Puzzles to Unravel the Universe by Cumrun Vafa (PDF)

Description

Beneath all of the complex and formidable mathematical structures that formulate physical laws rest simple but deep nuggets of truth. It is these simple truths, and not the complicated technical details, that scientists strive for when uncovering the laws of nature. Fortunately, these core ideas can often be illustrated with simple mathematical puzzles. These puzzles are so simplified that one can tackle them and appreciate their meaning without using any complicated math. This book aims to take the reader on a journey to unravel the laws of the universe through fun puzzles. This book includes over a hundred puzzles and their solutions, along with discussion about how they relate to deep ideas in physics and math. Examples are drawn from classical physics, such as Newton’s laws and Einstein’s theory of relativity, as well as from modern physics, including black holes and string theory. This book is designed for the general public, and it does not require extensive background in mathematics or physics–just a sense of curiosity!About the Author: Cumrun Vafa is the Hollis Professor of Mathematicks and Natural Philosophy in the Physics Department at Harvard University, where he has been teaching and researching theoretical physics since 1985. Professor Vafa is world-renowned for his groundbreaking work in string theory. He is one of the founders of the duality revolution in string theory, which has reshaped our understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe. Professor Vafa has received numerous prizes and recognitions for his work on theoretical physics, including the 2017 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics and the 2008 Dirac Medal from the ICTP.For more information about the author see his website: https://www.cumrunvafa.org/ .

User’s Reviews

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

⭐The genre of popular science literature has its own extremes. On the one hand we have the gentle descriptive approach of S. Hawking’s ‘A Brief History of Time’, aimed at the anyone with the slightest interest in the workings of the Cosmos while being allergic to mathematical symbols, and on the other hand we have the R. Penrose’s incredibly ambitious book ‘The Road to Reality’, which perhaps should aptly be called the ‘Never-ending road to Reality (Do you need a ‘popular’ science book as a life-project?). C. Vafa’s novel approach to explaining the intricacies of modern physics is a two-fold sweet spot between these extremes.First, the level chosen for explaining physical concepts is well suited to people with basic knowledge of algebra and calculus. For this reason alone the book makes an excellent gift for final year high-school students with a passion for physics and maths. Many of the important concepts of modern physics such as the conservation laws and their relation to symmetry are explained in brief and lucid manner without unnecessary historical tangents.Secondly, what sets apart Vafa’s book from other similar approaches at the same depth, are the associated puzzles that he confronts the reader with throughout his exposition. These puzzles, some of which I admit I had seen before in other places, are intertwined in entertaining ways with the main concepts that he is describing. This is a great way to engage the reader and I thoroughly enjoyed tackling these (for me) familiar puzzles in this new light. The puzzles work sometimes as analogies for enhancing the description of a concept and sometimes as expansions on the concept being discussed. The chapter on Duality was exceptional in providing deep insights I had not seen elsewhere at this level.Was there anything I did not like? Perhaps the discussion of Science and Religion felt a bit out of place for a book like this, (it pops up in an odd place, perhaps a better place would have been as an epilogue…). But even there Vafa provides for good puzzle-driven discussion and is generous with sharing his own views on the matter.The road to reality is sweet and brief when taken with Dr. Cumrun Vafa!

⭐I’ve been enthusiastically consuming the work of popularizers of science since M. Ilin, James Jeans, H.G. Wells, Lilian Lieber, Isaac Asimov, George Gamov, Frank Wilczek, Lisa Randall, Richard Feynman, Arthur Clarke, Fred Hoyle, Steven Pinker, Oliver Sacks, Michio Kaku, Brian Greene…. So I enthusiastically purchased this one, especially since it came endorsed by Brian Greene. But the mathematical background required to follow the discussions (before you ever get to the puzzles) was simply beyond me. I gave up. You may be better educated than I…

⭐Did not meet my expectations at all

⭐This book is very unique because it beautifully presents a wide variety of physics concepts (some rather complex) using fun and easy to understand puzzles. It is very well organized, easy to read and has a lot of simple diagrams. You can jump around and pick different topics every day to enjoy by yourself and with others. It’s a great way to understand and appreciate the order and laws of the universe. I’ve very much enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to those who are curious about how the universe works.

⭐I have always been very curious about physics but am not someone with an extensive background in the subject. I found this book to be incredibly accessible. The use of puzzles which are thought-provoking and fun (I have used a few of them on my friends now) to explain some intimidating theories is very original. I recommend this book for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of our universe– and having some fun along the way.

⭐It was new and on time!

⭐Disappointing. One of the leading lights produces a springboard that doesn’t vault the reader into terrain remotely close to the heights the author wants us to appreciate. Very disappointing.

⭐This is a book written in a hurry. Only looked through Intro and the first chapter. Double spaced text and more lecture-note type than thoroughly planned, polished, well-written book. The author definitely does not care about the reader, why should I pay money then?! Returning back!

⭐I loved the hanging picture frame problem mostly because of the beautiful algebra associated with it. I was coming up with great ideas as I was working on solving it for N>2, for several days. Whenever I begin reading the book, I cannot stop, because every time I read a paragraph or two, I just can’t wait for the puzzle that will come up.

⭐no vale la pena, es un texto muy pobre, totalemente desordenado….muy mal escrito…el Autor ha escrito un trabajo de poco interes, a pesar de sus conocimientos…una perdida de dinero!

⭐

⭐This book is very useful to everyone, whatever a novice or expert in string theory. This book presents deep connections between physics and mathematics in a lucid way. Overall this book is very very good.

Keywords

Free Download Puzzles to Unravel the Universe in PDF format
Puzzles to Unravel the Universe PDF Free Download
Download Puzzles to Unravel the Universe 2020 PDF Free
Puzzles to Unravel the Universe 2020 PDF Free Download
Download Puzzles to Unravel the Universe PDF
Free Download Ebook Puzzles to Unravel the Universe