Zero to Infinity: The Foundations of Physics (Knots and Everything) 1st Edition by Peter Rowlands (PDF)

Description

Unique in its field, this book uses a methodology that is entirely new, creating the simplest and most abstract foundations for physics to date. The author proposes a fundamental description of process in a universal computational rewrite system, leading to an irreducible form of relativistic quantum mechanics from a single operator. This is not only simpler, and more fundamental, but also seemingly more powerful than any other quantum mechanics formalism available. The methodology finds immediate applications in particle physics, theoretical physics and theoretical computing. In addition, taking the rewrite structure more generally as a description of process, the book shows how it can be applied to large-scale structures beyond the realm of fundamental physics.

User’s Reviews

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

⭐Prof. Rowlands presents a clear and concise view of the nature of the very fabric of reality which is not only tactile and intuitive, but complete. He takes the reader on a journey from first principals which stem from purely philosophical grounds i.e. the zero totality, or that there is no fundamental structure of the universe, and follows a logical progression culminating in gravity, supersymmetry, and more.The fundamental building block of reality is described as a ‘nilpotent’ or algebraic structure with properties stemming from the division algebras. Using this structure, and the steadfast adherence to the concept of ‘zero totality’, Rowlands demonstrates how natural physical phenomena simply ’emerge’ from this framework.The section on the Dirac equation is particularly enlightening. Using a nilpotent structure as the basic unit of information, Rowlands shows how the redundancies and singularities of the classical implementation can be avoided. Quantum field theory, one of the most difficult theories of modern physics, is a natural consequence of the nilpotent formulation in terms of the ‘vacuum’. It completely removes any need for second quantization. Supersymmetry is also an inherent property.He provides a thorough treatment of the standard model, and how all the symmetries and predictive power of the standard model is preserved in the nilpotent formulation as well as an interesting insight into the nature of gravity. Conjectures as to grand unified theories and symmetries are also discussed.

⭐An interesting book about the basis of physics, compiled ground up (and apparently penned by a pool of other collaborating authors). I might say this book is for those people who already know their physics text books and are motivated by their own foundational inclinations to look at the fundamentals of body of physics from a different perspective. As much as I know even the mathematicians are divided and conflicted about the foundations of mathematics, this may become even more so in the case of physics. I am not a physicist by profession but if you are motivated to form your own opinion and care about the `right assessment’, this book could point to an inspiring direction.

⭐Zero to Infinity, The Foundations of PhysicsPeter Rowlands, 2007, World ScientificSeries on knots and everything; v.41Hardcover, 713 pgs. ISBN 978-981-270-914-1For some reason when I first hefted this interesting volume, quite soon I was reminded of Sir Roger Penrose’s book `The Road to Reality’. One could almost as easily say there is little comparison as easily say that they are similar. They certainly attempt to explain the same thing – The fundamental basis of reality from the point of view of Physics. For this reason I think they make good companions and together whereby the contrast would give a 3-fold insight into the nature of physical reality.Penrose relies somewhat on the twistor theory of his own invention and throws out a slightly wider net in an attempt to elucidate a broader spectrum of physical theory. Rowlands’ work while still covering the full breath of physics which zero to infinity readily suggests, his scope is slightly narrower as he makes his delineation describing the foundations of physics from what he proposes as a `universal computational rewrite system’, which one must admit is quite profound as it leads to a very simple form of relativistic quantum mechanics in terms of a single Dirac operator. What Rowlands’ approach aims for is to find a simple unified theory of physics, or theory of everything (TOE) by finding a simple “process, a systematic way of proceeding with strong indications that we were on the right track”. This book is truly on the right path…The back cover of Zero to Infinity says, “This is not only simpler, and more fundamental, but also seemingly more powerful than any other quantum mechanics formalism available”. I think one has no choice other than to agree that this statement is true. Rowlands performs much of this work in terms of quaternions, which every physicist knows provides a much simpler form of spinor algebra than all other formalisms used; but which has for the most part been ignored by the physics community. One can not help but wonder if this brilliant work will not now begin to turn the tide.I highly recommend this volume to anyone wishing to devolve into any area of the foundations of Physics. While it is highly mathematical, the math is not overdone and there is more than sufficient prose and figures to make the book readable not just to graduate students and professional physicists but to any educated soul curious for about contemporary physics and its future. Rowlands has proven himself to be an excellent physicist and the clarity of his book reflects that.Richard L. Amoroso, 2009Noetic Advanced Studies Institute

⭐When I first attempted to read this book more than a decade ago, my unfamiliarity with the maths of fundamental physics made it impossible for me to get beyond the first few chapters. It was nevertheless apparent that an information vs entropy view and information-communication concepts of forces and actions “at a distance” provided an important model. I was also struck by two things:Firstly, the “zero sum game” effect of creating something from nothing, where that something is plus & minus, real & anti symmetry of stuff in physics … those mysterious perturbations in the vacuum. The potency of zero. Of course potency doesn’t explain how, just the possibility, so there’s more to the story.Secondly, “re-write as algorithm” and the emergence of patterns within patterns not present in the original algorithm, simply by repeated application of the algorithm, to the zero in this case. Not just something from nothing, but something complex and interesting from nothing.For the lay reader, I would recommend starting with Rowland’s more recent “How Schrödinger’s Cat Escaped The Box” and then come back to “Zero to Infinity. For fundamental theoretical physics professionals I’d recommend reading and treating it as the serious text-book it is.

⭐A very stimulating and exciting read so far!It will take me some time to work through this huge book!

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