Faster Than The Speed Of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation by Joao Magueijo (PDF)

Description

The idea that the speed of light is a constant – at 186,000 miles per second – is one of the few scientific facts that almost everyone knows. That constant – c- also appears in the most famous of all scientific equations: e=mc2- Yet over the last few years, a small group of highly reputable young physicists have suggested that the central dogma of modern physics may not be an absolute truth – light may have moved faster in the earlier life of the universe, it may still be moving at different speeds elsewhere today. In telling the story of this heresy, and its gradual journey towards acceptance, Joao Magueijo writes as one of the three central figures in the story, introducing the reader to modern cosmology, to the implications of VSL (variable speed of light) and to the world of physicists. The initial rejection of Magueijo’s ideas is beginning to give way to a reluctant acceptance that the young men may have a point – only the next few years will tell the final fate of this ‘dangerous’ idea.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This is a fascinating story of a young cosmologist who dared to challenge Einstein’s most sacred laws of physics; the speed of light in vacuum is a universal constant. In human experience; space and time are perceived as universally rigid, but Einstein proposed that space & time; space-time could expand or contract but speed of light remains unchanged. On occasions many physicists have wondered, and debated that Varying Speed of Light (VSL) is an alternative explanation to inflation theory. A notable proponent is John Moffat who first expressed this idea to none other than father of relativity himself. Einstein responded by saying that “Every individual has to retain his way of thinking if he does not want to get lost in the maze of possibilities. However, nobody is sure of having taken the right road…. myself least of all.” At another instance, Einstein said that “We are standing in front of a closed box which cannot open, and we try to discuss what is inside and what is not.” The idea of VSL proposed by this author is not new, but he is one of those who made the theory a little more mainstream in physics. The first half of the book (chapter 2 – 6) discusses the current cosmological problems and inflation theory in layman terms, and in the second half, the author discusses his personal struggles in the pursuit of his controversial theory. He unleashes his mind and heart on any thing that matters; scientific bureaucracy, peer reviewing process, research-grant award mechanism, science administrators, and fellow scientists. The academic rat race is vividly explained along with his leftist and liberal leanings on political and social issues. He expresses cynicism against American and Russian scientists; a reflection of British educational system which refuses to forget 1776 and uncomfortable to admit scientific and technical superiority of another country.The horizon effect of earth is due to its curvature, but the horizon of the universe is due to two factors; a definite age of the universe (13.7 billion years) and speed of light is constant. A consequence of this is when the universe was one second old, when it is known to have started expanding; the radius of the horizon was 300,000 kilometers. This suggests that the universe at its infancy had regions that did not have direct contact with each other, and thus can not explain the observed homogeneity of the universe (horizon problem). The second puzzle in cosmology is the flatness problem; the fate of the universe due to the dynamics of expansion, which results in three possible shapes; spherical, hyper-spherical (saddle shaped), and flat surface. When forces of expansion and gravity of the universe are matched, then the universe will neither collapse in a crunch nor does it expand endlessly leaving the universe in dark vacuum. This balanced state of the universe is highly unstable because the two opposing forces are nearly matched, when the natural tendency is that either the force of expansion or gravity takes control of the universe to increase entropy (Second law of Thermodynamics). This seemingly peculiar state of the universe is not clearly explained by the current cosmological models which call for a reexamination and perhaps reconsideration of existing theories.VSL Model; at critical density of the universe, the density of matter that produces gravitational energy is equal to the density of matter producing expansion. In a closed universe (spherical shape), the mass density is above critical density, therefore gravitation supersedes; simultaneously the energy is lost due to a decrease in the speed of light under VSL model (correspondingly mass also decreases since E = MC(2)). Similarly for an open universe, energy is created (correspondingly mass also increases) from vacuum in the wake of expansion from an increase in the speed of light. Thus the universe gravitates to a flat universe in both closed and open situations but violating law of energy conservation (First law of Thermodynamics), because the total energy of the universe did not remain constant. VSL also explains the horizon problem. In VSL model; regions of the universe, which are denser will loss energy, whereas energy will be created in a sparse regions of the universe thereby maintaining homogeneity.One of the properties of the cosmological constant is that vacuum energy is not diluted by expansion in contrast to matter and radiation. It is gravitationally repulsive and the energy density remains constant upon dilution: Expansion dilutes the lambda energy, but tension created by expansion makes up for the energy dilution thus balancing the power of expansion and gravity and thus keeping the universe flat. Hence vacuum energy theoretically must dominate the universe during expansion, but VSL model suppresses that by converting vacuum energy into matter. Other predictions of VSL include that near black holes the speed of light is zero at the horizon, and it also predicts in an eternal universe with no beginning and no end. Since the cosmic expansion is accelerating and cosmological constant lambda is responsible for slowing the speed of light since a sharp decrease in speed of light converts vacuum energy into ordinary matter and this result in conditions for new Big Bang. The cycle of new creation begins all over again.The negative side of VSL is the violation of energy conservation, but it provides for converting vacuum energy into the matter. This model also favors infinite speed of light during Planck epoch in order to explain the horizon problem. It is proposed that the primordial speed of light would be 32 zeros added to the current value (an extreme scenario for the varying speed of light!). There are several versions of VSL including two alternatives from the authors work. Ultimately experimental evidence should favor one VSL model over all others. Although the author mainstreamed this theory in physics but his shabby literature search ignored the work of John Moffat who must get the credit for the discovery of VSL theory.

