem of the horizon and the flatness of the universe may in fact not be such problems at all.
This book was recommended to me as a good popularization of the Big Bang theory. Perhaps it can disorient insufficiently informed people, by spreading a lot of strange, unconfirmed, and imaginative theories. This goes directly against the goal of making those people know a little about cosmology and the history of the universe.
ESPAÑOL: Cuando se publicó este libro en el año 2000, el modelo cosmológico estándar aún no estaba al nivel en que está hoy. Es obvio que Silk habría aceptado el modelo actual con facilidad, pues acepta (y da por sentadas) muchas teorías no confirmadas que han sido incluidas en el modelo estándar, como la materia oscura, la inflación, la existencia de monopolos magnéticos, así como otras que ahora son dudosas, como la teoría de cuerdas.
Un problema con este libro es que Silk escribe a veces como si esas teorías dudosas fueran ciertas. Sobre los monopolos, por ejemplo, dice: las investigaciones han descubierto que los monopolos son pocos y muy distantes entre sí en nuestra galaxia. De hecho, las investigaciones nunca han detectado un solo monopolo. Pero habla como si realmente existieran, dando la impresión de que la existencia de partículas teóricas quedara probada por el hecho de que existe una teoría que las predice.
Veamos lo que dice sobre el fotino. Esta partícula, predicha por las teorías de supersimetría, nunca ha sido detectada. Sin embargo, Silk dice esto: Sabemos con qué frecuencia ocurre el proceso de aniquilación [del fotino], porque una vez, hace mucho tiempo, en el universo primitivo, ocurría con mucha frecuencia. ¿Cómo lo sabemos, si es muy posible que el fotino no exista?
También habla del chargino. Sobre esta partícula hipotética, Silk dice: Los experimentos han demostrado que la abundancia real de charginos en rocas terrestres y agua de mar es mucho menor que el límite superior previsto. Esta forma de expresarlo da la falsa impresión de que la existencia del chargino se ha comprobado. Para evitar malentendidos, el párrafo debería reformularse así: Como no se ha detectado la existencia de un solo chargino en rocas o agua de mar, su abundancia, si realmente existiera, sería mucho menor que las predicciones teóricas.
Curiosamente, en el capítulo 17 Silk se toma a broma esta supuesta abundancia de partículas teóricas indetectables, cuando dice esto: ...los candidatos a partículas exóticas que interactúan débilmente, de los que debe existir un número aproximadamente igual a la raíz cuadrada del número de físicos de partículas. O sea, que Silk es consciente del estado precario actual de las predicciones de la existencia de partículas exóticas para explicar la materia oscura, pero a veces se deja arrastrar por el optimismo que, indudablemente, tienen otros.
En gran parte del libro, la cosmología inflacionaria se da por sentada y establecida. Sin embargo, esta teoría nunca ha sido confirmada, como reconoce el autor en la página 175 ("es simplemente una hipótesis"). Las dos razones principales para adoptarla, el problema del horizonte y la planitud del universo, puede que después de todo no sean tales problemas.
Este libro me fue recomendado como una buena divulgación de la teoría del Big Bang. Quizá tienda a confundir a las personas insuficientemente informadas hablándoles de muchas teorías extrañas, no confirmadas e imaginativas. Esto va en contra del objetivo de hacer que esas personas sepan algo más sobre cosmología y la historia del universo.
One problem with this book is that Silk writes sometimes as though those dubious theories were true. About monopoles, for instance, he says: searches have found that monopoles are few and far between in our galaxy. In fact, searches have never detected a single monopole. But he phrase he uses seems to imply their existence, giving the impression that the existence of theorical particles is proved by the fact that there is a theory that predicts them.
Let's look at what he says about the photino. This particle, predicted by supersymmetry theories, has never been found. However, Silk says this: We know precisely how frequently [the photino] annihilation process occurs, because once, long ago in the very early universe, it occurred very frequently. How do we know, if it's quite possible that the fotino doesn't even exist?
And then the chargino. About this hypothetical particle, Silk says: Experiments have shown that the actual chargino abundance in terrestrial rocks and seawater is far less than the predicted upper limit. This way of expressing it gives the false impression that the existence of the chargino has been proved. To prevent misunderstanding, the paragraph should be rephrased thus: As the existence of the chargino has not been detected in rocks or seawater, its abundance, if it actually existed, would be much lower than theoretical predictions.
Curiously, in Chapter 17 Silk jokes about this supposed abundance of undetectable theoretical particles, when he says this: ...the exotic weakly interacting particle candidates, of which there must exist a number about equal to the square root of the number of particle physicists. In other words, Silk is aware of the current precarious state of the predictions about the existence of exotic particles that would explain dark matter, but sometimes he is carried away by the optimism that others undoubtedly have.
