Instant Egghead Guide: The Universe: The Universe

by J.R. Minkel, Scientific American, George Musser (Foreword)

Everything from quarks to galactic superclusters delivered to your eyeballs at the speed of light (any faster would be impossible)



Take a tour of the wonder and majesty of the universe, from the smallest subatomic particles to the possibility of infinite universes. According to some prominent physicists, it's possible that, right now, someone who looks just like you is reading the back of a book just like this one in a parallel universe. And your double thinks it looks really interesting...


Whether you're a fan of Scientific American 's wildly popular 60-Second Science Podcast or just curious about science, you're going to want to dust off your Dad's telescope and warm up your particle accelerator after enjoying the same bite-sized knoweldge in The Instant Egghead Guide to the Universe .

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published July 21, 2009

Reviews

[Leew49 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Minkel ambitiously tries to explain the key concepts of modern physics in short, two-page articles with only mixed success. Brevity, while seen by many as the superior alternative to long-winded pretentiousness, often is achieved at the expense of necessary detail and nuance. While it's nice to have a quick summary of the individual planets of the solar system, it's overly optimistic to try to intelligently discuss relativity, dark energy, and string theory in essays that could be fit onto a 3X5 notecard. I plan to keep this book on my shelf, though, because I think each mini-chapter could serve as a good starting point for additional reading.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, my three-star rating doesn't mean it's a BAD book. In fact for the first two thirds I was thrilled to pieces with it, enjoying every moment. The problem is that the last third of the book fried my brain so much that I was reading the words and barely getting anything out of them. The descriptions got more and more complicated until I just had no idea what was going on anymore. This isn't the fault of the scientists who wrote it. They were describing incredibly sophisticated concepts and trying to do it in two-page chunks. The fault lies with my brain, apparently.

This is a great book if you're looking to learn more about the universe, and I'd definitely recommend it. But I'd accompany the last third with a stiff drink.

[Christopher Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

If science trips you up, this is a good place to start. Gives you the nuts and bolts on how the universe got started and how it works. Easy to understand analogies that will have you talking like a universal egghead in no time.

[james · Rating 5 out of 5]

brilliant!

[Eric Compean · Rating 3 out of 5]

simple to understand the science, fast read like the caption suggests