⭐Five years after its publication, this book is now available at the cost of one cent plus postage. Although I have given up reading it toward its end, it is easy for me to delineate its great value to me who am a curious dilettante in all things and a fascinated non-expert in the world of 20th century physics.I am an academic in a humanistic field, or was before retiring. It is delicious to see how the politics of academia vary little across national boundaries and discisplines. Get on a bandwagon and into the power structure or be branded a maverick, a ne’er do well, a crackpot and worse. And unless your journal of choice truly exercises its promise to treat your submission anonymously, expect the worst.I have read many explanations of the special theory of relativity, but never has the impossibility of simultaneity been brought home better than in Magueijo’s amusing explication through “Einstein’s dream” about his herd of cows. Likewise with general relativity, cosmological constant, and the contributions of Alexander Friedmann whose English biography is still waiting to be written.Finally, the discussion of cosmic inflation is priceless, how Guth arrived at it, how it works and why it solves some, but not all the problems of the big bang. I have wrestled with this one for years and it is finally clarified.Details about VSL are not as crystalline as I would like. I learned more about it from a Wikepedia article.This is an intensely personal account told by a passionate Latino; it is full of passion–antipathy, scorn, gemutlichkeit, and bitter humor, and the language to go with it. Incidentally the son of Portugal’s English is impeccable, flowing and enviable.The one big difficulty with the book is that we dont know how the relationship between the author and his girlfriend Kim–whom he introduces with a pinup picture–turns out.

⭐Others have detailed the contents of this book very well. I enjoyed Magueijo’s writing and think the tome is a reasonable balance between technical detail and fascinating anecdotal accounts of the scientific publication process. Some reviewers have complained that the book never describes the author’s actual VSL theory, but I think that was a smart economy. Including those details would make the book unwieldy. Majueijo’s papers explaining VSL are readily available online ([…] and there is no benefit in loading down this book with them.What I found most intriguing is the book’s depiction of extreme intolerance on the part of established science to even entertain what is a very reasonable hypothesis. Detractors of VSL talk about the “physical law” that requires the speed of light be constant. But there is no such law. We say the speed of light is constant today, but we have no reason to believe it was constant at the beginning of the universe. C is a cosmological “constant” with no supporting experimental evidence, for the simple reason that nobody was around to observe the speed of light during the big bang.Reading Magueijo’s actual paper and follow-up documents, one sees a reasonable presentation and defense of a hypothesis that fairly well fits contemporary observations of the universe. What those papers don’t reveal, and what the book documents, is the scientific establishement’s behind-the-scenes manipulation undertaken to squelch discussion of the VSL theory in legitimate scientific venues. That’s not science. That’s religion.Although this book is an admitedly one-sided view of Magueijo’s battle for VSL, you can readily corroborate some of the scientific press’ outrageous obstructionism by simply reading Internet discussion groups. Magueijo may go over the top in his characterizations of his opponents, but he raises a very legitimate question about the integrity of those holding the purse strings of scientific research.

⭐I enjoyed this book from end to end. I once loved physics and have kept an interest in developments over the last 40 years. My PhD is in management but I still borrow from such thought processes and models. I have also enjoyed/suffered academia egypt Cambridge and hugely sympathise with the authors disgust at academic politics and bureaucracy. Great he says exactly what he thinks. Wonder if aliens have read this? They could Twitter as they use the technology which is latent in a hint or two 80 per cent the way through the book. Worth a reread when all has sunk in! Dr Tony Grundy

⭐This book has received quite a mixed verdict so far. I would like to recommend it to you.It covers his recent work on VSL theories very well, I think. The reader gets a good grasp of the reasoning behind the theory without the mathematical detail. It is also a very entertaining look at the workings of modern scientific academia. In the second part of the book, we get onto Joao’s dealings with the scientific world, and we have some fairly provocative opinions! Mostly true, I think.

⭐Written in the manner of a story, this is an amazing narrative

⭐Ideias originais, que desafiam dogmas da ciência, provocando reações indignadas ou depreciativas, de cientistas incapazes de entender que a ciência não pode admitir dogmas!O livro é claro, fácil de ler, esclarecedor e, porque não, divertido, no típico estilo Magueijo.

⭐

Keywords

Free Download Faster Than The Speed Of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation in PDF format
Faster Than The Speed Of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation PDF Free Download
Download Faster Than The Speed Of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation 2011 PDF Free
Faster Than The Speed Of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation 2011 PDF Free Download
Download Faster Than The Speed Of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation PDF
Free Download Ebook Faster Than The Speed Of Light: The Story of a Scientific Speculation