In most parts of the book, the inflationary cosmology is taken for granted. However, this theory has never been confirmed, as the author himself recognizes in page 175 ("it is merely a hypothesis"). The two main reasons to adopt it, the problem of the horizon and the flatness of the universe may in fact not be such problems at all.
This book was recommended to me as a good popularization of the Big Bang theory. Perhaps it can disorient insufficiently informed people, by spreading a lot of strange, unconfirmed, and imaginative theories. This goes directly against the goal of making those people know a little about cosmology and the history of the universe.
ESPAÑOL: Cuando se publicó este libro en el año 2000, el modelo cosmológico estándar aún no estaba al nivel en que está hoy. Es obvio que Silk habría aceptado el modelo actual con facilidad, pues acepta (y da por sentadas) muchas teorías no confirmadas que han sido incluidas en el modelo estándar, como la materia oscura, la inflación, la existencia de monopolos magnéticos, así como otras que ahora son dudosas, como la teoría de cuerdas.
Un problema con este libro es que Silk escribe a veces como si esas teorías dudosas fueran ciertas. Sobre los monopolos, por ejemplo, dice: las investigaciones han descubierto que los monopolos son pocos y muy distantes entre sí en nuestra galaxia. De hecho, las investigaciones nunca han detectado un solo monopolo. Pero habla como si realmente existieran, dando la impresión de que la existencia de partículas teóricas quedara probada por el hecho de que existe una teoría que las predice.
Veamos lo que dice sobre el fotino. Esta partícula, predicha por las teorías de supersimetría, nunca ha sido detectada. Sin embargo, Silk dice esto: Sabemos con qué frecuencia ocurre el proceso de aniquilación [del fotino], porque una vez, hace mucho tiempo, en el universo primitivo, ocurría con mucha frecuencia. ¿Cómo lo sabemos, si es muy posible que el fotino no exista?
También habla del chargino. Sobre esta partícula hipotética, Silk dice: Los experimentos han demostrado que la abundancia real de charginos en rocas terrestres y agua de mar es mucho menor que el límite superior previsto. Esta forma de expresarlo da la falsa impresión de que la existencia del chargino se ha comprobado. Para evitar malentendidos, el párrafo debería reformularse así: Como no se ha detectado la existencia de un solo chargino en rocas o agua de mar, su abundancia, si realmente existiera, sería mucho menor que las predicciones teóricas.
Curiosamente, en el capítulo 17 Silk se toma a broma esta supuesta abundancia de partículas teóricas indetectables, cuando dice esto: ...los candidatos a partículas exóticas que interactúan débilmente, de los que debe existir un número aproximadamente igual a la raíz cuadrada del número de físicos de partículas. O sea, que Silk es consciente del estado precario actual de las predicciones de la existencia de partículas exóticas para explicar la materia oscura, pero a veces se deja arrastrar por el optimismo que, indudablemente, tienen otros.
En gran parte del libro, la cosmología inflacionaria se da por sentada y establecida. Sin embargo, esta teoría nunca ha sido confirmada, como reconoce el autor en la página 175 ("es simplemente una hipótesis"). Las dos razones principales para adoptarla, el problema del horizonte y la planitud del universo, puede que después de todo no sean tales problemas.
Este libro me fue recomendado como una buena divulgación de la teoría del Big Bang. Quizá tienda a confundir a las personas insuficientemente informadas hablándoles de muchas teorías extrañas, no confirmadas e imaginativas. Esto va en contra del objetivo de hacer que esas personas sepan algo más sobre cosmología y la historia del universo.
May 25, 2020
Though reading this book still requires some basic (and advanced) knowledge of physics, it managed very well to feed subjects like "the curvature of the space", "the concept of the initial singularity" and many more that other similar books yet claiming to be reader-friendly failed to explain. Reading this old edition let me acknowledge the whole progress made by modern science and we are already at the beginning of this sea of discovery and exploration...
June 2, 2021
A complete story of the formation of the cosmos. It is dated but knowing what we knew for sure and what was partially theorized is good to know. It is thorough in its coverage. Next read a book which tries to pack all that we have discovered since the mid 1980s now into one book on cosmology.
Hard to do.
Hard to do.
December 11, 2020
A good, detailed analysis/explanation for the origins of the universe. I'm sure the mathematical notes are further evidence/ reinforcement of the theories, but I did not try to read those notes.
The style/content is rather dry, but it is difficult to make such technical, academic material anything but dry.
To evaluate the content of the book, it does a good job of introducing ideas and supporting those propositions with evidence. The problem with this is that the book was published in 1990. So much of what is presented as "probably" would now be definite today. Furthermore, a more recent text can probably further explore and detail additional topics because so much more information is known.
Final recommendation would be to avoid this book in favor of something much newer. But if you can only get access to texts before 1990, read this as a good, detailed, comprehensive summary of the big bang.
The style/content is rather dry, but it is difficult to make such technical, academic material anything but dry.
To evaluate the content of the book, it does a good job of introducing ideas and supporting those propositions with evidence. The problem with this is that the book was published in 1990. So much of what is presented as "probably" would now be definite today. Furthermore, a more recent text can probably further explore and detail additional topics because so much more information is known.
Final recommendation would be to avoid this book in favor of something much newer. But if you can only get access to texts before 1990, read this as a good, detailed, comprehensive summary of the big bang.
November 3, 2022
POSTED BY ME AT AMAZON 2004
I am quite sure, that there is no better summary of Big Bang than Joseph Silk's text. I classify it on the border, between popular and science book but a bit more as a scientific (more for studying then for reading).
If student wants to learn how astronomy and computer simulations has been used to develop this most important and crucial cosmological theory, she/he should not miss this book.
Formation of the Earth and life as well as SETI are briefly covered.
It creates exclusion for books by Hubert Reeves, Robert Kirshner, George Smoot, Igor Novikov, Martin Rees, Alan Guth and Donald Goldsmith (please refer to my Listomania List). Silk explains with absolute efficiency and coherence without parallel to other science writers. It is the book I would have selected if I had been asked to take just one with me on uninhabitable island.
Highly recommended!
I am quite sure, that there is no better summary of Big Bang than Joseph Silk's text. I classify it on the border, between popular and science book but a bit more as a scientific (more for studying then for reading).
If student wants to learn how astronomy and computer simulations has been used to develop this most important and crucial cosmological theory, she/he should not miss this book.
Formation of the Earth and life as well as SETI are briefly covered.
It creates exclusion for books by Hubert Reeves, Robert Kirshner, George Smoot, Igor Novikov, Martin Rees, Alan Guth and Donald Goldsmith (please refer to my Listomania List). Silk explains with absolute efficiency and coherence without parallel to other science writers. It is the book I would have selected if I had been asked to take just one with me on uninhabitable island.
Highly recommended!
May 8, 2016
The reason I rated this book low is only because I didn't enjoy it that much. Otherwise, it was fascinating.
Every point in the universe is the center. Everything is moving away from everything else. If you can see a galaxy that is 10 billion light years away, you can get the idea of what our galaxy was like near the time of its beginning. A superstring is an extremely small object--smaller than the particles we know of today--that represents, comes out of, or exists in an extra dimension (up to 10 or even 26 dimensions). The laws of physics must have somehow been different at the very first instant of the Big Bang; the current understanding (as of this book's publication) still cannot explain what triggered it. The quantum fluctuations immediately after the Big Bang were of just the right frequency (varying from uniformity by about 1/10,000 of the time) to produce galaxies, and to produce the universe as we know it. Hmm... "Cosmic strings" are one-dimensional gravitational remnants of the original Big Bang event. . . . . . .
Does that sound interesting to you? Are you ready to tackle it all? Then reach for this book. It's full of this stuff and more. Just be ready for a somewhat dry and dense read. Not much poetry; a lot of facts; but definitely WOW.
Every point in the universe is the center. Everything is moving away from everything else. If you can see a galaxy that is 10 billion light years away, you can get the idea of what our galaxy was like near the time of its beginning. A superstring is an extremely small object--smaller than the particles we know of today--that represents, comes out of, or exists in an extra dimension (up to 10 or even 26 dimensions). The laws of physics must have somehow been different at the very first instant of the Big Bang; the current understanding (as of this book's publication) still cannot explain what triggered it. The quantum fluctuations immediately after the Big Bang were of just the right frequency (varying from uniformity by about 1/10,000 of the time) to produce galaxies, and to produce the universe as we know it. Hmm... "Cosmic strings" are one-dimensional gravitational remnants of the original Big Bang event. . . . . . .
Does that sound interesting to you? Are you ready to tackle it all? Then reach for this book. It's full of this stuff and more. Just be ready for a somewhat dry and dense read. Not much poetry; a lot of facts; but definitely WOW.
September 19, 2008
Very informative book about the broad knowledge base science now has on cosmology. But I felt it was too inconsistent in its appeal. Never really written in a style that I could relate to. The last few chapters were difficult to finish. But he definitely knows his stuff. Just can't relate to his style of communicating that knowledge.
November 22, 2019
Just finished an on line course (EDX) on cosmology, so I wanted to get some more depth on the subject. This book (3rd edition) was very good. Writing is clear and not overly technical. I enjoyed the Math notes at the end of the book (40 pages) which cover the math for each chapter. The last chapter on alternatives to the Big Bang could have been larger but that is my only complaint.
May 13, 2012
Não está entre os melhores livros de cosmologia que já li, mas muito informativo. A leitura é um pouco entediante em alguns capítulos.
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